The Linfield men's and women's swimming teams are primed and ready to pursue Northwest Conference team titles this week as the nine member schools gather in Federal Way, Washington, for the annual NWC Swimming Championships.

"We are looking sharp and feeling confident, said ninth-year coach Kyle Kimball. "I'm extremely happy with our preparation over the past month. When we arrived back to campus after our winter training trip, the staff witnessed an increased focus and toughness that wasn't quite there early in the season. They have stepped up their training and are definitely prepared to swim their best this week."
 
Action begins Thursday night at 5 p.m. at Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatics Center. The meet continues through Sunday with each day featuring morning preliminary races followed by an evening session of championship and consolation finals.
 
The Linfield men are seeking to become the first Oregon-based institution to bring home an NWC men's team championship since the Wildcats won back-to-back titles in 1999 and 1998.
 
Given their overall team depth combined with top-end speed, the Wildcat women are in position to be crowned the first women's team champion from Oregon since Willamette won it all in 1994.
 
Both Linfield squads completed the 2023 dual-meet season with identical 8-0 records against NWC competition, a first for the Linfield program in either gender.  

"We  had some tough dual meet battles in January that challenged our athletes," said Kimball. "I think this helped us be ready for what lies ahead this weekend."
 
WOMEN
With relays counting as double points in the standings, each four-person unit will be key in the Wildcats' chase of a championship. Linfield enters with conference-leading times in four of the five relay events, but faces strong competition for the gold medal, most notably from Puget Sound.
 
Versatile Linfield senior Kate Walkup, who won the 400 individual medley title a year ago, is expected to contend for individual championships in the 200 freestyle, 100 backstroke and 200 backstroke. The veteran from Eugene enters the 2023 meet with the NWC's best time in all three events.
 
Wildcats freshman Sarah Arpag promises to make an impact in the scoring column and should battle for top honors in the 200 individual medley, 100 butterfly, 200 butterfly and 50 freestyle.
 
Whitney Averill, Avery Campbell, Kirsti Keppo, Kalea Mullins, Lauren Bobo-Shisler are certain to generate additional key team points for the 'Cats. All will contribute in the relay events.
 
MEN
The men aim to elevate from last season's third-place team finish. Ben Simpson is poised to defend his 100 butterfly crown and holds a slim advantage in seed time over challenger Isaiah Ross of Whitworth. Simpson will also defend his title in the 200 freestyle and could emerge as champion in the 500 freestyle.
 
Garrett Sutton is seeking his first individual championship in the 50 freestyle. His seed time of 21.13 trails only Whitworth's Zachary Washburn.
 
Edan Donaldson will challenge for the top spot in the 100 backstroke and in the 100 freestyle, where he is among the top four seeds.  
 
Freshman Rocco Velie should make key contributions for Linfield in the 200 IM, where he leads the conference, and the 400 IM, where he's slotted seventh.
 
Gavin Smith and Jack Gallo should score vital points in the 1,650 freestyle, where they rank second and sixth, respectively, among the seeded entries. Gallo could also make his mark in the finals of the 200 butterfly and Smith is among the fastest entries in the 500 freestyle.
 
Providing important scoring depth are Alex Landry, Daniel Olson, Carson Washburn and Sasha Moore.
 
The Linfield men boast two conference-leading foursomes – the 200 freestyle relay and the 400 freestyle relay.

COVERAGE
The meet will be live streamed on the Northwest Conference network. As each session progresses, live results will also be published.