Guffey and Marinello Qualify for Championship Finals at NWC Meet

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

FEDERAL WAY, WASH. -- It was a good morning session for the Willamette University swimming teams during the third day of the 2013 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships on Sunday, Feb. 10 at the King County Aquatic Center.

Alex Guffey (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) and Annette Marinello (Fr., Corvallis, OR/Philomath HS) each qualified for a championship final, while five Bearcats earned berths into the consolation finals. In addition, three WU swimmers produced strong results in the early heats of the 1,650-yard freestyle events.

Guffey reached the finals in the men's 100-yard freestyle, as he placed seventh in the prelims with a time 47.58 seconds. His time was just 0.30 away from the fifth fastest time in school history, 47.28 seconds by Steve Koga in 1982.

Marinello achieved a spot in the women's 200-yard breaststroke final while breaking the Willamette school record and placing eighth in the prelims. She will swim in a championship final for the third time in the meet, to go along with her sixth place finish in the 400-yard individual medley and eighth place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.

Marinello's time in the prelims of the 200 breaststroke was 2:28.67, breaking Willamette's previous record of 2:29.92, set by Becca Fischer in 2005.

Hope Nelson (So., Providence, RI/South Kingstown HS) advanced into the consolation finals of the women's 100-yard freestyle. She attained a time of 55.22 seconds in the prelims.

Two Bearcats, Kulananalu Tarnas (Fr., Kamuela, HI/Hawaii Preparatory Academy) and Chris Whitehead (Jr., Sherwood, OR/Sherwood HS), earned berths in the consolation finals of the men's 200-yard breaststroke. Tarnas was timed at 2:18.60 for 14th place in the prelims, while Whitehead was 15th at 2:22.07.

In the men's 200-yard butterfly, Andrew Lum (Fr., Honolulu, HI/Punahou School) placed 14th in the prelims to reach the consolation finals. His time on Sunday morning was 2:01.94.

Senior Kayla Kosaki (Hilo, HI/Waiakea HS) reached the consolation finals in the women's 200-yard butterfly by registering a time of 2:21.19 for 15th place in the prelims.

Although the fastest heat in both the men's 1,650-yard freestyle and the women's 1,650-yard freestyle will be held on Sunday evening, the other heats in both events were completed at the end of the morning session.

Alex Burkhart (So., Los Gatos, CA/Los Gatos HS) of Willamette registered the third best time so far in the prelims at 17:24.30, as he cut 1:31.38 from his seed time. Burkhart will finish 11th or higher in the event after the final eight swimmers compete Sunday night.

Among those eight swimmers will be Willamette's Zander Le Bel (So., Dallas, TX/Richardson HS).

Erin Parkinson (Jr., Everson, WA/Ferndale HS) and Hope Nelson (So., Providence, RI/South Kingstown HS) each earned quality times in the early heats of the women's 1,650 freestyle.

Parkinson recorded the fourth best time at 18:49.58 and Nelson was seventh at 19:14.98. With just eight swimmers yet to compete in the event, Parkinson has clinched at least 12th place, while Nelson will finish no lower than 15th.

Following the final heats in the men's and women's 1,650-yard freestyle at 5 p.m. (PST), the evening session will continue with the championship and consolation finals in the men's and women's 200-yard backstroke, 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard breaststroke and 200-yard butterfly.

The NWC Championships will conclude with the men's and women's 400-yard freestyle relays.