SPOKANE, WASH. --- The Willamette University men's and women's swimming teams opened their 2011-12 season at the Northwest Conference Sprint Pentathlon, hosted by Whitworth University on Friday, Oct. 28. Individual swimmers competed in five events -- 50-yard races in the butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle, plus the 100-yard individual medley.
With most of the swimmers from throughout the NWC competing, each event featured between 94 and 110 athletes.
Erin Parkinson (So., Everson, WA/Ferndale HS) achieved the best combined time for the Bearcat women's team at 3:15.45. She placed 18th in the 50-yard breaststroke and was 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle for her top two finishes. Her time in the 50-yard breaststroke was 34.93 seconds and her time in the 50-yard free was 26.93 seconds. Parkinson took 44th place in the 100-yard individual medley with a time of 1:08.84.
Sean Piper (Fr., Normandy Park, WA/John F. Kennedy HS) earned the top overall time for the Willamette men's team. His combined time was 2:50.95. Piper took 29th place in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 27.95 seconds, was 32nd in the 100-yard individual medley at 59.80 seconds, and finished 35th in the 50-yard butterfly at 26.32 seconds. he was 40th in the 50-yard freestyle, as he clocked in at 24.00 seconds.
Other top 50 placings for the Bearcats included:
Zander Le Bel (Fr., Dallas, TX/Richardson HS) finished in the top 50 in four events for the men's team. His top result was 30th place in the 50-yard freestyle at 23.68 seconds. He placed 41st in the 50-yard breaststroke in 32.31 seconds, was 48th in the 50-yard backstroke at 29.18 seconds, and took 49th in the 100-yard individual medley in 1:01.52. Le Bel registered an overall time of 2:53.90.
Chris Whitehead (So., Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS) placed 30th in the men's 50-yard breaststroke, as he completed the race in 31.48 seconds.
Kayla Kosaki (Jr., Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS) for the women's team earned a spot in the top 50 in three events. She placed 30th in the 50-yard backstroke at 31.82 seconds, was 46th in the 50-yard butterfly with a time of 30.25 seconds, and took 48th in the 50-yard freestyle at 27.97 seconds. Kosaki achieved a combined time of 3:19.95 for the five events.
Ann Hues (Fr., Boise, ID/Timberline HS) claimed 37th place in the women's 50-yard backstroke in 32.16 seconds.
Hope Nelson (Fr., Providence, R.I./South Kingstown HS) was 39th in the women's 50-yard freestyle at 27.64 seconds.
The Bearcats will compete at the NWC Relays on Saturday, Oct. 29 at Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash.
Erin Parkinson placed 18th in the 50-yard breaststroke and was 23rd in the 50-yard freestyle.
