SPOKANE, Wash. – Strong depth came to the fore once again for the Whitworth University swimming teams in a dual meet sweep over visiting Pacific Lutheran. The Pirate men won ten of 11 events to defeat the Lutes 159-37 while the women's team also won ten in a 151-49 victory.
Whitworth's men won eight of the nine individual events and both relays. Those eight individual wins were accomplished by eight different competitors.
The Pirates opened the night with a victory in the 400-yard medley relay. Kai Jon Hayashida, Alex Popov, Henry Brewster and Nathanael Van Liew went 3:28.35 to win easily. The Bucs then finished the night by winning the men's 400-yard freestyle relay. Parker Dangleis, Mason Groth, Austin Elwyn and Van Liew posted a time of 3:09.24.
In between Hayashida won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.84 and Van Liew won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.02. Brewster took first in the 200-yard butterfly (1:55.32) and Dangleis touched ahead of the pack in the 100-yard freestyle (46.64).
Four other Pirate men also won against the Lutes. Vincent McNabb raced out of lane one to win the 200-yard backstroke in 1:59.91. First-year Preston Wolf won the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:13.27. Ben Butler won the 1,000-yard freestyle (10:01.56) and Jake Sachtjen took the 500-yard freestyle (4:51.21).
Megan Bonikowsky and Kallie Badry won two events apiece to lead Whitworth's women. Bonikowsky took first place in both the 200 freestyle (2:02.49) and the 200 breaststroke (2:27.80). Badry swept the distance freestyle events, taking the 1,000 in 10:45.74 and the 500 in 5:20.52.
Isabella Hoopes won the 200-yard individual medley (2:18.00) and Paige Dangleis took the 200 backstroke 2:13.03. Mya Granger sprinted to a win in the 50 freestyle (25.74), while Grace Esteban touched first in the 100 freestyle (55.69).
The quartet of Paige Dangleis, Molly Konop, Esteban and Bonikowsky won the women's medley relay in 4:01.77, just missing the Megan Thompson Aquatic Center record (4:01.39).
Makhaela Parrish, Esteban, Konop and Dangleis won the 400 free relay in 3:41.66.
The Whitworth teams will take on Puget Sound on Saturday at 1:00 pm.
