By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Willamette University swimmers Cole Lindberg (So., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake Christian Academy), Alayna Kisiday (So., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS), and Tatum Good each won one event as the Bearcats took on Whitman College in a Northwest Conference dual meet on Friday, Nov. 18 at the WU Natatorium. Whitman won the men's competition, 154-46, and the Blues placed first in the women's competition, 135-65.
Both of Whitman's teams improved to 3-0 on the year and to 3-0 in the NWC. Willamette's men moved to 1-2 overall, 1-2 in the NWC, while the Bearcat women's team ended the meet at 0-3 overall, 0-3 in the NWC.
Lindberg earned first place in the men's 100-yard butterfly with a time of 53.52 seconds. He won by just under four seconds, with Ian McClelland of Whitman taking second in 57.34 seconds.
Kisiday was the winner in the women's 100-yard freestyle. Her winning time was 56.67 seconds. Anneliese Hanson grabbed second place for the Blues in 58.62 seconds. Good finished first in the women's 100-yard backstroke, as she completed the race in 1:04.26. Olivia Briggs of Whitman was second at 1:06.20.
"I'm very excited with how we swam tonight against one of the top teams in our conference," Willamette Head Swimming Coach Brent Summers said. "We had many season best swims while still having some heavy training in us from the previous two weeks. Seeing our team race hard in every race, from every swimmer, makes me excited as we look forward to tomorrow and our midseason invite (at George Fox) after the fall break."
The three wins highlighted the Bearcats' efforts against the talented Whitman teams. Lindberg and Kisiday each added a second place finish, while Good swam in both of the women's relay events. Lindberg was second in the men's 100-yard backstroke in 59.30 seconds. Peter Yamane of Whitman won the event in 58.18 seconds. Kisiday placed second in the women's 50-yard freestyle in 26.24 seconds. She was 0.41 behind the winner, Shaye Agnew of the Blues, who took first place in 24.83 seconds. Kisiday was 0.59 in front of Bella Smith of Whitman, who was third in 26.83 seconds.
Willamette registered strong second place results in the 200-yard medley relays. In the women's race, WU's team of Good, Anna Hornbeck (Fy., Bend, OR/Bend HS), Ava Reich (Fy., Reno, NV/Robert McQueen HS), and Kisiday were timed at 1:58.61. Whitman's women took first place in the medley relay at 1:56.24, as Agnew, Erin McKinney, Jospehine Piel, and Bella Smith swam for the Blues. In the men's race, the Bearcats earned a time of 1:42.34 with the swimming of Logan Copeland (Jr., Sparks, NV/Spanish Springs HS), Ben Nickell (Sr., Boulder, CO/Fairview HS), Lindberg, and Julius Wilhelmi (Jr., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS). They were exactly one second behind Whitman's team of Yamane, Andrew Hanson, Jackson Masson, and Ian Walsh, who won the race in 1:41.34.
Wilhelmi also placed second in two of the men's sprint events. He was second in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.81 seconds, just 0.36 out of first place. He placed first in the 100-yard freestyle at 48.53 seconds. The men's 100 free was won by Tanner Filion for the Blues in 46.79 seconds.
Other second place results for the Bearcats included individual swims by Hornbeck, Gwyn Fritz (Jr., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS), and Jordan Edner (Sr., Colorado Springs, CO/Doherty HS). Hornbeck was second at 1:11.08 in the women's 100-meter backstroke behind McKinney of Whitman. McKinney won in 1:09.09. Fritz took second in the women's 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:10.61. Hanson won the women's 200 free in 2:05.51. Edner placed second in the women's 1,650-yard freestyle in 21:23.29.
Willamette will remain at home to take on Whitworth University in an NWC dual meet on Saturday, Nov. 19. Action is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (PST).
