SPOKANE, Wash. – In a match up of what appear to be the top two swimming teams in the Northwest Conference, the Whitworth Pirates swept the visiting Puget Sound Loggers in a pair of NWC duals on Saturday afternoon at the Megan Thompson Aquatic Center.
The Pirate women defeated the Loggers 131-71, while the Whitworth men came out on top 131-74. Both squads won seven of the 11 events. The Bucs used 1-2-3 sweeps to outscore Puget Sound in some key events.
Whitworth's men set an aquatic center record in the 200-yard medley relay. Kai Jon Hayashida, Alex Popov, Henry Brewster and Nathanael Van Liew went 1:33.34 to break the previous mark of 1:34.01 held by a Whitworth relay team from 2003.
Parker Dangleis won two individual events and anchored the winning 200-yard freestyle relay to lead the Pirates. His fourth leg capped off a winning time of 1:25.56 by Van Liew, Hayashida, Brewster and Dangleis in the meet-ending relay. Earlier in the meet Dangleis led from the opening lap in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing with a time of 1:44.84, which led a 1-2-3 finish for the Bucs that outscored the Loggers 16-3 in the event. Later Dangleis came from behind to win the 100-yard freestyle in 46.84.
Van Liew sprinted to victory in the 50-yard freestyle (21.17), while Hayashida took first in the 100-yard backstroke (52.96). Whitworth got another 1-2-3 finish in the men's 400-yard individual medley with Jake Sachtjen winning in 4:15.68.
Sam Lyon won 1,650-yard freestyle (16:13.24) and 500-yard freestyle (4:45.01) for the Loggers.
Kallie Badry dominated the women's half of the dual with three individual victories. She swept the distance freestyle events, taking first in both the 1,650-yard distance (17:57.16) and the 500 free (5:22.16). She also came from behind to win the 400 I.M. in 4:43.68, racing 2,550 yards over the course of the meet.
Paige Dangleis, Molly Konop, Grace Esteban and Megan Bonikowsky combined to open the meet with a victory in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:49.55, the second-best time of the season for the Pirates.
Bonokowsky went on to win the 100 freestyle in 55.86, Dangleis won the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:02.41 and Konop took first in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:08.12, leading a 1-2-3 sweep for the Bucs.
Madeleine Brennan won both the 200 free (2:01.29) and the 100 butterfly (59.83) for Puget Sound.
The Whitworth swimming teams will conclude the dual meet season next Saturday in the annual Battle of Whits against Whitman College.
