Akron Showcases a Trio of Strong Performances at the 2022 NCAA Championships

Wednesday, March 16

Atlanta, Ga.

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University of Akron

NCAA Championships

Akron Showcases a Trio of Strong Performances at the 2022 NCAA Championships

March 22 | Women's Swimming & Diving

Akron Showcases a Trio of Strong Performances at the 2022 NCAA Championships
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Atlanta, Ga. – The Akron women's swimming and diving program had three swimmers compete at the 2022 NCAA Division I Swimming & Diving Championships hosted by Georgia Tech. on March 16-19 as senior Paulina Nogaj (Radom, Poland) and juniors Sarah Watson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and Weronika Gorecka (Wroclaw, Poland) qualified for the NCAA season finale.

2022 NCAA Champs

Nogaj and Watson competed in three events while Gorecka participated in two events, while all three student-athletes achieved lifetime-best performances. In addition, Akron was tied for first with Penn for most individual invitees from mid-major programs, while only 26 mid-major swimmers qualified for the 2022 NCAA Championships. The Zips ranked 12^th overall for individual NCAA invitees, joining the likes of FSU, Minnesota, UCLA and Arizona.

Nogaj qualified for the 100-yard butterfly with a 51.76 time and finished 19^th overall with a 51.90 time in the NCAA prelims. The Top 16 times advance to the A and B final races for the NCAA Championships. Nogaj continued to impress at the NCAAs with a career-best mark and the second fastest time ever recorded in Akron program history as she stopped the timer at 22.32 in the 50-yard freestyle event. She placed 36^th overall and entered the meet with a 22.37 career-high time. In her final race of the weekend, Nogaj clocked a 1:58.73 time in the 200-yard butterfly. She used splits of 26.40, 30.91, 31.13 and 30.29 for her 47^th-place finish and entered the championship meet with a 1:57.95 time.

Wastson best finish also came in the 100-butterfly as she placed 24^th overall with a 52.10 time, shaving 0.10 off her qualifying 52.20 ledger. Watson went on to capture a new school record and personal-best performance in the 100-yard freestyle event, while finishing 30^th among the NCAA field. She stopped the timer at 48.50 for the new Akron mark, besting her previous time of 48.70. Watson's final event on the season finale was in the 200-yard individual medley as she recorded a 1:57.54 time to finish 40^th overall with splits of 24.99, 30.27, 34.34 and 27.94.

Rounding out the Zips performances at the championship meet was Gorecka in the 200- and 100-yard backstroke events. In the 200 Back, Gorecka placed 33^rd with a 1:54.38 time, using splits of 27.12, 29.04, 29.01 and 29.21. She entered the meet with a season-best 1:53.89 ledger. Gorecka posted a career-high and fifth fastest time in Akron program history iin the 100 Back. She placed 52^nd overall with a 53.59 time, eclipsing her pervious fastest mark of 53.65.

The 2022 NCAA Championship meet concluded the Zips season of competition.