By Robert McKinney, Athletics Communications Director

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Cassie Tallman (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Malia Santos (Sr., Kailua-Kona, HI/Kealakehe HS) of Willamette University have advanced into the championship finals on the first day of the 2016 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships at the King County Aquatic Center on Friday, Feb. 12. Tallman moved into the finals in the women's 200-yard individual medley, while Santos reached the finals in the women's 50-yard freestyle.

Tallman and Santos each landed on a Willamette top 5 list during the preliminary heats. Tallman earned the third-fastest time ever recorded by a Bearcat in the 200 I.M., as she completed the prelims in sixth place in 2:11.39. Tallman now holds the top three times in WU women's swimming history, including the school record of 2:10.32, set at last year's NWC Championships.

Santos record the fifth-best time in school history in the 50 freestyle in 24.65 seconds. The Willamette record is 24.18 by Gayle (Roth) Cutea in 1984. Santos She placed eigthh in the prelims, edging out Eleonor Gerrior of Lewis & Clark College by 0.02. Gerrior was ninth in 24.67 seconds.

The top eight finishers in the prelims of each event advanced to the championship finals. Swimmers placing ninth to 16th in the prelims advanced to the consolation finals.

Three Bearcats -- Mark Yuvienco (So., San Jose, CA/Bellarmine College Prep), Shelby Merrill (Jr., Thousand Oaks, CA/Westlake HS) and Alika Masei (Jr., Salem, OR/West Salem HS) -- earned spots in the consolation finals on Friday.

Yuvienco took ninth in the prelims of the men's 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:43.86. He missed the championship final by just over one-half second. Bradley Jerome from Pacific Lutheran University grabbed the last berth in the championship final, as he placed eighth in the prelims at 4:43.30.

Merril also reached the consolation final in the men's 500 freestyle. His was 15th in the prelims with a time of 4:49.80.

Masei recorded a time of 1:59.46 in the men's 200-yard individual medley to claim 11th place in the prelims. Masei's time places him seventh on WU's all-time list. He also holds third place and fourth place on the list.

Friday's second session, which begins at 6 p.m. (PST), will include the championship finals and consolation finals in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley and 50-yard freestyle. Teams also will compete in the 200-yard freestyle relay and the 400-yard medley relay.