Swim Opens 2022 with Incarnate Word at Home

FAIRBANKS - The Alaska Nanooks swim team opens up 2022 with the University of the Incarnate Word at the Patty Center Pool on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14-15.

We ask that fans who attend this weekend's meet against Incarnate Word, please sit above in the overhang seating area. Masks required for all in attendance.

Friday, Jan. 14 vs. Incarnate Word
Live Video >> https://bit.ly/3I13k7m
Patty Center Pool, 5:00 p.m. AKT

Saturday, Jan. 15 vs. Incarnate Word
Live Video >> https://bit.ly/3rfaf65
Patty Center Pool, 10:00 a.m. AKT

Last Time Out
It's been over a month and a half since the Nanooks were in the pool for competition and even longer since they've hosted a meet at the Patty Center Pool. In their last competition, the Nanooks traveled to ELAC for the University of La Verne hosted Winter Invitational. The Nanooks put together 470 team points, finishing eighth-place in the 13-team meet. On day one, Alaska posted 117 points for a ninth-place day one finish. Nella Pashak posted a 13th-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle while Emma Corby also picked up a finals appearance, this one in the 500-yard free. She took third with a time of 5:04.69. On day two, the Nanooks upped their team-total to 275 points, remaining in ninth-place. The Nanooks had one top-10 finals finish on the day as an 800-yard freestyle relay team made up of Mesa Moran, Caroline McCormick, Shannon McCallum and Corby took home ninth-place with a time of 8:00.50.

On the final day, the Nanooks were led by an eighth-place finish in the 1650-yard freestyle by Payton Wojciechowicz and a time of 18:00.44. Corby also ended with a seventh-place finish in the 100-yard IM finals, posting a race-time of 1:01.09. Sophia Ruppert had the only other top-10 finish on day three, taking home eighth in the 200-yard butterfly with a time of 2:11.36. These performances by the Nanooks shot them to an eighth-place finish as a team.

Quick Hitters

The Nanook had 32 personal-best times at the Winter Invitational hosted by La Verne. Taryn Aho: 200 breaststroke, Adeline Berry: 50 butterfly, Naomi Burgan: 500 free, 400 IM, 100 butterfly, 100 breaststroke, 100 IM, KyleeCarter: 200 free, 200 breaststroke, Emma Corby: 50 free, 400 IM, 100 IM, Cassandra Erdman: 50 free, 200 backstroke, Lainey Lioi: 50 free, 100 backstroke, 50 backstroke, 100 free, Caroline McCormick: 100 butterfly, Mesa Moran: 50 free, Nella Pashak: 50 free, Sophia Ruppert: 200 free, 100 IM, Payton Wojciechowicz: 50 free, 100 free, 200 free, 1000 free, 1650 free.
Nella Pashak moved into the top-10 all-time in the 50-yard freesyle with her performance at La Verne. She posted a time of :24.35, tying her for 10th.
Emma Corby has made a name for herself after transfering from UConn. Corby posted two top-10 times in Nanooks history. Her first came in the 400 IM, as she posted the sixth-fastest time of 4:33.33. She also posted a 500 free time of 5:04.69, good for fifth-fastest time for the Nanooks. That time was also an NCAA B Cut.
The Nanooks are currently 4-0, 2-0 PCSC in dual-meets. That is the best start for the Nanooks since the program was resumed in 2005.
Moving forward, the Nanooks will host Incarnate Word for a two-meet weekend before ending the regular-season on Jan. 28-29 with Loyola Marymount in Fairbanks.
They'll head to the PCSC Conference Championships in St. George, Utah from Feb. 16-19.
The Nanooks have faced Incarnate Word in one dual-meet. That matchup came in Fairbanks on Jan. 27, 2018. The Cardinals won the meet.
Loyola Marymount is a common-opponent for Alaska.

Scouting the Opponent
The University of the Incarnate Word swims in the Division I CCSA, the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association. In conference standings, they currently sit in fifth-place with 674.15 points. Florida Gulf Coast is at the top, followed by UNC Asheville, Liberty, Campbell, Incarnate Word, Georgia Southern, North Florida, Gardner-Webb and Bellarmine.

The Cardinals are led by Kristen Straszacker, who through the season has collected 707.35 points. She posted her fastest 50 free this season, swimming a 24.20 on Nov. 17, 2021 at Texas A&M. At the same location, she swam a 100 free with a time of 53.51. She leads UIW and is followed by Ximena Conde Merlos who has posted 698.10 points. Conde Merlos swam seven of her fastest times at Texas A&M, posting a 50 free time of 25.42, 100 free time of 52.56, 200 free time of 1:52.73, 500 free time of 4:57.37, 1000 free time of 10:26.02, 1650 free time of 17:13.02 and 400 IM time of 4:23.31.

UIW is 1-0 on the season, winning a dual-meet with Henderson State, 122-83 on Oct. 14, 2021.

For more information on the Alaska Nanooks swim team, follow @NanooksSwim on Twitter, @NanookSwim on Instagram, or like the Alaska Nanooks Swim team page on Facebook.

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