UC Davis water polo player Lillie Vehling spotted the children struggling offshore and brought all three back to safety.
SEATTLE, WA — A UC Davis water polo player who came to Lake Washington to watch the Blue Angels rescued three young girls after noticing them struggling in the water during Seattle’s Seafair Weekend Festival.
Lillie Vehling was sitting in Genesee Park on Friday, July 31, when she saw the girls about 15 yards offshore, according to interviews with KOMO News and KIRO 7. Vehling, who has lifeguard training and experience teaching swimming, said the children were bobbing in the water and having difficulty keeping their heads above the surface. She ran into the lake and brought the girls toward shore one at a time.
Vehling told KOMO News she had been reading while waiting for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels air show when she looked across the water and noticed the children. “I was scanning the water after reading a page of my book, and I saw three kids just over the top of my book who were really struggling,” she said. Vehling said she recognized their movements as signs that they were in serious trouble.
The rescue unfolded during one of Seattle’s largest summer gatherings. The 2026 Seafair Weekend Festival ran from July 31 through Aug. 2 along Lake Washington, with hydroplane racing, military flight demonstrations and Blue Angels performances drawing large crowds to the shoreline. The Blue Angels were scheduled to perform at 3:30 p.m. each day of the festival.
Vehling said she entered the water immediately, leaving her shoes and sunglasses behind. She first reached two of the girls and brought them toward shallower water. When she returned for the third child, she said the girl had become unconscious and was barely visible at the surface. Vehling told KOMO News the child had become tangled around the rope of a small buoy.
“She wasn’t responding to me at this point, and I knew I needed to get her out of the water as soon as possible,” Vehling told KOMO. KIRO 7 reported that Vehling brought the girl back to shore and helped her cough up water while people nearby were urged to call 911. Emergency medical crews then responded to the scene.
Public reports differ on where one of the girls was taken for treatment. KOMO News reported that Seafair organizers said one child was taken to Seattle Children’s Hospital in stable condition. KIRO 7 reported that the girl who had been unconscious was taken to Harborview Medical Center and recovered. The reports did not explain the difference, and additional details about the children’s conditions or whether more than one hospital was involved were not publicly confirmed.
Vehling was particularly prepared for an emergency in the water. UC Davis Athletics identifies her as a member of the university’s women’s water polo team. The university said in June that Vehling and teammate Sadie Henry co-founded SWAG, or Swim Ags, an effort that provides adult swimming instruction. Vehling has also described herself in local news interviews as a certified lifeguard who teaches water survival skills.
Her work outside the pool has also earned recognition at UC Davis. In June, the Big West honored Vehling with a Service and Leadership Award for her community involvement, academics and leadership. UC Davis said she is pursuing mechanical engineering and aerospace science and engineering and has completed engineering internships while competing in water polo.
Seafair President and CEO Emily Cantrell learned about the rescue shortly afterward and sought out Vehling. Cantrell invited her to a Seafair gala later that day, where organizers gave Vehling the ceremonial title “Lady Guardian of Lake Washington.” Cantrell told KOMO News that having Vehling in the right place at that moment was extraordinary.
Vehling has played down the attention and said her focus was on getting the children out of danger. “To save three people, I didn’t think twice about myself,” she told KOMO News. “I’m just glad everyone’s safe.” A week after the rescue, Vehling said she hoped to make contact with the families of the three girls. Their identities and ages had not been publicly released in the reports reviewed.
Author note: Last updated August 9, 2026.