Wilhelmi is 4th in 50 Freestyle and Anchors 400 Medley Relay to School Record

By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

FEDERAL WAY, Wash. -- Julius Wilhelmi (So., Roseville, CA/Woodcreek HS) of Willamette University placed fourth in the men's 50-yard freestyle, and later helped the Bearcats set a school record in the men's 400-yard medley relay, at the 2022 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships on Friday, Feb. 11. Also highlighting Willamette's efforts on Friday was Tatum Good (Fy., Scottsdale, AZ/Scottsdale Prep Academy), who earned seventh place in the women's 200-yard individual medley.

The NWC Swimming Championships will continue on Saturday, Feb. 12 and Sunday, Feb. 13. Preliminary heats will start at 9:30 a.m. (PST) on both days. Championship final and consolation final heats will begin at 5 p.m. on Saturday, and at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

Wilhelmi's time in the championship final of the men's 50-yard freestyle was 21.34 seconds after he earned a spot in the final with a time of 21.36 in the prelims. His time in the championship race moved him within 0.04 of Steve Koga (21.30) for the fifth-fastest time in WU men's swimming history. Koga holds all of WU's top five times in the 50 freestyle, including the school record of 20.88, set in 1981.

Zachary Washburn from Whitworth University won the men's 50 freestyle with a time of 20.29 seconds, as he registered an NCAA Division III selected qualifying time.

In the men's 400-yard medley relay, Wilhelmi swam the anchor leg to finish Willamette's school record at 3:31.28. Joining Wilhelmi on the relay team were Will Compton (Jr., Portage, MI/Portage Northern HS), Ben Nickell (Jr., Boulder, CO/Fairview HS), and Cole Lindberg (Fy., Moses Lake, WA/Moses Lake Christian Academy). The Bearcats placed fifth in the race, which was won by Linfield University in 3:23.19.

The previous WU record in the men's 400-yard medley relay was 3:31.35. It was set by Jason Bayang, Alika Masei, Mark Yuvienco, and Derek Ludwig at the 2017 NWC Championships.

Good completed the championship final in the women's 200-yard individual medley on Friday in 2:14.19 to secure seventh place. She was 0.93 out of sixth place. Good's time in the finals was more than a second faster than her time of 2:15.30 in the prelims.

Sarah Jenner (Fy., Normandy Park, WA/Stanford Online HS) and Alayna Kisiday (Fy., Silverdale, WA/Central Kitsap HS) each competed in the consolation finals for the Bearcats on Friday. Jenner finished 12th overall in the women's 500-yard freestyle after taking fourth place in the consolation final at 5:26.71. Kisiday placed 16th overall in the women's 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.56 seconds in the consolation final. She was just 0.37 out of 13th place.

Willamette's women placed fifth in the 400-yard medley relay with a time of 4:06.39. Swimming on the relay team were Good, Anna Hornbeck (Fy., Bend, OR/Bend HS), Min Wei (Sr., Fushun, China/Cascade HS), and Kisiday. Pacific Lutheran University won the relay in 3:54.13. The relay teams from Whitworth and the University of Puget Sound were disqualified for infractions during the race.

In the men's team standings, Whitworth University ended the evening in first place with 271.5 points, while Whitman College was second with 188 points. Linfield University held third place at 173.5, with Puget Sound in fourth at 141, and Pacific Lutheran in fifth at 105. Lewis & Clark College followed in sixth place with 103 points, while Willamette was seventh at 95, George Fox University was eighth at 94, and Pacific University was ninth with 56 points.

Whitman topped the women's team standings at 196 points. Pacific Lutheran was second with 173 points. Linfield owned third place at 168, Whitworth was fourth at 149, Puget Sound was fifth at 121, and George Fox held sixth at 115. Lewis & Clark was next in seventh place at 95, while Pacific was eighth at 80, and Willamette was ninth with 72 points.