By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
TACOMA, Wash. -- Willamette University took first place in a total of nine events during its Northwest Conference dual meet against the University of Puget Sound on Friday, Jan. 13 at the University Place Aquatic Club, but the Loggers defeated the Bearcats in both the men's and women's team standings. Puget Sound prevailed in the men's competition, 119-67, and won the women's competition, 119-81.
The Bearcat men's team is 1-4 on the season, 1-4 in the NWC, while the WU women's team is 0-5 overall and 0-5 in the NWC. Puget Sound improved to 2-4 in men's swimming, including 2-2 in the NWC. In women's swimming, the Loggers upped their record to 4-2 overall, 3-1 in the NWC.
Winning two events each on Friday evening for the Bearcats were sprinters Alayna Kisiday (So., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) and Julius Wilhelmi (Jr., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS). Kisiday earned first place in the women's 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle events. Wilhelmi placed first in the men's 50-yard and 100-yard freestyle races. Other winners for the Bearcats were Sarah Jenner (So., Normandy Park, WA/Stanford Online HS), Emilie Taylor (Fy., Oceanside, CA/Rancho Buena Vista HS), and Anna Hornbeck (So., Bend, OR/Bend HS) from the women's team, along with Cole Lindberg (So., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake Christian Academy), and Ben Nickell (Sr., Boulder, CO/Fairview HS) from the men's team.
Kisiday won the women's 50-yard freestyle in 25.81 seconds, as she finished 0.27 in front of Holly Zipay of Puget Sound, who took second in 26.08 seconds. In the 100-yard freestyle, Kisiday's winning time was 55.99 seconds. Elinor Glass of the Loggers was second in 56.41 seconds.
Wilhelmi registered a winning time of 21.99 seconds in the men's 50-yard freestyle. He won by 0.77 over Ethan Schwartz, who placed second for Puget Sound at 22.76 seconds. Wilhelm won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 48.47 seconds. Jaden Francis of PS was second in 49.43 seconds.
In the women's 1,650-yard freestyle, Jenner was the winner in 19:52.96. Taylor grabbed first place in the women's 100-yard butterfly by earning a time of 1:10.45. She won by 0.84 over Jullia Myers of the Loggers, who was second in 1:11.29. Hornbeck registered a time of 1:10.83 in the women's 100-yard breaststroke to win by 2.58 seconds.
Lindberg won the men's 100-yard butterfly in 53.12 seconds. His margin of victory was 0.62, as Calvin Werts of Puget Sound took second in 53.74 seconds. Nickell earned the fastest time in the men's 100-yard breaststroke at 1:05.29. Rashad Brimah of PS completed the race 1.31 seconds after Nickell, as Brimah was timed at 1:06.59.
Willamette also recorded several close second-place finishes. In the 200-yard medley relay events, the Bearcats were close behind the Loggers. The women's race was won by Puget Sound in 1:54.85, while WU swimmers Emma Noffsinger (Fy., Arvada, CO/Northglenn HS), Hornbeck, Tatum Good (So., Scottsdale, AZ/Scottsdale Prep Academy), and Kisiday ended the relay in 1:57.76. In the men's race, the Loggers won in 1:37.77 and the Bearcats were second in 1:42.22. Swimming for Willamette on the relay were Logan Copeland (Jr., Sparks, NV/Spanish Springs HS), Nickell, Lindberg, and Wilhelmi.
Ethan Davies (Fy., Hong Kong/Discovery College) of Willamette was second in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle, roughly five seconds out of first place. Jonah Kembel of Puget Sound won the race in 18:48.74 and Davies was next in 18:53.55.
Good swam the women's 100-yard backstroke in 1:05.78 for the Bearcats and was second by 1.83 seconds. Amy Madsen of Puget Sound was first in the 100 back at 1:03.95.
In the men's 500-yard freestyle, Nickell placed second in 5:21.40, less than five seconds out of the lead. Lance Mielke won the race for the Loggers in 5:16.87.
Willamette will take on Pacific Lutheran University in Tacoma on Saturday, Jan. 14. The meet is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. (PST).
