SOMERS, Wis. -- On Wednesday, sophomore Kate Mathews was named the CollegeSwimming.com's NCAA Division II Women's Swimmer of the Week after her dominating performance this weekend against Azusa Pacific.
Mathews, who is in her first season with the Nanooks after transferring from NCAA Division I Hawai'i, picked up a trio of first place finishes and added a pair of second-place results to help Alaska earn a spilt over fellow Pacific Collegiate Swim and Dive Conference member, Azusa Pacific.
"It's good for our program to have this kind of national recognition," said head coach Scott Lemley. "Her results from this weekend ties into the work ethic she has demonstrated in her practices. She is swimming with a lot of confidence right now, and she has great up side in not just the events she participated in this weekend, but in other events as well."
Mathews captured two first place finishes in Friday's win over Azusa Pacific. The sophomore posted a time of 1:58.69 to win the 200-yard free style and turned in a 1:00.30-performance in the 100-yard butterfly to capture the event's top spot. She followed that performance with a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle on Friday, as her time of 5:20.44 was just 0.03 seconds off the pace of APU's Heidi Zuniga.
The Salem, Oregon native followed Friday's performance with another first-place finish in the 200-yard breaststroke on Saturday afternoon, as she put up a time of 2:27.51. Mathews rounded out her season-opening weekend with a second-place outing in the 200-yard butterfly, as she clocked in at 2:15.03.
Mathews' time in the 200-yard breaststroke is currently the 19th-best time in all of NCAA Division II.
The Alaska Nanooks swim team will be back in action on Oct. 30, as they'll host Biola University in PCSC action. The Nanooks will compete in two meets against BU, as the first event from the Patty Center Pool will take place at 6 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 30, followed by a 12 p.m. start on Saturday, Oct. 31.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks swim team, follow @NanooksSwim on Twitter or like Alaska Nanooks Swimming on Facebook.
