DAY THREE RESULTS | WAC CHAMPIONSHIPS CENTRAL
HOUSTON (Feb. 24) – Blaise Wittenauer-Lee of the Seattle University women’s swimming team defended her 100 breaststroke title on Friday at the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Championships. The senior set a new WAC record with a dominant 1:00.52 performance at the University of Houston.
"The energy was going," said Coach Craig Nisgor. "It was great to see the times we put up. For Blaise, it's something she put her mind to and she's achieving her goals. She's put in the work and it's great to see her accomplish everything."
Wittenauer-Lee blew away the field in the 100 breaststroke, winning by over a second. She broke her own Seattle U record and improved her NCAA ‘B’ cut time. It’s the senior’s second straight WAC title in the event. Wittenauer-Lee topped the 12-year-old WAC record, previously set by Corrie Clark of SMU, an NCAA qualifier.
It’s her fourth individual WAC crown. She will go for a second consecutive title in the 200 breaststroke Saturday. Wittenauer-Lee won the 100 and 200 breaststroke titles last year and took first in the 200 IM Thursday.
Annika Perry was a 15th-place finisher in the 100 breaststroke. Her time of 1:04.83 in the prelims was just off a personal best.
Paige Treff logged an SU record in the 100 butterfly prelims. She swam a 55.91, beating the old Redhawk mark by nearly half a second. Treff then finished seventh with a 55.98 performance in the finals of the contest.
The 400 medley relay squad of Madi Lydig, Wittenauer-Lee, Treff, and Kristin Hoffman combined to break a school record. They recorded a 3:44.35 to place second in the event. It marks the highest finish by a Redhawk relay team at the WAC Championships. The foursome shattered the previous SU mark, set at last year's WAC Championships, by almost four seconds.
In the same race, Kaitlyn Overstreet placed 14th with a 56.63. Emily Gough and Maddie Rapp both tallied career-best times, as Gough’s 57.53 was good for seventh-best in SU history, while Rapp’s 57.70 was the ninth-fastest.
In the 400 IM prelims, Kate Sabourin put up the third-fastest time in school history with a 4:28.84. She followed with a 4:33.70 effort to take eighth in the finals.
Hoffman contributed a 1:51.58 in the 200 freestyle finals, taking 10th place. Jayna Van Stone finished 22nd, recording a time of 1:54.20, sixth-fastest in program annals.
Lydig and Katie Rottman put up the two of the top three times in school history in the 100 backstroke Friday. Lydig broke Seattle U's oldest-standing women's record (Francesca Reale in 2008). Lydig’s time of 56.91 was good for 17th Friday. Katie Rottman touched in 57.32 seconds, third-best in Redhawk history and 19th in the finals of the event.
On Saturday night, the meet will conclude with finals in the 1650 freestyle, 200 backstroke, 100 freestyle, 200 breaststroke, 200 butterfly, and 400 freestyle relay.