Lutes Swim Against Bearcats in Season Dual Finale

THIS WEEKEND: Pacific Lutheran will close its 2009-10 dual meet season on Saturday when it hosts the Willamette Bearcats at 1 p.m. in the PLU Pool.

SENIOR DAY: A total of four Pacific Lutheran seniors - Jay Sy, John Pedack, Bryce Manso and Emily Steyer - will be honored prior to Saturday's dual meet. Manso and Steyer both have served as team captains each of the past two years.

ABOUT WILLAMETTE: The Bearcats swim at Pacific on Friday night prior to making the trip to Parkland on Saturday. The Willamette women are 1-4 overall and 1-4 in the conference, their only win coming by a 104-95 score against Lewis & Clark way back on Nov. 6. The Willamette men are winless in five duals, all coming against conference opponents. In fact, the team currently consists of only one swimmer. 

EVERYBODY DID THEIR PART: Pacific Lutheran opened up with victories in the women's and men's 200 medley relay events and carried that momentum throughout the night last Friday in sweeping a 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. 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). 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. "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."

CONFERENCE MEET AT KCAC: The King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way will serve as the venue for the annual Northwest Conference Championships, scheduled for Friday through Sunday, Feb. 12-14.

LUTE NOTES: Alex Limoges leads a group of Pacific Lutheran swimmers currently ranked among the conference's top eight in their respective events. Limoges, a junior out of Hudson's Bay High School in Vancouver, Wash., is ranked in four events - 3rd in the 200 back (2:02.50), fourth in the 100 back (55.36), eighth in the 100 fly (55.08) and eighth in the 1650 free (18:17.98). Freshman Jacob Nord is third in the 50 free (22.05) and seventh in the 100 free (49.21), while freshman Phil Rempe is eighth in the 500 free (5:01.69). On the women's side, junior Casey Jackson is second in the 100 back (1:00.89) and fourth in the 200 back (2;14.56), junior Jessie Klauder is third in the 100 breast (1:11.83) and eighth in the 400 IM (4:55.83), frosh Rachel Troutt is sixth inthe 100 breast (1:12.79) and eighth in the 200 breast (2:37.86), and sophomore Elizabeth Althauser is sixth in the 1650 free (19:05.96).

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