By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director, (503) 370-6110

SALEM, ORE. -- The Willamette University swimming teams hosted the Northwest Conference Sprint Pentathlon on Friday, Oct. 29 to start the 2010-11 season. Whitworth claimed the men's team title with 262 points. The Pirates also won the women's team title with a score of 212.5.

Rory Buck from Whitworth won the men's sprint pentathlon title with a combined time of 2:33.05 for the five events. Jennifer Benson of Whitworth finished first in the women's sprint pentathlon with an overall time of 2:57.64.

In order to qualify for the overall standings each swimmer was required to compete in the 100-yard individual medley, the 50-yard races in the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.

Benson was followed in the women's pentathlon standings by Rachael Cazden of Lewis & Clark College. Cazden finished the five races in 3:01.22. Third place overall went to Ashley Lecoq of Whitworth at 3:02.06, while Keller Hawkins of Whitman College placed fourth at 3:04.29. Jessie Klauder from Pacific Lutheran University was fifth with a combined time of 3:04.86.

Willamette freshman Sylvie Peterson (Eugene, OR/Sheldon HS) placed sixth in the pentathlon. She recorded an overall time of 3:05.65. Peterson placed third in the 50-yard freestyle at 25.58 seconds, fourth in the 50-yard butterfly at 28:18, sixth in the 100-yard individual medley at 1:04.88 and 10th in the 50-yard backstroke at 29.68.

Erin Parkinson (Fr., Everson, WA/Ferndale HS) of Willamette was 27th overall. She took eight place in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 33.72 seconds and tied for 26th in the 50-yard freestyle in 27.19.

The Bearcats also received solid results from Lauren Ballinger (So., Wenatchee, WA/Wenatchee HS), Kara Koetje (Jr., Arlington, WA/Stanwood HS) and Kayla Kosaki (So., HIlo, HI/Waiakea HS) in the women's races.

Ballinger took 20th in the 50-yard freestyle in 26.93 seconds. Koetje was 27th in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 29.65 seconds, while Kosaki was 44th in the 50-yard backstroke at 32.22. A total of 134 swimmers competed in all five of the women's races.

Benson won the 100-yard individual medley in 1:02.70. She also claimed a first place finish in the 50-yard butterfly, as she recorded a time of 27.56 seconds. Benson was second in the 50-yard backstroke (28.70) and the 50-yard freestyle (25.07).

Cazden also won two events. She took first place in the 50-yard backstroke at 28.62 seconds and was first in the 50-yard freestyle at 24.76. Tracy Wormwood from the University of Puget Sound won the 50-yard breaststroke in 32.68 seconds.

Whitworth topped the women's team standings with 212.5 points. Lewis & Clark placed second with 113 points, edging out the University of Puget Sound in third at 112 and Pacific Lutheran University in fourth at 111. Whitman was fifth at 107.5, Willamette with sixth at 62, Pacific University was seventh at 32 and Linfield was eighth at 25.

Buck won four of the five events on his way to the men's pentathlon title. He took first place in the 100-yard individual medley at 54:15 seconds. He also was victorious in the 50-yard butterfly in 24.08 seconds, the 50-yard breaststroke in 26.82 and the 50-yard freestyle in 26.82.

In the 50-yard backstroke, Buck finished third with a time of 26.01. Even then, he was only 0.07 seconds out of first place.

Michael Woodward and Cooper Langdahl, both from Whitworth, tied for first place in the 50-yard backstroke. Each registered a time of 25.94 seconds.

Trailing Buck near the top of the men's pentathlon standings, were Woodward in second place and Jere Jeremikj of Puget Sound in third place. Woodward earned an overall time of 2:36.28, while Jeremikj completed the five races with a combined time of 2:41.28.

Kevin Jones of Pacific Lutheran was fourth in the overall standings at 2:42.96. Oliver Durand of Whitworth was fifth, as he achieved an overall result of 2:43.22.

Willamette's top finisher was Chris Whitehead (Fr., Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS). He ended the evening in 71st place with a combined time of 3:03.82. Also competing for the Bearcat men's team were Ian McGahan (So., Tacoma, WA/Stadium HS) and Austin Williams (Fr., University Place, WA/Curtis HS).

The WU swimming teams will participate in the Northwest Conference relays on Saturday, Oct. 30. Races are set to begin at 11 a.m. (PDT) in McMinnville, Ore., at Linfield College.