SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. -- Redshirt sophomore Mia Motekaitis captured an individual title in the women's 500-yard freestyle to highlight UC Davis on the second day of the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation swimming & diving championships, hosted at Cal Poly's Anderson Aquatic Center Thursday.
Motekaitis touched the final pad in a time of four minutes, 58.23 seconds to edge UC Santa Barbara's Maelynn Lawrence by a third of a second. She is the first Aggie to win an MPSF individual title in swimming since Solie Laughlin captured three crowns at the 2019 championship meet.
Sophomores Julie Kwan and Anna Lee each added sixth-place points in the 200 individual medley and 50 freestyle, respectively. Kwan finished at 2:06.26, while Fasan came home in 23.81 seconds. Both marks are collegiate bests. The 200 freestyle relay squad of Lee, Jay Jay Eaton, Kailee Ruiz and Fasan compiled a 1:33.26 for third place in the day's final swim event.
UC Davis holds fourth place in the meet at 173 points, within striking range of third-place UCSB (190). Hawai'i (298) and BYU (273) led the team scoring through Thursday's portions. The three-meter diving competition, held earlier in the week, is now factored into the standings.
The MPSF Championships continue through Saturday. Friday's session will include the 100 butterfly, 400 IM, 200 free, 100 breaststroke, 100 backstroke and 400 medley relay.
2021 MOUNTAIN PACIFIC SPORTS FEDERATION CHAMPIONSHIPS, DAY 2
Anderson Aquatic Center (San Luis Obispo, Calif.)
Winners plus UC Davis competitors only.
TEAM SCORES - 1. Hawai'i, 298; 2. BYU, 273; 3. UC Santa Barbara, 190; 4. UC Davis, 173; 5. Cal Poly 120; 6. San Diego 76; 7. Pacific 47.
500 FREESTYLE - 1. Mia Motekaitis, UC Davis, 4:54.95... 13. Elle Motekaitis, 5:07.26; 14. Kathryn Bockman, 5:08.08; 15. Leah Timmerman, 5:10.44.
200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY - 1. Katie McBratney, BYU, 1:58.83... 6. Julie Kwan, 2:06.26; 12. Olivia Greenberg, 2:07.05; 16. Sophia Sebastian, 2:10.22; 25. Rachel Pride, 2:15.63.
50 FREESTYLE - 1. Gwen Gustafson, BYU, 22.68... 6. Anna Lee, 23.53; 12. Dani Fasan, 23.81; 17. Jay Jay Eaton, 24.16; 19. Kailee Ruiz, 24.27; 24(tie). Ashley Ma, 24.55; 26. Caroline Eckel, 24.56.
200 FREESTYLE RELAY - 1. Hawai'i (Kotonen, Hennig, WIlliams-Scudamore, Lassman), 1:31.95... 3. UC Davis (Lee, Eaton, Ruiz, Fasan), 1:33.26.
ABOUT UC DAVIS:
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.
UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.
