Bearcat Swimmers Roll Past Southwestern Oregon C.C. in Exhibition Meet

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University swimming teams hosted Southwestern Oregon Community College in a meet on Friday, Jan. 26 at the WU Natatorium. Willamette defeated the Lakers in men's swimming, 122-55, and also downed SWOCC in women's swimming, 130-62. The victories do not change Willamette's dual meet win-loss records because the NCAA does not count wins and losses against two-year colleges. Even so, it was a solid night of swimming for the Bearcats.

Kate Harvey (Sr., Atlantic Beach, FL/Duncan Fletcher HS) and Cassie Tallman (Sr., Seattle, WA/Roosevelt HS) each won two individual events for the Willamette women's team. Colin Hakeman (So., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) and Ben Fritz (Fr., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) both grabbed to wins in individual events for the Bearcat men's team. Tallman's win in the women's 100-yard breaststroke didn't count in the team scoring because the Bearcats already held a sizable lead and were competing exhibition in the event.

Harvey took first place in the women's 200-yard freestyle and the women's 500-yard freestyle. She won the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:08.88 and won the 500 freestyle in 5:45.24. Tallman has the fastest time in the women's 100-yard freestyle and the women's 100-yard breaststroke. Her winning time in the 100 freestyle was 58.12 seconds. She finished first in the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.63 despite competing exhibition.

Hakeman prevailed in the men's 200-yard freestyle and the men's 500-yard freestyle, matching the victorious that Harvey recorded for the women's team. Hakeman's time in the 200 freestyle was 1:55.14, while his result in the 500 freestyle was 5:07.45. Fritz provided WU with wins in a distance race and a sprint. He won the men's 1,650-yard freestyle in 18:14.13 and placed first in the men's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 24.17 seconds.

Willamette athletes who each registered one victory against the Lakers in an individual women's event were Anna Burdine (Jr., Seattle, WA/Mount Rainier HS), Rachel Harvill (Jr., Alamo, CA/Monte Vista HS), Kiley Lin (Jr./So., Palo Alto, CA/Henry M. Gunn HS), and Niki Kates (So., Truckee, CA/Forest Charter School).

Burdine won the 1,650-yard freestyle in 19:56.86. She also placed second in the 500-yard freestyle at 5:48.43, just 3.19 seconds behind Harvey. Harvill took first place in the 50-yard freestyle in 26.51 seconds. Khalani Hoyer of SWOCC was second in 27.11 seconds, and Lin was third for the Bearcats in 27.22 seconds. Lin won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:04.02. She held off Piper Engler from SWOCC, who placed second in 1:05.98. Kates earned the best time in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:04.64.

Athletes from the Willamette men's team who each recorded one win in an individual event were Ben Hedman (So., Davis, CA/Davis HS), Mark Yuvienco (Sr., San Jose, CA/Bellarmine College Prep), and Derek Ludwig (So., Moraga, CA/Campolindo HS).

Hedman was the winner of the 200-yard individual medley, as he attained a time of 2:05.99. Daniel Fang (Fr., Rancho Santa Margarita/Catholic HS) took second in 2:07.44. Yuvienco placed first in the 100-yard butterfly in 53.40 seconds. Ludwig won the 100-yard backstroke at 57.85 seconds.

Willamette opened the meet with triumphs in the women's 200-yard medley relay and the men's 200-yard medley relay. The Bearcats won the women's medley relay in 1:56.53 with Lin, Ashlyn Witherwax (Sr., Honolulu, HIPunahou School), Tallman and Harvill competing. WU edged out SWOCC by 1.28 seconds in the men's medley relay, as Ludwig, Mykah Fujiwara (Jr., Kaneohe, HIPunahou School), Yuvienco and Evan Segimoto (Fr., Alamo, CA/The Athenian School) earned a time of 1:43.45. The Lakers completed the race in 1:44.73.

The Bearcats will remain at home to take on Linfield College in a Northwest Conference dual meet on Saturday, Jan. 27. The meet between the Bearcats and the Wildcats is set to begin at 1 p.m. (PST).