SEATTLE (March 1) – Blaise Wittenauer-Lee of Seattle University women’s swimming has qualified for the NCAA Championships in the 200 breaststroke. The senior will be the first Redhawk swimmer to compete at NCAAs since SU moved to Division I.
"It's a great accomplishment for Blaise, Seattle U swimming, and Seattle U athletics," said Coach Craig Nisgor. "To be one of just 281 female swimmers to qualify puts her in a very elite group. She's worked hard for this and had this goal since she came to SU. To see it come to fruition is amazing. When she was choosing a college, she realized Seattle U was the right athletic and academic fit for her, as well as a great environment to achieve her goals."
The native of Portland, Oregon, won Western Athletic Conference (WAC) Female Swimmer of the Year at last weekend’s WAC Championships following her standout performance at the University of Houston. Wittenauer-Lee won three gold medals, set two WAC records, and became a five-time individual conference champion. She set five individual program records and three school relay records at the meet.
In the 200 breaststroke, Wittenauer-Lee’s WAC-record time of 2:09.85 enhanced her NCAA ‘B’ cut to 24th-best nationally, enough to qualify for the NCAA Championships, held in Indianapolis March 16-18. The senior also has ‘B’ cuts in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM, which will allow her to compete in three events at NCAAs.
Wittenauer-Lee holds the school record in all three events. Her 200 breaststroke time broke a 14-year-old WAC record. In the 100 breaststroke, she topped a 12-year-old conference mark with a 1:00.52 performance. Wittenauer-Lee’s time of 1:59.95 in the 200 IM won gold and bested her previous school-record effort.
The NCAA Championships will be hosted by IUPUI later this month. The 200 IM will be contested on Thursday, March 16, with the 100 breaststroke the following day. The 200 breaststroke race is slated for Saturday, March 18.