Swimmers set for Blue-Gold Pentathlon Saturday
October 12, 2012
Jamie Foland
474-6807
Fans will have their first opportunity of the year to see the Alaska women's swim team as it will host its annual Blue versus Gold Pentathlon on Saturday at noon at the Patty Center Pool.
“We expect to see all of our swimmers swim strong and potentially start making NCAA B-cuts,” head coach Scott Lemley said. “The importance of the meet has more to do with a reflection of the training than anything else and we believe the training is going well.”
Sixteen swimmers will be split into teams of eight to comprise the Blue and Gold squads. The teams will be led by this year's team captains, sophomore Danielle Lyons (Prince Albert, Saskatchewan/St. Mary's) and senior Sarah Meierotto (Fairbanks, Alaska/North Pole). Lyons will captain Blue while Meierotto will manage Gold.
Alaska will compete in six total events, with five counting towards the individual pentathlon scoring. The event commences with the 200-yard medley relay that will count towards team totals only. It will be followed by the 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke, 100 freestyle and 100 individual medley.
A swimmer's score in each event will be based on their number finish, so which place each competitor finishes is the amount of points the individual receives. The team with the least amount of cumulative points at the conclusion of the six races wins the meet. Individually, the top three finishers (with least amount of points) will be honored as well.
“There are probably half a dozen women who could win the event and be the overall high-point swimmer,” Lemley said. “Because it's a pentathlon, everyone swims everything so there's a natural shaking out in terms of each stroke.”
Last year, Gold defeated Blue by six points (403-409) then-freshman Lyons won the individual title with 10 points. Following Lyons in second and third were then-freshman Gabi Summers (Cheyenne, Wyo./Central) and then-sophomore Bente Heller (Hamburg, Germany/Albrecht Thzer Gymnasium), who scored 15 and 16 points, respectively.