GCU women build as 3-time WAC runner-up

Friday, October 4

Seattle, Wash.

Grand Canyon

Seattle U

Photo by: Jack Gilday

10/4/2024 5:00:00 AM | Women's Swimming and Diving, Paul Coro

Brunlehner enters final season with Martinez Moreno, Nakahima also back

By: Paul Coro

The bridges to the Grand Canyon women's swimming and diving program's better things ahead come from how it keeps building on its success.

The Lopes emerged from a seventh-place hole at the 2019 WAC Championships to have a pair of third-place conference finishes before being the runner-up at the past three conference meets. Northern Arizona will be a heavy WAC favorite again, so the Lopes just keep building toward a breakthrough as they open the season this weekend against California Baptist and host Seattle U.

"The program is catching up," said GCU 17-year head coach Steve Schaffer, the athletic department's longest-tenured head coach. "We have the individual talent to get somebody to NCAAs."

This Lopes season will be the final one for Olympian swimmer Maria Brunlehner, a former WAC Swimmer of the Year who represented Kenya in the Paris Games this summer. Last season, she set GCU records in the 100-yard freestyle and breaststroke and won a third WAC gold medal in the 200 individual medley.

"Maria's our closest to making NCAAs," Schaffer said. "She was four-tenths of a second away from a time that would qualify. That's not a terrible amount to get in the 100 freestyle. In the 100 breaststroke, she's less than a second away and could pop something there too."

Brunlehner teamed with fellow returnees Paula Martinez Moreno, a junior from Spain, and Raphaela Nakashima, a graduate from Brazil, on a pair of GCU's WAC championship relays – the 200 and 400 medley relays.

Martinez Moreno won the 100 backstroke at last season's WAC Championship and also earned bronze medals in the conference meet's 100 and 200 butterfly finals.

"Paula is getting close in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke events," Schaffer said. "She's going to make a run. She'll be one of the best swimmers in the conference in those events. She can go 100 and 200 back and 100 and 200 fly. And she's developing a breaststroke and helps on our freestyle relays."

Nakashima finished second to Brunlehner in the 100 breaststroke at last season's WAC Championships, where she also took third in the 200 breaststroke. With Brunlehner coming off an Olympic summer, Nakashima appears ahead of Brunlehner with freshman Beth Young of England entering to be an heir apparent in the event, Schaffer said.

Steve Schaffer

"Raphaela is learning to swim those races," Schaffer said. "She's learned to swim breaststroke better. She tends to get overexcited. If Raphaela can combine her aggression with a better quality of movement, which is what she seems to be doing right now, she's going to be tough to beat. She'll have a chance to make it to NCAAs."

Briana Rittenbach graduated to leave one medley relay spot, which is being claimed by junior Marta Guasp of Spain for her backstroke with sophomore Bailey Gott pushing her with a fast start in backstroke and butterfly. Guasp has emerged as a sprinter this year.

"It's a huge surprise," Schaffer said. "She's just coming into her own now. She realizes it's time. She's an upperclassman now. She's ready to flex this year. She came in ready to rock and has been really impressive in practices."

GCU senior Lauren Hicks, a Mesa Red Mountain High School graduate, endured health issues that affected her stamina last season. She is now factoring into scenarios for the 200 and 400 freestyle relays.

Fellow Mesa native Kailee Patters, a junior who graduated from Desert Ridge High School, missed the WAC Championships as a freshman due to a broken arm and earned a freestyle relay role last year that is growing this year.

For distance, GCU sophomore Vivi Criscione of Corvallis, Oregon, returns after placing third in the 1,650 freestyle at last season's WAC Championships.

Greece's Maria Chatzi returns for her senior season after setting a GCU record in the 100 individual medley, an event run annually at the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America National Invitational Championships. Her impact expands for this team with her versatility for freestyle events as well as breaststroke and IM.

Schaffer also has been intrigued by junior Elisa Corradi, a Cumberlands transfer from Italy who is standing out in the IM and backstroke, and freshman Kaitlyn Logue of Greshmam, Oregon, in the freestyle and backstroke.

The Lopes look to have NCAA Zone-quality divers after bringing in Cincinnati transfer Lacey Neighbor of Alburnett, Iowa. She could be GCU's top springboard diver with senior Shiori Bak of Australia back as the top platform diver.

The diving group has improved with the additions of freshmen Brooke Woeslaw, a Canyon View High School graduate from Goodyear, Arizona, and Hailey-Cate Bull of Parker, Colorado.

GCU will be in competition weekly with a uniquely formatted meet at Arizona State on Oct. 12, the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Open Water Championships on Oct. 19, a trip to Hawaii for Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2 and Nov. 8 home meets before going to Purdue on Nov. 21-23.

"This has been the best group of kids," Schaffer said of the team. "We'll learn a lot at Purdue when we got to our midseason meet there."