Willamette Swimming Sweeps Lewis & Clark

By Timothy Walsh, Athletics Communications Writer

SALEM, ORE. -- Willamette University's swimming teams earned their first sweep of the season during a Northwest Conference dual meet with rival Lewis & Clark College on Saturday, Jan. 24 at the Willamette Natatorium. The Bearcat men's team defeated the Pioneers 136-69, while the Willamette women's team notched a 111-93 victory.

Willamette's men won their second straight dual meet, improving to 2-4 overall and 2-4 in the NWC, while the Bearcat women moved to 1-5 overall, 1-5 in the NWC.

Both Lewis & Clark squads fell to 0-6 overall, 0-6 in the NWC.

Willamette's men won five individual events, including a first-place finish for Zander Le Bel (Sr., Dallas, TX/Richardson HS) in the 100-yard freestyle. Le Bel and fellow senior Alex Burkhart (Los Gatos, CA/Los Gators HS), along with Summer Elias (Sr., Elko, NV/Elko HS)and Jessica Beach (Sr., Salem, OR/West Salem HS)were all honored for their contributions to Willamette swimming prior to the start of the meet.

Alika Masei (So., Salem, OR/West Salem HS) placed first in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard backstroke, whileReuben White (Fr., Portland, OR/Westview HS) won the 200-yard freestyle, andMark Yuvienco (Fr., San Jose, CA/Bellarmine College Prep) was victorious in the 200-yard butterfly for the Bearcats.

Willamette earned a pair of 1-2-3 finishes on the day. In the 200-yard individual medley, Masei's winning time of 2:01.80 was followed by Yuvienco in second at 2:04.95 and Dan Aki(So., Union City, CA/James Logan HS) in third place with a time of 2:09.24.

Willamette also finished 1-2-3 in the 200-yard freestyle. White, who placed first at 1:52.19, was followed by Andrew Lum (Jr., Honolulu HI, Punahou School) in second at 1:53.86. Colin Sievers (Jr., Lynwood, WA/Bishop Blanchet HS) secured third place with a time of 1:58.69.

In the 100-yard freestyle, 200-yard backstroke, and 200-yard butterfly, the Bearcats finished 1-2. In the 100-yard freestyle, Le Bel's time of 51.09 was closely followed by White at 51.47. Masei completed the 200-yard backstroke in 1:59.66, finishing just over 12 seconds ahead of Max Thompson (Fr., Lebanon, OR/Lebanon HS) at 2:11.67.

Yuvienco and Aki were the top finishers in the 200-yard butterfly, earning times of 2:00.65 and 2:03.26, respectively.

The Bearcats were victorious in both relay races, with Masei, Jason Bayang (So.,Wahiawa, HI/Hoala School), Aki, and Le Bel winning the 400-yard medley relay in 3:44.42, and Yuvienco, Shelby Merrill (So., Thousand Oaks, CA/Westlake HS), Lum, and Burkhart victorious in the 400-yard freestyle relay at 3:28.16.

Willamette's "B" team of Ming Ou (Fr., The Dalles, OR/The Dalles-Wahtonka HS), Josh Bumgarner (So., Walla Walla, WA/Walla Walla HS), Bayang, and Sievers took second place in the 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:35.16.

Willamette's women also won five individual events, led by a pair of outstanding performances from Malia Santos (Jr., Kailua-Kona, HI/Kealakehe HS) and Cassie Tallman (Fr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS).

Santos and Tallman each won two individual events, with Santos winning the200-yard butterflyand leading a 1-2-3 finish in the 50-yard freestyle, while Tallmantook first in the 200-yard individual medley and the 200-yard breaststroke, which featured another 1-2-3 finish. Jamie Johnson(Fr., Seattle, WA/Nathan Hale HS) also earned first place in the 100-yard freestyle for Willamette.

In the 50-yard freestyle, Santos finished in 25.96, followed by Johnson in second at 27.10 and Elias in third place at 27.60.

Tallman, Ashlyn Witherwax (Fr., Sacramento, CA/Sheldon HS), and Elias rounded out the top three in the 200-yard breaststroke. Tallman's winning time was 2:31.18, while Witherwax completed the race in 2:32.88, and Elias finished in 2:44.87.

Johnson and Kristi Miyakawa (Fr., Los Alamitos, CA/Los Alamitos HS) finished 1-2 in the 100-yard freestyle, with Johnson's time of 59:01 just edging Miyakawa in second at 59.72.

The Bearcats also took first place in the 400-yard medley relay, with Michaela Zuber (Jr., Sacramento, CA/Sheldon HS), Witherwax, Santos, and Tallman turning in a time of 4:14.02.

Willamette's lone remaining dual meet of the season will take place next Saturday, January 31, at archrival Linfield College in McMinnville, Ore. The meet will begin at 1 p.m. (PST).