Four Bearcats Qualify for "A" Finals, Six Reach "B Finals, at NWC Championships

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Four Willamette University athletes qualified for the "A" finals, and six more Bearcats advanced to the "B" finals, during the first day of preliminary heats at the 2018 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships on Friday, Feb. 9 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington. Men's and women's prelims were held on Friday morning in the 500-yard freestyle, 200-yard individual medley, and 50-yard freestyle. Finals in those events will begin on Friday at 6 p.m. (PST), with the consolation or "B" final being held immediately before the championship or "A" final in each event.

Qualifying for the championship finals were Ben Fritz (Fr., Los Gatos, CA/Leigh HS) in the men's 500-yard freestyle, Niki Kates (So., Truckee, CA/Forest Charter School) and Cassie Tallman (Sr., Seattle, WARoosevelt HS) in the women's 200-yard individual medley, and Ben Hedman (So., Davis, CADavis HS) in the men's 200-yard individual medley.

Fritz recorded a time of 4:44.30 in the prelims of the men's 500 freestyle to lower his top time of the season by 25.68 seconds. He had the seventh fastest time of the prelims. Kates registered a time of 2:11.84 and Tallman was clocked at 2:12.08 in the prelims of the women's 200 I.M. There times placed sixth and seventh, respectively. Hedman completed the men's 200 I.M. in 1:56.69 for the fifth fastest result of the prelims.

Willamette swimmers who will compete in the consolations finals this evening are Anna Burdine (Jr., Seattle, WA/Mount Rainier HS) and Kate Harvey (Sr., Atlantic Beach, FL/Duncan Fletcher HS) in the women's 500-yard freestyle, Colin Hakeman (So., Bellingham, WA/Sehome HS) in the men's 500-yard freestyle, Mark Yuvienco (Sr., San Jose, CA/Bellarmine College Prep) in the men's 200-yard individual medley, and Rachel Harvill (Jr., Alamo, CA/Monte Vista HS) in the women's 50-yard freestyle.

Burdine was timed at 5:20.35 in the women's 1,000 freestyle and Harvey earned a time of 5:25.96. Burdine dropped her season-best by 13.07 seconds, while Harvey lowered her top time by 15.79 seconds. They were 10th and 14th, respectively, in the prelims. In the men's 500 freestyle, Hakeman recorded a time of 4:49.41, which was 16.50 seconds faster that his top time from earlier in the season. He was 11th in the prelims.

Yuvienco achieved a time of 1:58.89, which tied Caleb Van Boven for ninth-best time of the prelims. Harvill was 13th in the prelims of the women's 50 freestyle. Her time of 25.05 was a solid 1.45 seconds faster than her previous top time of the year. She was just 0.45 away from qualifying for the championship final.

After tonight's finals, action at the NWC Championships will continue on Saturday, Feb. 10 and Sunday, Feb. 11. Prelims will begin each day at 10 a.m. (PST). Finals will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday and at 5 p.m. on Sunday.