Bearcats Best River Otters

PORTLAND, Ore. – The Willamette University women's swimming team traveled to the Zehntbauer Swimming Pavilion on Saturday for a Northwest Conference dual meet against Lewis & Clark College. The Bearcats showcased their depth in the distance events and secured several individual victories throughout the afternoon.

Distance Dominance

Willamette swept the top four spots in the grueling 1,650-yard freestyle. Elisa Michels led the pack with a first-place finish, clocking in at 20:55.21. She was followed closely by teammates Ana Kaldy (21:18.03) and Cyan Schatz (21:25.37), with Grace Yanzito taking fourth to complete the sweep for the Bearcats.

Individual Highlights

The Bearcats found success across multiple disciplines:

• Sprints: Leah Howell claimed victory in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.70. Allison Pettett and Lydia Schmitt followed in third and fourth, respectively.

• Backstroke: Leah Howell also led the way in the 100-yard backstroke, taking first place in 1:04.16.

• Butterfly: Lydia Schmitt earned a second-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, recording a time of 1:05.80.

• Freestyle: Jillian Price secured a second-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 2:07.53.

• Breaststroke: Tessa Ciatti took the top spot in the 100-yard breaststroke with a winning time of 1:15.02.

Relay Results

In the opening event of the day, the 200-yard medley relay, the Willamette "A" team featuring Howell, Ciatti, Schmitt, and Price finished second with a time of 1:58.07.