Willamette Set for Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran in Swimming

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

SALEM, ORE -- The Willamette University swimming teams will compete in Northwest Conference dual meets this weekend at the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University. The Bearcats will swim at UPS in Tacoma, Wash., on Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m. (PST), before taking on PLU on Saturday, Nov. 16 in Parkland, Wash., at 10 a.m.

Both of Willamette's teams battled Whitworth University and Whitman College at the WU Natatorium last weekend. The Bearcats lost to the Pirates and Missionaries, but won two events against Whitworth and registered three wins against Whitman.

In the meet against Whitworth, Alex Guffey (So., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) won the men's 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.41, while Malia Santos (So., Kailua-Kona, HI/Kealakehe HS) earned first place in the women's 50-yard freestyle in 26.65 seconds.

Winners for the Bearcats against Whitman were Erin Parkinson (Sr., Everson, WA/Ferndale HS) in the women's 1,650-yard freestyle at 18:28.38, Shelby Merrill (Fr., Thousand Oaks, CA/Westlake HS) in the men's 1,650-yard freestyle in 18:16.60, and Alika Masei (Fr., Salem, OR/West Salem HS) in the men's 100-yard backstroke at 54.72 seconds.

After taking on UPS and PLU this weekend, the Bearcats will have faced the top four teams from the 2012-13 NWC Championships. Willamette will close out its NWC dual meet season with three matchups in January -- versus Pacific University at the WU Natatorium on Jan. 17, at Lewis & Clark College on Jan. 18 and against Linfield College at the WU Natatorium on Jan. 25.

Prior to the remaining NWC dual meets, Willamette will take on Pacific in a non-conference meet on Nov. 23, swim at the CAT Senior Open in Corvallis, Ore., on Dec. 7 and participate in the team's Winter Training from Jan. 2-9 in San Diego, Calif.