By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- Colin Hakeman (So., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) won three events for the Willamette University men's swimming team, but Whitman College defeated the Bearcats in the final team scores in Northwest Conference men's and women's swimming on Friday, Nov. 3 at the WU Natatorium. Whitman edged the Bearcats in the men's results, 110-95. The Blues downed Willamette in the women's results, 132-73.

Both of Whitman's teams moved to 1-0 on the season and to 1-0 in the NWC. The Bearcats fell to 0-1 overall and to 0-1 in both men's and women's swimming.

Hakeman won the two distance freestyle races and also took first place in the 400-yard individual medley. He was victorious in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 17:41.73 and then won the 400 I.M. with a time of 4:27.62. He completed the trio of wins by finishing first in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:05.91.

In all three of Hakeman's races, he led a 1-2 finish for the Bearcats. Ben Fritz (Fr., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) was second in the 1,650 freestyle in 18:00.31. Fritz also placed second in the 500 freestyle, as he completed the rate in 5:11.91. In the 400 I.M., it was Ben Hedman (So., Davis, CA/Davis HS) who took second. He was timed at 4:28.05, just 0.43 behind Hakeman.

The Bearcat men's team won a total of five events. Hakeman's three victories led the way, while Mark Yuvienco (Sr., San Jose, CA/Bellarmine College Prep) and Derek Ludwig (So., Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS) each contributed one win. Yuvienco finished first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 53.48 seconds. He won by 0.66 seconds over Fisher Munro of Whitman, who took second in 54.14. Ludwig won the 100-yard backstroke in 57.53 seconds. He touched out  0.27 before Jared Sears of the Blues, who placed second in 57.80.

A close finish in the men's 200-yard medley relay went to Whitman with a 0.07 margin of victory. The Blues relay unit of Sears, Teddy Larkin, Munroe and Colin Aslett earned a time of 1:43.60. Willamette's eam of Ludwig, Hedman, Yuvienco and Daniel Fang (Fr., Rancho Santa Margarita/Catholic HS) were clocked at 1:43.67.

Evan Segimoto (Fr., Alamo, CA/The Athenian School) and Gabriel Hartnell (Jr., Hawthorne, CA/Da Vinci Science) took second and third, respectively, in the men's 50-yard freestyle. Aslett took first place in the event for Whitman in 23.21 seconds. Segimoto was second in 23.80 seconds and Hartnell was third in 23.95.

The Blues gained an edge in the men's competition by winning both relays. In addition to a narrow triumph in the 200-yard medley relay, Whitman won the 200-yard freestyle relay by 1.85 seconds with a time of 1:30.28. The Bearcats were timed at 1:32.15.

Willamette's women won two events. Four Bearcats combined to win the 200-yard medley relay, which was the first event of the evening. Kiley Lin (Jr./So., Palo Alto, CA/Henry M. Gunn HS), Ashlyn Witherwax (Sr., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), Cassie Tallman (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Jamie Johnson (Sr., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) completed the race in a time of 1:56.42 to win by a bit more than one second. Whitman's top team of Mara Selznick, Becca Hoffman, Leah Petrini and Jill Low took second in 1:57.59.

Lin added an individual win in the 100-yard butterfly. She attained a time of 1:02.87, as she won by 1.56 seconds. Katie Davidson of Whitman placed second in 1:04.33. Lin provided WU with second place in the women's 50-yard freestyle in 26.64 seconds. Zoe Hill of Whitman won the 50 free in 25.80 seconds.

Hoffman of Whitman won the women's 100-yard breaststroke in 1:10.84, but Tallman followed closely and Witherwax took third place. Tallman was second by just 0.14, as she touched out at 1:10.98. Witherwax was timed at 1:11.82.

Two swimmers for the Blues each won two events. They were Clark Sun from the men's team and Sarah Davidson from the women's team. Sun took first place in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:48.28 and won the 100-yard freestyle in 48.64 seconds. Davidson placed first in the 200-yard frestyle in 2:04.69 and added a win in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:34.69.

The Bearcats will host Whitworth University in men's and women's swimming on Saturday, Nov. 4 at the WU Natatorium. Meet time is set for 1 p.m. (PDT).