Nearly 20 swimmers from Alaska participated in the 2022 U.S. Masters Swimming Spring National Championship this past weekend in San Antonio, Texas.
Angie Brennan of the Top Of the World Swimmers (TOWS) competed in the 45-49 age group, turning in times that rank in the top 10 of three Alaska State Short Yard Course records. Her time of 38.99 in the 50-yard breaststroke ranks eighth. Brennan’s time of 1:25.16 in the 100-yard breaststroke put her in fourth in the state record book and her time of 3:11.49 in the 200-yard breaststroke ranks seventh.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/adn/FMDSXTXQWVD57G7B47G4HLHTBY.jpg)
Anchorage wrestler earns spot on Worlds team
After finishing third at last year’s World Team Trials, Elyle Francisco of Anchorage Youth Wrestling Academy has earned his way onto the U17 Greco-Roman World Team roster. Francisco used two straight tech falls over Edwin Sierra of Poway Wrestling in the championship series to finish off a perfect tournament at the trials last week in Las Vegas.
He was one of 10 wrestlers who punched tickets to the U17 World Championships, scheduled for July 25-31 in Rome, Italy. Francisco attends Bettye Davis East Anchorage High and capped a dominant 2021-22 campaign, going 32-0 with a Division I state title in the 112-pound weight class this past winter.
Swimmer Lydia Jacoby narrowly misses qualifying for USA Worlds team
While she set a pair of new personal bests last weekend at the USA Swimming International Team Trials, 2020 Olympic gold medalist Lydia Jacoby came up nine-hundredths of a second short of making Team USA for the World Championships in the 100-meter breaststroke qualifying race. Swimming against top competitors from around the country in Greensboro, North Carolina, Jacoby finished third, fourth and fifth in three breaststroke races. In most races, the top two finishers qualify for the World Championship team.
Jacoby recorded personal bests in the 50- and 200-meter breaststroke. However, the 18-year-old took fourth in the event in which she won Olympic gold, the 100-meter breaststroke, with a time of 1:06.21 at the trials. The second-place finisher, 27-year-old Annie Lazor, made the cut with a time of 1:06.12.
[Anchorage skier Carter Brubaker named to 2022-23 U.S. nordic combined team]
Hockey’s Hausinger brothers come up big in pro playoff debut series
Both Cam and Kenny Hausinger had strong performances for their respective professional hockey teams to keep their playoff hopes alive this week. The Anchorage natives play in the ECHL with Cam, the younger brother, competing as a member of the Wheeling Nailers. Kenny is a member of the Reading Royals.
Despite scoring his second hat trick of the series Monday, Cam Hausinger wasn’t able to lead the Nailers to a victory in overtime as his team got edged out 4-3 by the Fort Wayne Komets. However, they would go on to clinch the series and advance to the Central Division Finals with a 3-2 overtime win Tuesday to advance to the next round.
While the elder Hausinger brother didn’t record a hat trick, he did have a part to play in the Royals’ 2-1 series clinching win over the Maine Mariners. He was credited with one of the assists on the game-winning goal that helped the team advance to the North Division Finals.
Anchorage UFC fighter Mazany falls in second round
It was a busy weekend in Las Vegas as the UFC on ESPN 35 event took place Saturday on the same day that the 2022 NFL Draft was coming to a close. The first bout in the prelims featured Anchorage’s Gina Mazany, who took on Shanna Young in a women’s flyweight fight.
After a strong start in the first round, Mazany suffered her sixth career UFC loss via TKO. Referee Jason Herzog called the fight at the 3:11 mark of the second round to give Young a ground-and-pound victory.
According to Damon Martin of MMAfighting.com, Mazany is no longer with UFC as of Tuesday. Her contract was completed with the Young fight and she was not re-signed, Martin reported.