By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications, (503) 370-6110

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. --  The Willamette University women's 400-yard medley relay team registered a time of 4:02.16 at the 2024 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships on Friday, Feb. 9 to move into fourth on the Bearcat's all-time list. The Bearcats placed sixth in the 400 medley relay, just 2.24 seconds out of fifth and 2.65 seconds out of fourth.

Swimming for the Bearcats in Friday's medley relay event were Tatum Good (Jr., Scottsdale, AZ/Scottsdale Prep Academy), Anna Hornbeck (Jr., Bend, OR/Bend HS), Tessa Ciatti (Fy., Bellingham, WA/Squalicum HS), and Alayna Kisiday (Jr., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS). Willamette's school record in the 400 medley relay is 3:18.13, set by Kiley Lin, Cassie Tallman, Malia Santos, and Jamie Johnson in 2016.

Kisiday also competed in the championship final of the 50-yard freestyle. She placed eighth in 24.86 seconds. Kisiday was just 0.07 out of seventh and 0.27 out of fifth. Shaye Agnew of Whitman College took first place in the 50 freestyle in 23.81 seconds.

Two Bearcats -- Leah Howell (Fy., Bremerton, WA/Central Kitsap HS) and Lydia Schmitt (Fy., Olympia, WA/North Thurston HS) -- swam in the consolation final of the women's 50-yard freestyle. Howell placed second in the consolation final and 10th overall with a time of 24.88 seconds. Schmitt was fifth in the consolation race and 13th overall in 25.28 seconds.

Also advancing into the consolation finals on Friday for the Willamette women's team were Sarah Jenner (Jr., Normandy Park, WA/Stanford Online HS) in the 500-yard freestyle, as well as Ciatti, Good, and Jacqueline Hall (Jr., Bainbridge Island, WA/Bainbridge HS) in the 200-yard individual medley.

Jenner placed 14th overall in the 500 freestyle and was sixth in the consolation final with a time of 5:26.76. In the 200 I.M., Ciatti earned third place in the consolation final for 11th overall in 2:15.41, Good was fourth in the consolation race for 12th overall in 2:15.44, and Hall placed seventh in the consolation final to finish 15th overall in 2:16.54. During the consolation race, all three Willamette swimmers lowered their times from the prelims, as Ciatti was 0.36 faster, Good improved by 1.84, and Hall reduced her time by 1.53.

The women's team standings through Friday night's session were topped by Linfield University with 204 points, followed by Whitman in second place at 200.5 and by the University of Puget Sound in third place at 154. Pacific Lutheran University was fourth with 128 points for a slim three-point lead over George Fox University and Whitworth University, both with 125 points. Willamette was seventh at 116, Lewis & Clark College held eighth place at 93, and Pacific University was ninth with 63.5 points.

Saturday's schedule of individual events will include the 400-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, and 100-yard backstroke, with prelims at 9:30 a.m. PST and finals set for 5 p.m. The 200-yard freestyle relay will open the evening session. On Sunday, individual events include the 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke, and 200-yard butterfly, with prelims at 9:30 a.m. and finals at 4 p.m. The 1,650-yard freestyle events will be held between Sunday's main sessions. The 400-yard freestyle relay will be the final event on Sunday evening.