PLU Swimmers Travel to Oregon for NWC Meets

THIS WEEKEND: Pacific Lutheran at Pacific, Friday, 6 p.m.; PLU at Linfield, Saturday, 1 p.m.

RETURN TO NWC ACTION: More than two months removed from their last Northwest Conference dual meets, the Pacific Lutheran swim teams return to NWC action this weekend when they compete against the Pacific Boxers and the Linfield Wildcats in Oregon. The Lutes face Pacific at the Forest Grove Aquatic Center at 6 p.m. Friday and Linfield in McMinnville at 1 p.m. Saturday. Pacific Lutheran last swam in a Northwest Conference meet back on Nov. 14 when it hosted the Whitman Missionaries. Both PLU teams are 0-3 in conference duals, the three opponents being the best that the NWC has to offer - Puget Sound, Whitworth and Whitman. Overall, the PLU women are 2-3 in duals while the men are 1-4.

ABOUT THE BOXERS: Pacific has yet to win a men's or women's dual meet this season. Both teams enter Friday's dual against the Lutes winless in six total duals and four conference events. Pacific's roster lists seven men and 10 women. Already this year, five women's school records and two men's school records have fallen. Allison Clark has been prolific in that regard, setting four new Pacific women's swimming standards. It should be noted, however, that Pacific has had a swimming program for only a handful of years. Last year, the Lutes swept asidethe Boxers, the men winning 151-55 and the women taking a 124-79 decision at the PLU Pool.

ABOUT THE WILDCATS: Both Linfield swim teams are 1-3 in conference duals and 2-3 in all duals. The Linfield men feature two of the conference's top swimmers in Dom Rieniets, a former conference championship outstanding swimmer, and Yusuke Kobayashi.

LUTES SWEEP COYOTES...: Jacob Nord rallied over the final 50 meters to anchor Pacific Lutheran to a win in the men's 200-yard freestyle relay, assuring the PLU men of a team victory and a sweep of College of Idaho in a non-conference swimming dual last Saturday at the PLU Pool. The Pacific Lutheran teams both picked up their first dual victories of the 2009-10 season against three defeats, the men winning by a 99-85 count and the women easily pulling away from C of I, 135-38. Had the visiting Coyotes won the meet-concluding men's 200 freestyle relay, they would have earned a 92-92 tie with the undermanned Lutes. As it turned out, Nord overcame a half-body length deficit, taking the lead at the turn and slowly pulling away to touch the wall first in 1:35.09. College of Idaho finished the race in 1:35.57. Nord won both the 50 freestyle (22.79) and the 100 freestyle (50.50), joining teammate Alex Limoges as double-event winners. Limoges, who swam the opening leg of PLU's winning 200 medley relay (1:44.36), took first in the 200 individual medley (2:07.71) and the 100 backstroke (56.62). Other event winners for the PLU men were Matthew Kim in the 100 butterfly (57.22) and John Pedack in the 500 freestyle (5:34.27). The Lutes had only seven swimmers available  for the meet. The Pacific Lutheran women won all 11 events, including double wins from Casey Jackson in the 200 individual medley (2:24.05) and 100 backstroke (1:04.93) and Elizabeth Althauser in the 200 freestyle (2:09.90) and the 100 freestyle (59.41). Jackson swam the first leg in the meet-opening 200 medley relay win (1:59.08) and Althauser led off the victorious 200 freestyle relay unit (1:49.93). Other individual event winners for Pacific Lutheran were Courtney Karwal in the 1650 freestyle (19:47.73), Elisabeth Simpson in the 50 freestyle (27.29), Kasey Dorcas in the 100 butterfly (1:08.68), Jessie Klauder in the 500 freestyle (5:32.15) and Rachel Troutt in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.64).

...AND SPLIT WITH COYOTES: PLU defeated College of Idaho in a Sunday women's dual meet, but the visiting Coyotes turned the tide on the Lutes men and picked up the victory. The PLU women improved their season dual meet record to 2-3 with their second consecutive romp over College of Idaho, this time by a 134-49 score. College of Idaho won the final men's event, the 400 freestyle relay, to turn back Pacific Lutheran, 96-91. For the Coyotes, it was their first dual meet victory of the season, while the loss drops the Lutes to 1-4 in duals. It also marked College of Idaho's first men's dual meet win over PLU in seven tries, while the PLU women improved to a perfect 7-0 against C of I. After taking first in all 11 events in Saturday's win, the PLU women picked up wins in all but two races on Sunday. Elizabeth Althauser won a pair of events, the 1000 freestyle (12:06.17) and the 500 freestyle (5:46.20), and swam anchor on the winning 400 freestyle relay (4:00.12). Other event winners for PLU were Jessie Klauder in the 400 individual medley (5:00.63), Elyse Bevers in the 200 butterfly (2:44.29), Elisabeth Simpson in the 100 freestyle (59.86), Casey Jackson in the 200 backstroke (2:23.61) and Rachel Troutt in the 200 breaststroke (2:40.21). Jackson and Troutt swam the first two legs of PLU's winning 400 medley relay effort (4:30.76). Saturday's men's meet came down to the final event, the 200 freestyle relay, where PLU prevailed. Sunday's meet also came down to the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, but this time it was C of I with the event victory and the team win. For the Lutes, Jacob Nord won both the 50 freestyle (22.68) and the 100 freestyle (49.76), Phil Rempe finished first in the 200 freestyle (1:56.33), and Alex Limoges took the 400 individual medley (4:40.10). The Lutes took an uncontested first in the 400 medley relay (4:23.11).

NORD HONORED: The Northwest Conference honored freshman Jacob Nord as the male swimmer of the week for his outstanding performance in the Lutes' two home meets against College of Idaho. Nord, a freshman out of Bremerton's Olympic High School, won the short sprints in both meets, anchored the winning 200 free relay on Saturday and swam the opening leg on the 400 free relay on Sunday.

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