By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SPOKANE, Wash. -- Julius Wilhelmi (So., Roseville, Ca/Woodcreek HS) of Willamette University won the men's 50-yard freestyle, but Whitworth University defeated the Bearcats in men's and women's swimming on Saturday, Nov. 20. Wilhelmi also earned second place in the men's 100-yard freestyle. Tatum Good (Fy., Scottsdale, AZ/Scottsdale Prep Academy) placed second for the Bearcats in the women's 200-yard backstroke and the women's 200-yard individual medley.

Whitworth downed the Bearcats, 193-62, in the men's competition, and the Pirates won the women's competition, 194-58. The Pirates improved to 3-0 overall and 3-0 in the Northwest Conference in men's swimming, while the Whitworth women's team advanced its record to 1-2 on the season, 1-2 in the NWC. Both of Willamette's teams ended the meet at 1-3 overall, 1-3 in the NWC.

The winning time for Wilhelmi in the men's 50-yard freestyle was 21.85 seconds. He won by 0.08 over second place finisher Zachary Washburn of Whitworth, who was timed at 21.93 seconds. In the men's 100-yard freestyle, Wilhelmi was second in 49.97 seconds, as he edged out Jacob Goguen, who took third place in 49.90 seconds. Finn McClone won the 100 freestyle in 48.40 seconds.

Good registered a time of 2:16.30 on her way to second place in the women's 200-yard backstroke. She trailed only Emma Thompson's winning time of 2:06.92. Good added a time of 2:21.18 in the women's 200-yard individual medley to grab second place. Thompson won the 200 I.M. in 2:11.84.

Also finishing in second place for the Bearcats were Will Compton (Jr., Portage, MI/Portage Northern HS), Gabriel Owen (Fy., Durham, CA/Durham HS), and Cole Lindberg (Fy., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake Christian Academy) from the men's team, along with Alayna Kisiday (Fy., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) and Min Wei (Sr., Fushun, China/Cascade HS) from the women's team.

Compton placed second in the men's 200-yard butterfly in 2:11.63. The race was won by Isaiah Ross of Whitworth at 2:01.44. Owen was second in the men's 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:30.89. Ryan Grady won the 200 breaststroke for the Pirates in 2:06.48. Lindberg registered second place in the 100-yard butterfly in 54.90 seconds. Ross took first place in the 100 butterfly in 52.83 seconds.

Kisiday was second in the women's 100-yard freestyle, as she completed the race in 58.33 seconds. Whitworth's Carly Hoff won the 100 freestyle in 56.11 seconds. Ashtyn Petersen of the Pirates earned first place in the women's 200-yard breaststroke at 2:37.69. Wei took second place in 2:43.16 while Willamette teammate Katherina Cory (So., Dublin, CA/Dublin HS) placed third in 2:43.42.

The meet was Willamette's last dual competition of the fall semester, but the Bearcats will swim at the 2021 Bruin Invitational, which will be hosted by George Fox University on Saturday, Dec. 4 and Sunday, Dec. 5 in Newberg, Oregon. Willamette's next dual meet is scheduled for Friday, Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. against the University of Puget Sound at the WU Natatorium.