By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

McMINNVILLE, Ore. -- Niki Kates (Sr., Truckee, CA/Forest Charter School) of Willamette University was victorious in the women's 200-yard individual medley and the women's 200-yard backstroke, as the Bearcats took on Linfield College in a Northwest Conference dual swimming meet on Saturday, Feb. 1. Five other Willamette swimmers each won an individual event, and the Bearcat men's team earned first place in the 400-yard medley relay, but Linfield claimed the men's team title, 114-90, and the Wildcats grabbed the women's team title, 118-86.

The Linfield men's team is now 7-1 in dual meets this season, all against NWC opponents. Linfield's women improved to 4-4 overall, 4-4 in the NWC. Willamette's men slipped to 2-7 overall, 2-6 in the NWC. The Bearcat women's team fell to 1-8 overall, 1-7 in the NWC.

Kates took first place in the 200 I.M. with a time of 2:20.54. She won by 2.27 seconds over Alexis Murphy of Linfield, who placed second in 2:22.81. Kates added her win in the 200 backstroke by completing the race in 2:16.92. She led a 1-2-3 finish for the Bearcats, as Jensine Rasmussen (Sr., Tacoma, WA/Stadium HS) achieved second place in 2:18.86 and Corinne Pierson (So., Port Townsend, WA/Port Townsend HS) was third in 2:20.97.

"I'm very excited about how today's meet against Linfield went. We had some very good races, and overall we are swimming right where we need to be heading into the Northwest Conference Championships in less than two weeks. I'm looking forward to these last few practices as we sharpen up the final details."
— Willamette Head Coach Brent Summers

In addition to Kates, other individual event winners for the Willamette women's team were Olivia Frenkel (Fy, Fairfield, CA/Angelo Rodriguez HS) in the 500-yard freestyle and Cameron Taggesell (Jr., Sonoma, CA/Sonoma Valley HS) in the 200-yard breaststroke. Individual event winners on the Bearcat men's team were Ben Fritz (Jr., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) in the 1,000-yard freestyle, Colin Hakeman (Sr., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) in the 200-yard backstroke, and Ben Nickell (Fy., Boulder, CO/Fairview HS) in the 200-yard breaststroke.

Frenkel won the women's 500 freestyle in 5:39.20. She won by 4.59 seconds over Lottie Steward of Linfield, who finished second in 5:43.79. Frenkel added a second place result in the women's 200-yard freestyle in 2:05.57.

Taggesell's victory in the women's 200 breaststroke was earned in 2:36.75, starting a 1-2 finish for WU that included Min Wei (So., Fushun, China/Cascade HS) in second at 2:41.99.

The win by Fritz in the men's 1,000 freestyle was registered with a time of 10;36.37. Robbie Daugherty (So., Reno, NV/Damonte Ranch HS) of Willamette was second in 10:59.73. Fritz placed second in the men's 500-yard freestyle in 5:07.33.

Hakeman prevailed over the field in the men's 200 backstroke with a time of 2:07.25. Will Reeves (Fy., Kirkland, WA/Home Schooled) from WU took second place at 2:09.49. Nickell led a 1-2-3 finish for the Bearcats in the men's 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:21.99. He touched out shortly before Ben Hedman (Sr., Davis, CA/Davis HS), who placed second in 2:22.45. Daugherty was third in 2:30.99.

Willamette's win in the men's 400-yard medley relay featured the efforts of Will Compton (Fy., Portage, MI/Portage Northern HS), Hedman, Derek Ludwig (Sr., Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS), and Alex Hougan (Sr., Olympia, WA/Olympia HS). Their combined time was 3:43.22. Linfield's relay team of Noah Cutting, Cameron Butler, Daniel Endicott and Garrett Sutton, was second in 3:44.51.

Linfield claimed first place in both 400-yard relay races by relatively close margins.

In the women's 400 free relay, Linfield won by 1.18 seconds, as Wildcat swimmers Molly Shields, Lauren Morrison, Haley Smith, and Alexis Murphy completed the race in 3:55.76, while the Bearcats finished in 3:56.94. Swimming for WU were Surya Lee (So., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS), Rasmussen, Pierson, and Wei.

The Wildcats took first in the men's 400 free relay in 3:21.52, just 0.96 in front of the Bearcats, who earned a time of 3:22.48. Linfield's swimmers on the relay team were Cutting, Daisuke Fitial, Colby Evenson, and David Reeves. Competing for the Bearcats' relay team were Greg Wells (So., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS), Compton, Jacob Hulti (Sr., Astoria, OR/Astoria HS), and Fritz.

Saturday's competition ended the dual meet season for both teams. The 2020 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships will be held at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington, from Thursday, Feb. 13 through Sunday, Feb. 16.