Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

SALEM, Ore. -- The strength of the Willamette University women's swimming team are the athletes who swim on the 200-yard and 400-yard medley relay teams. They have provided Head Coach Leslie Shevlin with solid performances in the medley relay events. In addition, they are top swimmers for the Bearcats in their respective individual events.

With success throughout much of its lineup, Willamette has earned a dual meet record of 3-4 in the competitive Northwest Conference. The Bearcats recently defeated Pacific University, 145-52, and outscored Lewis & Clark College, 119-86, before falling to Linfield College, 111-94.

"This is the best 'complete' women's team we have had in about eight years," Willamette Head Coach Leslie Shevlin said. "We have the women who contribute to the medley relays also contributing individually in the sprint and stroke events. Our women's team is complete with the added depth of our freshmen class and our current distance freestyle group."

Four of the competitors on Willamette's medley relay teams have helped the Bearcats set records in previous years. They are Michaela Zuber (Sr., Sacramento, CA/Sheldon HS), Ashlyn Witherwax (So., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School), Malia Santos (Sr., Kailua-Kona, HI/Kealakehe HS) and Cassie Tallman (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS).

Last year at the 2015 NWC Championships, Zuber, Witherwax, Santos and Tallman established a new school record in the 200-yard medley relay at 1:51.28. The same four swimmers also set a WU record in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 4:02.39 at the 2015 NWC Championships.

Two years earlier, Zuber and Santos combined with former swimmers Annette Marinello and Hope Nelson to set the 400-yard medley relay record at 4:05.65. The previous record was 4:08.06, set in 2005.

Overall, the WU women's team established five new records at last year's NWC Championships. In addition to the pair of medley relay records, the Bearcats also set three individual records.

Tallman moved onto the record list in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke. Her top time in the 200 I.M. was 2:10.32 and her top time in the 200 breaststroke was 2:27.83. Santos registered a school record in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 59.03 seconds.

Also contributing to this year's medley relays are Kiley Lin (Fr., Palo Alto, CA/Henry M. Gunn HS), Rachel Harvill (Fr., Alamo, CA/Monte Vista HS) and Jamie Johnson (So., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS).

Lin, Harvill and Johnson have strengthened the Bearcats in several ways. They have provided additional skill and depth for the medley relays. They have made Willamette more competitive in several individual events and stronger in dual team competitions.

Earlier this season, Lin set the Willamette record in the 100-yard backstroke in 59.92 seconds. She is the first WU women's swimmer to break the one-minute mark. She earned the record during the Northwest Invitational on Nov. 21.

The added depth has allowed injured swimmers extra time to recover as the Bearcats prepare for the NWC Championships, set for Feb. 12-14 in Federal Way, Washington. Willamette ranks third in the NWC in the 200-yard medley relay and is listed fourth in the 400-yard medley relay.

Thanks to the strength and depth provided by the seven swimmers on Willamette's top relay units, the Bearcats will be looking for significant success at the NWC meet.

"I am so excited to see these confident women take on the Northwest Conference as a team in a couple of weeks," Shevlin commented.