PAC-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Federal Way, Wash. | Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center
All Day | Wed-Sun | February 22-26, 2023
WATCH | Pac-12.com
COUGARS GEAR UP FOR THE PAC-12 CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS
Washington State Women's Swimming team is diving into the 2023 Pac-12 Conference Championships beginning Wednesday at 6 p.m. at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way Washington. The Cougs will swim all day Wednesday through Sunday and go head-to-head with Arizona, Arizona State, California, Stanford, UCLA, USC, and Utah. On the last day of the conference, the swimmers with the best times from the seven teams will compete in the Pac-12 Last Chance.
ON DECK
The Cougs will meet next on March 9 for the CSCAA National Invitational Championships in Elkhart, Indiana. The young team is looking to utilize the next month and a half to reset and prepare for their conference era.
HOW TO FOLLOW
The Pac-12 Conference Championships will be on the Pac-12 Networks, Pac-12 Now, and can be streamed through Pac-12.com or the swimming schedule page on wsucougars.com for the wsucougars.com for the link.
LAST TIME OUT
Last time out the WSU Women's Swim team set five pool records to sweep Idaho on senior night. The Cougars posted the fastest time in all 14 races marking the 26th time WSU has recorded a win over the Vandals in series history. The 200-medley relay team of Anna Rauchholz, Hailey Grotte, Kaya Takashige, and Selena Duran set the first Gibb Pool record of the night followed by Angela di Palo, Emily Lundgren, and the 400 relay team. Senior captain Jewel Springer made a splash by recording a top-10 time in the 400 IM.
WSU KNOCKED OFF NORTHERN COLORADO
WSU locked in a victory last Oct. 29, posting its second win over Northern Colorado in program history to claim 12 out of 14 events in a 144-104 sweep at Gibb Pool. The Cougs remain undefeated in their series wins against Northern Colorado collecting nine individual victories. Freshman Anna Rauchholz had a standout meet; she picked up her first two career wins in the 100 and 50 back to earn 18 points for the Cougars to help defeat the Bears. Sophomore Noelle Harvey also swept two meets in the freestyle and made her sixth career win in the 50 free to touch the wall with a 24.24 time. She additionally claimed first place in the 500 free and secured 18 points for WSU. Freshman Emily Lundgren claimed two wins against Northern Colorado. Lundgren took the 100 breast and touched the wall first at 1:03.48 to earn 9 points for WSU and remains undefeated in the event at Gibb Pool. Freshman Dori Hathazi recorded a win for the Cougars in the 200 free and touched the wall first at 1:52.23. This win was Hathazi's fourth win in the young season. Junior Kaya Takashige ended the meet with her first win of the season in the 100 IM, she touched the wall first at 58.71 which earned the Cougs their final 9 points of the meet. Junior Hailey Grotte also tallied her first win of the season with a sweep in the 200 IM.
COUGS CLAIM FOUR RACES AGAINST CAL
Freshman Emily Lundgren continued her impressive start to her Cougar career, posting two wins against Cal after claiming the 100 and 200 breast. Fellow underclassman, Noelle Harvey claimed her first conference win this season in the 200 back. Freshman from Hungary, Dori Hathazi, swam competitively in her first conference meet to post a win in the 400 IM.
WHITAKER SELECTED TO WORK USA SWIMMING NATIONAL SELECT CAMP
Washington State Women's Swimming Director of Operations Russell Whitaker was selected to be one of two USA Swimming National Select Camp Managers. In this position, Whitaker oversaw the training of a five-member coaching staff along with the day-to-day activities of 51 future Olympians who were selected to attend the USA National Select Camp. The opportunity was one that the Wyoming swimming alum was honored to receive and hopes to be selected to coach and manage future National Select Camps. The three lessons Whitaker took from the experience are to always make sure that athlete's voices are heard and listened to, how to set a positive team culture and to learn to collaborate with coaches that have new ideas.
2023 FRESHMEN MAKES WAVES
Dori Hathazi is from Nyiregyhaza, Hungary and was rated a No. 22 recruit in the world for the 2022 class and is the Hungarian Short Course National Champion in the 200 fly. Hathazi made history at the Crimson & Gray Intrasquad when she beat Gibb Pool Record in the 200 fly, previously held by fellow Hungarian three-time gold medalist, Katinka Hosszu's, who set the record in 2011 while swimming for USC. Hathazi also set the WSU record in the 200 fly. Freshman out of Chula Vista, Calif., Emily Lundgren was a No. 12 recruit out of California due to her impressive results at the USA Swimmimg IMX games. Lundgren continues to bring strength and power to her college swimming carreer as she ha tallied six career wins including five in the 100 breast and holds WSU records in the 100 breast and 200 breast.
COUGS IMPRESS IN THE CLASSROOM
Five Cougars earned CSCAA Scholar All-America honors last season. Senior Chloe Larson received first-team honors while senior Lauren Burckel, freshman Noelle Harvey, senior Taylor McCoy and freshman Sophie Macy each received second-team accolades. The five CSCAA Scholar All-America selections were the most in program history. To qualify for First-Team Scholar All-America, student-athletes earned a minimum GPA of 3.5 and participated in their national championship. Second-Team selections also earned a 3.50 GPA or higher and achieved a "B" time standard for the national championship or participated at a diving zone qualification meet. The Cougars posted a 3.58 team semester GPA in the spring to earned the team honor the twelfth straight semester including all eight under head coach Matt Leach and for the 22nd time in program history. WSU's 3.58 team GPA featured eight 4.0 and 19 student-athletes with a 3.0 or better during the semester. The 3.58 team GPA was the third-highest among all Pac-12 Conference teams. Founded in 1922, the College Swimming and Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA), is the nation's first organization of college coaches. The mission of the CSCAA is to advance the sport of swimming and diving with coaches at the epicenter of leadership, advocacy, and professional development.
