FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – A select few members of the Alaska Nanooks swim team will be in action this weekend at the 67th Annual SCY Husky Invitational hosted by the University of Washington. The three-day events begins on Friday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center and runs through Sunday.
The Nooks will be sending four swimmers to compete in the meet, as All-Americans Victoria Adams and Martha Hood will be joined by newcomers Cassidy Heaton and Kate Mathews in the Lower 48. This meet also caps off the 2015-16 regular season for the Alaska Nanooks swim team, as they prepare of US Nationals.
Heaton and Hood will get things started for the Nanooks this weekend on Friday. Heaton will be competing in the 500-yard freestyle to open the meet for Alaska, and Hood will conclude the day's events for the Nooks with the 50-yard free style. Heaton is seated 14th in the 500-yard freestyle. The freshman has been strong in the event this season, and posted a career-best time of 5:06.05 her last time out at the Calvin Invitational. For Hood, she will be seated fifth in the 50-yard freestyle, as she returns to the site where she set a personal-best in the event. At last season's Husky Invitational, Hood recorded a time of 23.44 to finish fifth.
Three swimmers will partake in events on the second day of the Husky Invitational. Adams kicks off the day with the 100-yard backstroke, followed by Mathews in the 100-yard breaststroke and Heaton concludes her weekend with the 800-meter freestyle. Adams, an All-American in the backstroke, enters Saturday's race as the three seed. Adams is coming off a second-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke at the prestigious Calvin Invitational by clocking in at a season-best 55.79. Mathews looks to add another stellar performance to her already outstanding rookie year with the Nanooks, as she opens the 100-yard breaststroke as the 14 seed. Mathews finished fourth in her last 100-yard race at the Calvin Invitational, as she set a new career-best time of 1:04.87. Heaton ends the day as the seventh seed in the 800-meter freestyle. The distance swimmer will be making her debut in the 800-meter race at the Husky Invitational.
Alaska's stay in the Husky Invitational comes to an end on Sunday, as Adams, Hood and Mathews will take to the pool. Adams will participate in the 200-yard backstroke, while Hood will compete in the 100-yard freestyle and Mathews ends things with the 200-yard breaststroke. Adams is coming off a season-best performance in the 200-yard backstroke, as she posted a time of 2:02.20 to finish third at the Calvin Invitational. Hood also placed third at the Calvin Invitational in the 100-yard freestyle, as she collected a season-best time of 56.39. Mathews looks to finish the meet strong for Alaska, as she is seeded third in the 200-yard breaststroke. Mathews won the event at the Calvin Invitational, as she posted a career-best time of 2:18.61.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks swim team, follow @NanooksSwim on Twitter or like the Alaska Nanooks Swimming on Facebook.
