Lillie Vehling was in the right place at the right time when three young girls struggled to stay afloat in Lake Washington during Seafair last Friday.

Vehling is in Seattle for a summer internship and was attending Seafair for the first time. While sitting in Genesee Park waiting for the U.S. Navy Blue Angels air show, Vehling noticed the three girls about 15 yards offshore.

"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.

They were screaming for help, and their heads were bobbing up and down, Vehling said. She immediately recognized the early signs of drowning. Vehling is a skilled water polo player at UC Davis and started her own swim lessons program after completing certified lifeguard training.

"We knighted her as 'Lady Guardian of Lake Washington,' and she immediately had admirals coming up to her," Cantrell said. "It was incredible having her at the right place at the right time. What she did was extraordinary."

Despite the heroic rescue and an official title as Seafair royalty, Vehling insists her instinct to help came naturally and is all she's ever known.

"To save three people, I didn't think twice about myself," she said. "I'm just glad everyone's safe."