By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- Alayna Kisiday (Jr., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) led the Willamette University women's swimming team against Whitman College at the WU Natatorium on Friday, Nov. 17 with a strong evening of swims. Kisiday won the 100-yard freestyle and swam the anchor leg as the Bearcats took first place in the 200-yard medley relay. She also placed second in the 200-yard freestyle.
Whitman outscored the Bearcats 133-72 in the team competition to improve to 3-0 overall, 3-0 in the NWC. Willamette fell to 0-2 this season, 0-2 in the NWC.
Kisiday won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 55.27 seconds. Olivia Briggs of Whitman was second in 55.61 seconds. In the 200-yard freestyle, Kisiday's time for second place was 2:03.29, as she finished 0.39 out of first place. Anneliese Hanson won the 200 free for the Blues in 2:02.89.
Willamette's victory in the 200-yard medley relay was earned in the first women's event on the schedule. The Bearcats won by just .05, as Willamette completed the relay race in 1:54.94 and Whitman was timed at 1:54.99.
Swimming for WU on the relay team were Tatum Good (Jr., Scottsdale, AZ/Scottsdale Prep Academy), Anna Hornbeck (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS), Tessa Ciatti (Fy., Bellingham, WA/Squalicum HS), and Kisiday. With a 25.34 split, Kisiday swam the fastest leg in the event. Bella Smith, who swam the anchor leg for Whitman, earned a 25.74 split. Competing for the Blues were Briggs, Erin McKinney, Josephine Piel, and Smith.
"I'm very excited and proud of how the women's team swam tonight against a Whitman team that may end up being the best team in the conference at the end of the season," Willamette Director of Swimming Brent Summers said. "We had a great opening win in the 200 medley, which helped set the tone and the team did a phenomenal job of keeping the energy high all meet long. It was great racing all around from everyone in the pool, and I know we're on a good track for tomorrow (vs. Whitworth University) and beyond."
In the 1,650-yard freestyle, Ana Kaldy (Fy., South Beach, OR/Newport HS) of Willamette took second place in 19:59.84. Natalie Fearn of Whitman won the 1,650 in 19:02.47.
Leah Howell (Fy., Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap HS) achieved second place in the 100-yard backstroke at 1:03.84. Shaye Agnew of the Blues grabbed first place in 1:02.03. Good from WU took third place in 1:04.04. Howell added third place in the 50-yard freestyle at 25.92 seconds. Briggs won the race for Whitman in 25.60 and Agnew was second in 25.70.
Ciatti finished second in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:04.09. She was 0.43 in front of Gwen Empie, who placed third for Whitman in 1:04.52. Holly Hermanson won the 100 fly for Whitman in 1:01.45.
The 100-yard breaststroke featured a renewal of competition between Hornbeck of Willamette and McKinney from Whitman. McKinney took first place on Friday evening with a time of 1:10.21. Piel placed second for the Blues in 1:10.32 and Hornbeck was third for the Bearcats in 1:11.12. Hornbeck and McKinney each have won Northwest Conference titles in the breaststroke events. Hornbeck won the NWC title in the 200-yard butterfly this past spring after winning a championship in the 100-yard butterfly in 2022.
Willamette's 200-yard freestyle relay was second with a time of 1:46.06. Whitman won the race by 0.32 as the Blues finished in 1:45.74. The Bearcats were represented in the race by Howell, Jacqueline Hall (Jr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS), Emma Noffsinger (So., Arvada, CO/Northglenn HS), and Lydia Schmitt (Fy., Olympia, WA/North Thurston HS).
The Bearcats will swim against Whitworth University at the WU Natatorium on Saturday, Nov. 18. Action is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. PST.
