FAIRBANKS – The Alaska Nanook swimming team wrapped up an impressive season a few weeks ago at the NCAA Championships, where it collected nine All-America honors, including a top-five finish for Margot Adams in the 100 butterfly and Honorable Mention status for the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays.
In addition to its national successes, the swim team also garnered eight All-Pacific Collegiate Swimming & Diving Conference honors, eight conference medalists and five conference champions. The team was just as impressive in the classroom as it was in the pool, as it posted the seventh highest grade point average in the country last semester and had three PCSC All-Academic selections.
For four straight years M. Adams placed in the top-five at nationals, was the conference champion and broke the varsity record in the 100 fly. The senior becomes just the second female swimmer in the past decade to finish her collegiate career undefeated in an event over a four year period. She ends her career as a 13-time All-American.
M. Adams was also part of the 200 freestyle and 400 medley relays at the NCAA Championships as well as the 200 medley relay team that was a conference champion. Joining her on those relays were Victoria Adams (all three), Martha Hood (200 medley & 200 freestyle), Nga Nguyen (200/400 medley relay) and Katie Stark (200 freestyle and 400 medley).
The 200 medley relay team of M. Adams, V. Adams, Hood and Nguyen set the PCSC conference record en route to their first-place finish while the 200 freestyle relay team of M. Adams, V. Adams, Hood and Stark earned All-America Honorable Mention at the NCAA Championships, becoming the program's first ever relay team comprised entirely of Alaskans to do so.
"It has always been a goal of this program to have an all Alaskan relay team turn in a top performance at the national level and we are incredibly excited to have accomplished that this season," said head coach Scott Lemley.
Continued the coach, "Across the board, the success that the team had this season shows how dedicated our girls are. We talk a lot about performance on demand and the need to peak at the right time and we did that this year."
The team also excelled in the classroom, as Gabi Summers, Dani Lyons and Linnea Doumas were honored by the PCSC as part of its All-Academic team. Individuals must be a junior or a senior and post a cumulative 3.5 GPA to make the team.
Summers was also named All-Conference in the 200 backstroke, 500 freestyle and 200 freestyle while Lyons earned All-Conference honors in the 400 individual medley. M. Adams earned All-Conference honors in all three of her individual events – the 100 fly, 100 back and 100 free – and freshman Martha Hood rounded out the group with her All-Conference honor in the 50 free.
With seventeen individual NCAA "B" cuts, and M. Adams' "A" cut in the 100 fly, eight Nanook swimmers could earn national Individual Scholastic All-America awards as well. The College Swimming Coaches Association of America All-Academic team is announced following the conclusion of the spring semester, with individuals needing to post a cumulative 3.5 GPA and at least one NCAA "B" time to earn Honorable Mention, while any swimmers who compete at the NCAA meet will be named CSCAA Individual Scholar All-Americans.
The CSCAA All-Academic teams will be announced later in the year, after the conclusion of the spring semester.
