The Whitman men’s and women’s swim teams are on their final laps as the season draws to an end. The dual meet on Friday, Jan. 29, against the University of Puget Sound marked the final home appearance for the Missionaries, with the men’s team earning a 102-101 victory and securing second place in the highly competitive Northwest Conference with an impressive 6-1 record.
The men’s team victory is their first over UPS since the Loggers joined the NWC in 1997. The win will undoubtedly give them momentum going into the NWC Championships where UPS will try to defend their NWC crown.
First-year Kevin Dyer and sophomore Chris Bendix are among the notable underclassmen who sped past UPS. Dyer broke Bendix’s NWC record from last year for the 1,000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:14.27 and Bendix held his own at second place with a time of 10:27.46.
For the women’s meet, Whitman fell short against the Loggers with a 152-53 loss, but they still remain hopeful for the conference championships.
“We pictured ourselves doing well at the beginning of the season and remained confident,” said senior Sidney Kohls of the women’s team.
The Whitworth Pirates men’s and women’s teams beat the Loggers on Saturday, Jan. 30, leaving the Whitman men secure in their second place standing, and the women in third place.
Coach Jenn Blomme sees the tremendous progress of the program with Whitman’s standing going form the bottom of the conference to the top third.
“But we’re not going to stop there,” Blomme said. “Right now is a time when it’s becoming more of realistic goal to reach for number one.”
The Whitman teams have not finished above third in Northwest Conference since 1987, making this season particularly noteworthy.
“Despite finishing our dual meet season with a couple of losses against top teams like Whitworth and UPS, we can attribute our progress this year to our freshmen women,” Kohls said, hopeful for the next few seasons.
First-year Charlotte Graham won the 200-yard individual medley for the Whitman women with a time of 2:17.03.
As for the men’s team, junior team leader Jamie Nusse gears up to finish off the season strong and prepare for his senior year on the team. Nusse won the 200-yard freestyle for Whitman with a time of 1:50.23.
“The changes that this team has seen come from some of the guys stepping up and really committing a lot this year,” Nusse said, noting the team’s younger swimmers.
Kohls reflected on her past swimming career at Whitman and how the program has transformed in recent years.
“The team and swimming in general has been the most important part of my time here at Whitman. It’s going to be kind of tough to say goodbye,” Kohls said. “The rest of the seniors and I have really done a lot in our four years and just being part of this team was a huge thing for all of us.”
Whitman’s teams conclude their season with the NWC Championships at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash. Feb. 12-14.
