Collins Sets School Record

NAU Is Third At WAC Championships

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Corie Collins set one of two school records achieved by NAU swimming and diving on the final day of the 2007 WAC Championships as the Lumberjacks cruised to a third-place finish among eight teams. Collins broke her own school record in the 100 freestyle while NAU’s 400 freestyle relay team also set a new record.

The Lumberjacks garnered 625 total points to take third while Nevada won the meet with 810.5 points and Hawaii finished second with 730 points. San Jose State took fourth with 430.5, New Mexico State was fifth with 359, Idaho was sixth with 350, San Diego was seventh with 245, and Boise State was eighth with 110.

The first final of the day was the 1,650 freestyle, won last year by NAU’s Alexis Buckley, who placed second this time around in a time of 16:56.61. The Lumberjacks took third place as well, with Becky Triemstra swimming a time of 17:04.62. Candace Fajardo was eighth in the event, and Elizabeth Brook placed 10th.

Collins first broke her old school record of 51.45 in the 100 freestyle by placing first in the prelims of the event with a time of 51.22, and bettered the new record still, finishing second in the finals with a time of 50.97, which is also a NCAA “B” qualifying mark. It is unlikely the time would hold up to earn her a spot at the national meet.

Rachael Foe finished right behind Collins in the 100 freestyle with a third-place and personal-best time of 51.11.

Cassie Lyons earned the bronze in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:21.84 and T.J. Williams placed eighth in the event with a time of 2:25.05.                           
 
NAU divers Danielle Borth and Natalie Hughes placed sixth and seventh, respectively, on the platform. The pair qualified for finals on all three diving events during the championships, and will represent NAU in two weeks at the NCAA Zone E Regional Championships in Oklahoma City, Okla.