Former WHS swimmer qualifies for Division 2 NCAA National Championship

Whitefish High School alum Ada Qunell will be swimming at the Division 2 NCAA National Championship Swimming and Diving meet March 7-11 in Indianapolis.

Qunell, a freshman at Colorado Mesa University (CMU), earned her spot at the meet by clocking the 10th fastest 100 yard freestyle time in the nation. She also has the 13th fastest time in the 200 freestyle.

Qunell, who never lost a race in Montana Class A competition, swims for CMU in Grand Junction, Colorado. As one of 12 Mesa women to be invited, Qunell and her teammates will be looking to improve on a best-ever fifth-place finish at the NCAAs last year. In addition to the 100 and 200 freestyle, Qunell will compete in the 50 and 500 freestyle, the 200 individual medley, and several relay events.

Through her freshman season, she set personal bests in six events and earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference (RMAC) “Swimmer of the Week” in January. She has logged her name in the top-10 of Mesa’s all time swims in five events, including owning the second fastest time in the 100 freestyle and the third fastest time in the 200 freestyle.

Qunell also helped her team win its fifth straight RMAC Championship, winning the 100 freestyle conference title.

The NCAA Division 2 Swimming Championship can be streamed from the NCAA Championship website at https://www.ncaa.com/sports/swimming-women/d2.