"Everybody Did Their Part" As Lutes Sweep Pioneers

Meet Results

PARKLAND - Pacific Lutheran opened up with victories in the women's and men's 200 medley relay events and carried that momentum throughout the night Friday in sweeping a Northwest Conference swim meet from the visiting Lewis & Clark College Pioneers at the PLU Pool.

On the women's side, the Lutes improved to 3-3 in the conference and 5-3 overall with a 111-94 triumph. The Lewis & Clark women are now 3-4 in dual meets this season. The PLU men improved their Northwest Conference dual record to 2-4 and their overall mark to 3-5 with a 120-84 win over the Pioneers, now 2-3 in the conference and 3-4 overall.

"We knew coming in that it was going to be a close women's meet," said PLU head coach Jim Johnson. "Everybody did their part, and not just the first place finishers. We got a lot of third and fourths rather than fifths and sixths, and those points made the difference. Everybody contributed."

Jessie Klauder won both the 400 individual medley (4:57.28) and the 100 freestyle (55.73), nipping Pioneers standout Rachael Cazden (55.92) at the finish. "We made an adjustment during the meet, moving Klauder up into the 100 freestyle, and that was a turning point," Johnson said.

Klauder also swam a leg on the winning 200 medley relay team (1:57.53), joined in that event by Casey Jackson, Gina Wittman and Elisabeth Simpson.

Other PLU winners in the women's dual were Elizabeth Althauser in the 200 freestyle (2:05.96), Jackson in the 100 backstroke (1:00.89) and Rachel Troutt in the 100 breaststroke (1:13.08).

Event winners for Lewis & Clark were Claire Jordan in the 1650 freestyle (18:52.30) and the 500 freestyle (5:26.95), Cazden in the 50 freestyle (25.62) and Gail Wilcoxen in the 100 butterfly (1:05.07). Lewis & Clark also won the meet-closing 200 freestyle relay (1:47.01).

Pacific Lutheran's men won 10 of the 11 events, with Alex Limoges, Jacob Nord and Phil Rempe all taking first in two individual events and participating on a winning relay team.

Limoges, Rayan Carter, Matthew Kim and Bryce Manso opened with a win in the 200 medley relay (1:44.50). Limoges came right back to win the 1650 freestyle (18:17.98), an off event for him, and the Lutes were on their way to the victory. Limoges later came back for a victory in the 100 backstroke (56.31).

Nord won both the 50 freestyle (22.77) and the 100 freestyle (50.24), with Rempe surging late to win both the 200 freestyle (1:51.67) and the 500 freestyle (5:15.96). Kim added a win in the 100 butterfly (57.86) and Carter pulled away for a top finish in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.65). The Lutes also closed with a win in the 200 freestyle relay (1:33.32), with Rempe, Kim, John Pedack and Nord doing the honors.

Steven Carreno was the Pioneers' lone men's event winner, beating PLU's Pedack by one-half second in the 400 individual medley (4:49.67).

"I though we'd get a lot of first places in the men's meet but I wasn't sure we had the depth," Johnson said. "It turns out we did."

"That was a great meet for us," Johnson said of the sweep. "We're coming along great and people are training well. I was expecting good things and I wasn't disappointed."

- PLU -