Nine women's qualify for finals.

BOISE, Idaho – The Willamette University women's swimming team continued their campaign at the 2026 Northwest Conference Championships on Saturday, delivering strong performances across multiple events at the Idaho Central Aquatic Center. The Bearcats saw key contributions from both seasoned veterans and rising underclassmen during the second night of finals.

Top Individual Highlights:

• 200 Yard Freestyle: Sophomore Jillian Price led the charge for the Bearcats in the 200-yard freestyle, securing an 8th-place finish in the A-Final with a time of 2:01.33, earning 11 points for the team. Elisa Michels also contributed points in this event, finishing 13th overall with a time of 2:05.03.

• 100 Yard Butterfly: Junior Tessa Ciatti captured a 9th-place finish (winning the B-Final) with a time of 59.92. Ciatti continues to chase her own school record of 57.83 set just last year. Lydia Schmitt added to the tally by finishing 13th in 1:03.35.

• 400 Yard IM: Freshman Cyan Schatz showcased her endurance in the 400-yard Individual Medley, placing 13th overall with a finals time of 5:25.51.

Relay Performance: The Bearcats opened the evening session with a solid showing in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. The quartet of Leah Howell, Hanna Vornbrock, Tessa Ciatti, and Jillian Price combined for a time of 1:51.80, finishing 8th and securing 22 points. This time marks one of the fastest in program history, approaching the top-10 all-time mark of 1:51.28.

In the final event of the night, the 800 Yard Freestyle Relay team of Elisa Michels, Emma Noffsinger, Ana Kaldy, and Allison Pettett took 8th place with a time of 8:35.39, contributing another 22 points to the team total.