FAIRBANKS – The Alaska Nanooks swim team has announced their team captains. Interim coach
Kelsey Leeson has chosen
Whitney McArthur, Laini Lioi and
Gabrielle Davy to lead the way for the 'Nooks this 21-22 season.
Leeson had this to say about her three captains, "I am very proud to announce the captains for the 2021-22 season;
Whitney McArthur,
Gabrielle Davy and
Lainey Lioi. I'm looking forward to helping them lead the team for the next nine months. I think this trio will work well together and will use their varying skillsets to enhance our performance during training and competitions."
Whitney McArthur enters her fourth season with the Nanooks. In her last full season, the 2019-20 year, McArthur appeared in 37 events, placing in the top-five in 15 of them. She broke four personal-bests during the 19-20 season, posting times of 24.39 in the 50-yard freestyle, a 54.13 in the 100-yard freestyle, a 31.91 in the 50-yard breaststroke and a 1:07.67 in the 100-yard breaststroke. Coach Leeson had this to say about McArthur's selection, "Whitney is going into her fourth season as a Nanook and in that time has seen four different head coaches. Since she is no stranger to change, she is flexible and knows how to go with the flow while keeping up team morale. She works hard and is always looking for ways to better herself in and out of the pool."
The second selection as swim team captain was
Gabrielle Davy, a 2020-21 transfer, who joined the Nanooks and made an immediate impact. She grabbed on top-five finish on the season, participating in only eight events, including a 14
th place finish at PCSC Championships in the 200-yard butterfly. Leeson felt her fresh perspective is what led to the nod as team captain, "Gabrielle was a transfer-student last year so she has different experiences than others on the team. She will bring in new ideas that others might not necessarily be able to because of her experiences in her first two seasons."
The final selection as team captain for the Alaska Nanooks swim team is
Lainey Lioi. Lioi, a sophomore from Buford, Ga., saw time in only six events for the 'Nooks in 20-21. She found two top-10 finishes, both coming against Westmont and Loyola Marymount in the 50-yard freestyle (7
th) and 200-yard freestyle (8
th). The sophomore looks to build upon a hard year-one in Fairbanks and help the next group of newcomers, "Lainey has an incredible work ethic. With no team bonding opportunities and very little competition due to COVID-19, last season was especially difficult on Lainey and her first-year class, but I know she will build off of her experiences from last season and use the resilience she gained to help welcome our newcomers to the team."
The Nanooks schedule is yet to be finalized; however, they will unofficially open their season on Sept. 17 with their annual Blue/Gold Meet.
For more information on the Alaska Nanooks swimming team, follow @NanookSwim on Instagram, @NanooksSwim on Twitter, or like the Alaska Nanooks Swim team page on Facebook.
