Mariya is an Honorable Mention All American!

Congratulations Mariya! The Nanook Junior dropped two seconds from her prelim time nearly breaking her varsity record and moving up three places to finish 11th in her first event of the Championship! Her 2:06.09 was her fastest this season and nearly as fast as she swam last year in a high tech suit. Those suits have been banned from swimming world-wide so this year our team is wearing normal lycra suits. That time is the fastest Mariya has ever swum at an NCAA championship meet.

Mariya's prelim swim in the 200 yard IM

Mariya felt super strong in her 200 yard IM this morning. Her time wasn't her best, however, it was good enough to get her a second swim. Tonight she'll race in the consolation heat due to her 14th place finish from this morning's prelims. The top 16 swimmers swim in finals. Her 2:08.02 is slightly slower than her time at the US Short Course Nationals last December. Because of the tremendous success she had training this year with her dedication to gaining as much endurance as possible, she never got tired in this morning's race. She'll sprint the entire 200 tonight and should drop her time considerably.

Felina's 50 yard freestyle

Prelims for Day One are in the book. Felina swam well but didn't make it to finals. She has a chronic shoulder injury that she aggravated during her start. The pain of "throwing her shoulder out" was enough to cause a poor entry and a bad breakout. Even with that kind of start she was still within .17 of her best time finishing with a 24.24. In the end, however, she wasn't able to capitalize on all the sprint training we did this year and she finished in 32nd place. She knows to be careful with her start tomorrow in the 200 yard freestyle.

Day One at the NCAA Championships

Finally we're ready to race! This morning Mariya will be swimming the 200 yard IM at about 10:40 am EST. Last year she was an Honorable Mention All-American in this event. The very next event will be Felina's 50 yard freestyle. Check out the link for live results and to view the races on the web cam (http://www.ncaa.com/sports/c-swim/champpage/c-swim-div2-index.html). Go Nanooks!

Skiing Championships

Alaska Skiing's former assistant coach Ingrid Olson (left) and current assistant coach Matt Dunlap (right) and are out on the trails today testing wax to see what will be the fastest for the four skiers competing at the 2010 NCAA Skiing Championships on Thursday and Saturday in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

Coach Jerome says "The testing is going well, though things look like they will be different on Thursday for the classic race. It was warm and sunny today with soft, wet snow, but more snow is expected tonight and temps may fall. The kick wax has been klister, but that may change depending on how much snow falls."

Felina and Mariya warming up

The day before the meet starts - Felina and Mariya warm up with some faster strokes off the wall

Swimmers Discuss Pool Conditions

Mariya Pavlovskaya: It is a fast pool and feels really good. Although we're having lots of fun, we also remember that we will have to race in a day. I'm very excited and looking forward to it:) And the dinner tonight was amazing!

Felina Rosadiuk: The pool is pretty nice. The water is crisp and clean. The showers are cold! And the water level (gutters/deck) gives the pool a nice taste of home. I think this meet is going to be a fast one!