FAIRBANKS – The Alaska Nanooks swimming team officially launched its 2025-26 season with the traditional Blue/Gold meet held over the weekend at the Patty Center Pool. This annual event featured spirited competition between the two teams on both Friday and Saturday.
The meet opened on Friday with the 200-yard medley relay. Team Gold, comprising Dorka Dancsok, Giorgia Merlo, Charisma Watkins, and Ali Pecore, claimed victory with a time of 1:57.53, narrowly finishing 0.32 seconds ahead of Team Blue. Team Blue’s Kitti Marton made a splash by securing the first individual win of the meet in the 1000-yard freestyle, clocking in at 11:12.02. Her teammate, Cosima Schmiedel, added another win for Team Blue, excelling in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 31.53 seconds.
Team Gold responded with strong performances, as Merlo took the top spot in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing in 2:02.17, while Dancsok set the pace in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:01.75. The tension escalated as Macy Ahrens from Team Blue triumphed in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing in 1:10.04. However, Team Gold rebounded by clinching victories in the last two events of the day, with Dancsok taking the win in the 200-yard butterfly (2:20.96) and Talia Wentz securing first place in the 50-yard freestyle (25.54).
The second day of competition began with MacKenzie O’Keefe scoring the first win for Team Blue in the 50-yard butterfly, finishing with a notable time of 28.02 seconds. Dancsok continued her strong performance with a win in the 200-yard backstroke, clocking in at 2:16.53. Team Blue then strung together three consecutive victories, with Janci Pangburn first in the 100-yard freestyle at 55.47 seconds, followed by Ahrens winning the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:41.18 and Marton taking the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:31.00.
Team Gold stayed competitive with Merlo finishing first in the 100-yard butterfly at 1:00.94. However, Team Blue’s Pangburn and Schmiedel both secured wins in the 50-yard backstroke (30.68) and the 200-yard individual medley (2:20.50), respectively. The thrilling competition culminated in the 200-yard freestyle relay, where the Gold team of Pecore, Wentz, Dancsok, and Merlo emerged victorious with a season debut time of 1:42.72.
Looking ahead, the Nanooks will return to the pool in two weeks, as they prepare for dual meets against Fresno Pacific on Friday, October 3. Enthusiastic supporters can follow the team’s journey on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook.
