By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
TACOMA, Wash. -- University of Puget Sound defeated Willamette University during a Northwest Conference dual meet in men's and women's swimming on Saturday, Jan. 19. The Puget Sound men's team won 143-60 and the Logger women's team won 137-67.
Puget Sound upped its record to 4-4 overall and to 4-3 in the NWC in men's swimming. The Loggers improved to 5-2-1 overall in women's swimming, including 5-2 in the NWC. Both of Willamette's teams fell to 2-5 overall and 2-5 in the NWC.
Willamette won the women's 200-yard medley relay and Min Wei (Fr., Fushun, China/Cascade HS) took first place for the Bearcats in the women's 100-yard breaststroke. The Bearcats also registered second place in 14 events, including several in close finishes narrowly won by the Loggers.
"I was very proud of the way the team swam today," Willamette Head Coach Brent Summers said. "We're at the end of a very large, and tough, training block, and they didn't let that affect their race efforts in the pool. It was a great way to end our travel meets, and I'm excited about our Senior Day meet against Linfield next Saturday."
The Bearcats edged out the Loggers by 0.36 in the women's 200 medley relay. Willamette swimmers Corinne Pierson (Fr., Port Townsend, WA/Port Townsend HS), Min Wei (Fr., Fushun, China/Cascade HS), Kiley Lin (Sr./Jr., Palo Alto, CA/Henry M. Gunn HS) and Rachel Harvill (Sr., Alamo, CA/Monte Vista HS) won in 1:55.92. Puget Sound's team of Aza Verhoeven, Austin Stiver, Kristian Kotchik and Allison Hoops were timed at 1:56.28.
In the women's 100 breaststroke, Wei grabbed a relatively close victory, as she recorded a time of 1:12.03. Stiver finished in second for Puget Sound just 0.65 later in 1:12.68.
Willamette took second place in six women's events and eight men's events.
The Bearcat women's team received second place results in individual events from Rachel Harvill (Sr., Alamo, CA/Monte Vista HS) in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, Kiley Lin (Sr.Jr., Palo Alto, CA/Henry M. Gunn HS) in the 100-yard backstroke and the 100-yard butterfly, Anna Burdine (Sr., Seattle, WA/Mount Rainier HS) in the 1,650-yard freestyle, and Jensine Rasmussen (Jr., Tacoma, WA/Stadium HS) in the 400-yard individual medley.
Harvill took second in the by just 0.01 in the 100-yard freestyle. Her time was 57.88 seconds, while Skye McCurdy of Puget Sound registered a time of 57.87 seconds to win the event. In the 50-yard freestyle, Harvill's was timed at 26.63 seconds. Lin was second in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:02.69, just 0.98 off the pace of winner Aza Verhoeven. Lin completed the 100-yard butterfly in 1:02.93.
Burdine's second place finish in the 1,6,50 freestyle was accomplished in 19:52.96. Rasmussen was timed at 5:11.93 in the 400-yard I.M., as she took second place only 1.65 seconds behind Josie McCloughlin, who won the race for the Loggers in 5:10.28.
The Willamette men's team achieved second place in the 200-yard medley relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Swimmers for the Bearcat men who placed second in individual events were Ben Fritz (So., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) in the 1,650-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle, Evan Segimoto (So., Alamo, CA/The Athenian School) in the 50-yard freestyle, Colin Hakeman (Jr., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) in the 400-yard individual medley, Derek Ludwig (Jr., Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS) in the 100-yard backstroke, and Mykah Fujiwara (Sr., Kaneohe, HI/Punahou School) in the 100-yard breaststroke.
In the 200-yard medley relay, swimming for Willamette were Ludwig, Fujiwara, Daniel Fang (So., Rancho Santa Margarita, CA/Catholic HS) and Jacob Hulti (Jr., Astoria, OR/Astoria HS). They were second in 1:44.56, while Puget Sound won the relay in 1:43.52. WU's team in the 200-yard freestyle relay included Alexander Hougan (Jr., Olympia, WA/Olympia HS), Keaton Adams (Fr., Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS), Greg Wells (Fr., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) and Fritz. The Bearcats took second in 1:34.83.
Fritz placed second in the 1,650-yard freestyle in 17:34.35 and was second in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:09.51. Segimoto attained a time of 23.65 seconds in the 50-yard freestyle, while Hakeman was timed at 4:22.96 in the 400-yard I.M. Hakeman was just 0.98 away from the winner, Dylan Reimers of Puget Sound, who took first place in 4:21.98.
Ludwig was second in the 100-yard backstroke at 58.69 seconds. Fujiwara placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.74.
Willamette will host Linfield College in a dual meet on Saturday, Jan. 26. The action is set to begin at 1 p.m. (PST). It will be Senior Day for the Bearcats.
Big Moment of the Day for Willamette
Min Wei helped Willamette win the women's 200-yard
medley relay by swimming the second leg, and later
took first place in the women's 100-yard breaststroke.
Wei and teammates Corinne Pierson, Kiley Lin and Rachel
Harvill won the 200 medley relay by 0.36 seconds, as
they finished the race in 1:55.92. In the 100 breaststroke,
Wei was victorious with a time of 1:12.03.