FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – Thanks to a Northwest Conference record in the 50-yard freestyle and a 1-2-3 finish in the 500-yard freestyle, the Whitworth University men have moved into first place at the NWC Swimming Championships through the second night of competition on Friday at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center.
The Pirate women are in fifth place through Friday's events.
Zachary Washburn wowed the audience with his time of 20.00 in the 50 freestyle. Washburn had already shattered the previous NWC record of 20.29 in the morning preliminary heats with a time of 20.05. Washburn was trying to become the first swimmer in NWC history to break the 20-second barrier in the 50 freestyle. He still won his second straight conference title in the event. Ryan Burch finished seventh in the event with a time of 21.44.
The Pirates took the team lead in the 500 freestyle, the first men's event of the night. Isaiah Ross outdueled teammates Noah Clarke and Connor Florey to win with a career-best time of 4:39.19. Clarke's PR of 4:40.19 finished in second place, while defending champion Florey was third in 4:42.05. Whitworth scored 53 points in the championship final of the 500 freestyle.
Brody Faser finished as the runner-up in the men's 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:53.52, just behind Whitman's Andrew Hanson (1:52.94). Mason Groth took sixth place for the Pirates with a time of 1:58.01.
Whitman finished the night with a win in the men's 400-yard medley relay in 3:21.46. Whitworth's relay of Burch, Florey, Ross and Washburn took third place with a time of 3:23.86.
The men's team scores through Friday night are: Whitworth 241.5, Whitman 217.5, Linfield 175, Puget Sound 110, Pacific Lutheran 103, Lewis & Clark 101, Willamette 93, George Fox 88, Pacific (Ore.) 62.
Carly Hoff won the women's 50 freestyle, just missing a Whitworth team record with a time of 23.87. The Pirates' team record is 23.81. Jillian Larrabee was 13th in 25.33 for the Bucs.
Eve Ihde took 11th in the 200 I.M. in 2:15.38. Pacific Lutheran's Malia Wisham was the winner in 2:08.45.
Whitworth did not have an entry in the women's 500 freestyle. Puget Sound's Sara Guillen (5:08.94) took first place.
The Pirates finished fifth in the women's 400 medley relay. Taylor Thorne, Ihde, Larrabee and Hoff went 4:04.87. Linfield won the event in 3:53.60.
The women's team scores through Friday night are: Linfield 264, Whitman 213, Pacific Lutheran 147, Puget Sound 126, Whitworth 116, Willamette 104, Lewis & Clark 96, George Fox 85, Pacific (Ore.) 58.
The meet continues on Saturday with the 400-yard I.M., 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke, 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle relay.
