Newcomers led the Seattle University women’s swim team in several events as the Redhawks began the 2013-14 season with a double-dual meet against Bakersfield and Grand Canyon Saturday afternoon at the Hillman Aquatic Center.
In her first collegiate competition, Blaise Wittenauer-Lee (Portland, Ore.) won the 200 breaststroke by 10 seconds with a time of 2:17.73, the third-fastest mark in program history. She also posted the third-fastest time in Redhawk history in the 200 freestyle, finishing second in 1:52.92, and the fourth-quickest time ever for Seattle U in the 200 individual medley, finishing third in the event in 2:08.26.
Fellow freshman Carlee Bock (Bellingham, Wash.) immediately wrote her name in Seattle U’s all-time top 10 lists, finishing third in the 100 backstroke in 59.16 seconds, the fifth-fastest time in school history, and third in the 200 backstroke in 2:10.29, inserting herself into eighth place on the career top 10 list for that event.
Bock also led off both relays, joining with Wittenauer-Lee, Jane Liggett (Portland, Ore.), and Nicole Doi (Pleasanton, Calif.) for a fourth-place finish in the 200 medley relay in 1:48.86, seventh on the Redhawk all-time list. She then joined with Melissa Randolf (Everett, Wash.), Doi, and Kristin Hoffman (Mercer Island, Wash.) for a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:38.43, the ninth-quickest in program history.
Individually, Liggett started the season with a strong performance, finishing second in the 200 butterfly in 2:07.08, a new personal best, and third in the 100 butterfly in 58.10 seconds, just 2/100ths of a second off her personal record. Hoffman led the Redhawks in the 100 freestyle with a time of 54.42 seconds, while Randolf was the top Seattle U finisher in the 50 freestyle in 25.34 seconds.
Bethany Gehrke (Lynnwood, Wash.) established a new personal best in the 1000 freestyle, finishing in second place with a time of 10:36.60, plus she finished fifth in the 500 freestyle in 5:15.04. Emma Foster (Clancy, Mont.) also performed well in her initial collegiate event, posting the eighth-fastest time in the 1000 freestyle in school history with a fourth-place mark of 10:51.06, and she also finished seventh in the 500 freestyle in 5:20.76.
First-year competitor Annika Perry (Reno, Nev.) led the Redhawks with a third-place finish in the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.33, plus she finished fifth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:30.56. Katie Rottman (Phoenix, Ariz.) also enjoyed a solid collegiate debut, finishing fifth in the 200 backstroke in 2:11.99 and sixth in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.62.
“This was a solid first meet for us, especially considering that many of our swimmers posted personal best times even after training hard over the past month,” Seattle U head coach Craig Nisgor said. “Jane had a good day, and the freshman class stepped up for us in a big way today. They are definitely looking forward to having a great year in the pool.”
Seattle U lost both contests in the double-dual scoring, falling to host Bakersfield, 195-93, and to Grand Canyon, 160-101. Bakersfield swept the day by defeating Grand Canyon, 179-109.
Seattle University (0-2) opens the home schedule by welcoming Washington State to the Connolly Center Friday, Nov. 1, starting at 5 p.m. That will be the first of three straight official home meets for the Redhawks over the first nine days of the month, with visits from Oregon State (Nov. 8) and Idaho (Nov. 9) also on the docket.