SALEM, Ore. – The Whitworth University women rallied for their first dual meet victory of the season while the Pirate men rolled to an easy win on Saturday in a Northwest Conference dual at Willamette University.
Whitworth won the women's meet 125-106 in the 16-event contest, while the men won 177-68.
Sarah Doncevic was part of three victories in her first meet of the season with the Pirates, while Chamelle Abringe won three individual races to help Whitworth rally at the meet's end. The Pirates won the final three races of the meet to overcome a 96-85 deficit.
Taylor Thorne, Grace Oster, Doncevic and Carly Hoff opened the meet with a win in the 200-yard medley relay in 1:57.85. But the Bearcats won the next two races to go ahead 32-16.
Doncevic followed with a win for the Pirates in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:04.24. Two events later Abringe won the 200-yard butterfly in 2:22.29 and Hoff followed with a victory in the 50-yard freestyle (25.70) to give Whitworth its first lead of the meet.
Willamette won three of the next four races. Doncevic won the 200-yard backstroke in 2:20.90 in that stretch to keep the Bucs within range. Whitworth went into the final three events trailing 96-85.
Albringe nearly turned the tide single-handedly with back-to-back wins in the 100-yard butterfly (1:01.76) and 200-yard individual medley (2:24.61), separated by a short break in the meet.
Katie Ramos, Thorne, Paige Orlando and Hoff closed the meet with a win in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:46.69).
The Whitworth men had no trouble with the Bearcats, winning 14 of the 16 races.
Zachary Washburn, Connor Florey and Isaiah Ross all won two individual events each. Washburn ran away with both the 100-yard breaststroke (1:01.77) and the 100-yard freestyle (47.31).
Florey took first in both the 1000-yard freestyle (10:19.99) and the 200 I.M. (2:06.26). Ross won both the 200-yard freestyle (1:49.18) and the 100-yard butterfly (53.00).
Washburn and Ross were both on the winning 200 medley relay (1:41.43) at the beginning of the meet. They were joined by Carl McNabb and Ryan Burch. Washburn also led off the ending 200 freestyle relay (1:29.55). Haden Keener, Mason Self and Burch followed Washburn.
Burch won the 50 freestyle (22.35) and McNabb won the 200 backstroke (2:05.61). Ty Patterson took first in the 100 backstroke (56.56) and Jett Joncich touched first in the 500-yard freestyle (5:08.19).
Whitworth will train through Thanksgiving and will return to action at the Logger Invitational on December 2-4.
