FAIRBANKS - The Nanooks swimming team officially begins its 2026-27 season in California for two meets this week. They take on Biola in a PCSC dual meet Friday afternoon, then compete in the Bulldog Pentathlon at the University of Redlands Saturday morning.
Friday, Oct. 9
at RV Biola | 3 p.m. AKT | Live Timing
Lansing Pool | La Mirada, Calif.
Saturday, Oct. 10
at Bulldog Pentathlon | 9 a.m. AKT | Live Timing
Thompson Aquatic Center | Redlands, Calif.
Last Time Out
The Nanooks held their annual Blue/Gold Intrasquad Meet on Friday, Sept. 25, kicking off their season at the Patty Center Pool. Team Gold earned a 123-86 victory, winning eight of the 13 events. Monica Botha and Cosima Schmiedel each won two individual events: Botha took first in the 200-yard freestyle (2:00.78) and 100-yard backstroke (1:02.60), while Schmiedel won the 100-yard freestyle (55.03) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:13.85).
Looking Back
The Nanooks broke multiple program records last season en route to a fifth-place finish at the PCSC Championships and their first All-American result since 2019. They tallied 751 points at last season's conference championships, marking their second straight fifth-place finish. Cosima Schmiedel set the program record in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing the finals in 2:04.35 to place fourth. Dorka Dancsok also set the program record in the 400-yard IM, posting a 4:23.31 to win the event.
Dancsok used her record time in the 400-yard IM to earn a spot at the NCAA Championships, the first time a Nanook has qualified since 2023-24, when Charlotte Fletcher-Stables competed in the 100-yard backstroke. Her NCAA B-Cuts also allowed her to compete in the 100 and 200-yard breaststroke, along with the 200-yard IM. She recorded three top-30 finishes, placing 25th and 29th in the 200-yard IM and 200-yard breaststroke, respectively. Her 14th-place finish in the 400-yard IM earned her All-American Second Team, Alaska's first All-American since Oda Bygdnes did so in 2019.
Coach Ceglowski
The Alaska Nanooks announced the hiring of new head coach Riley Ceglowski this past spring. Ceglowski arrived in Fairbanks after spending over a year as the aquatics coordinator for the City of Fruita in Colorado. Before that, she served as head coach of the Adams State University men's and women's swimming teams and the Ave Maria University swimming team.
Meet the Opponents
RV Biola
The Eagles are coming off a third-place finish in last season's PCSC Championships, securing 1083.5 points. They opened this season by splitting two dual meets against Simon Fraser on Sept. 25-26, winning the first 97-82 but losing the second 88-60.
This is the first time the two teams have faced off in a dual meet since Nov. 2018, when the Nanooks went 1-1 over two meets. They earned a 122-83 win on day one before falling 104-98 on day two. The Nanooks own a 6-1 record in dual meets against BU going back to the 2013-14 season.
Bulldog Pentathlon
The following teams will be competing at the Bulldog Pentathlon in Redlands, Calif.
- Alaska
- Biola
- Chapman
- La Verne
- Whittier
- Soka
- Concordia Irvine
- Occidental
- Redlands
#NookNotes
- The 'Nooks return 10 swimmers from last year's roster: Dorka Dancsok, Kitti Marton, Giorgia Merlo, MacKenzie O'Keefe, Sariah Rodgers, Mayumi Schaetzle, Cosima Schmiedel, Mariia Sirotinskaia, Charisma Watkins and Talia Wentz. Additionally, Sam Bristor, who was on the 'Nooks 2024-25 roster, makes her return to the squad.
- Alaska has announced six new swimmers to this season's team: Monica Botha, a freshman from Durban, South Africa; Marilia Persidou, a freshman from Drama, Greece; Zhenia Stukova, a freshman from Vinnytsia, Ukraine; Ava Thomas, a freshman from Grande Prairie, Alta.; and Zsófia Varga, a freshman from Budapest, Hungary.
- The Nanooks opened the season by receiving votes in the CSCAA Division II women's swimming preseason coaches poll.
Looking Ahead
The Nanooks return to Fairbanks next week for two home dual meets against PCSC opponent Azusa Pacific. The 'Nooks and Cougars will square off on Friday, Oct. 16, at 5 p.m., and Saturday, Oct. 17, at 10 a.m. in the Patty Center Pool.
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