TACOMA, Wash. --- Linfield men's and women's swimming opened the weekend road trip on Friday evening against the Puget Sound Loggers, where both teams came up short against the hosts. Linfield men fell 134-69, while the women fell 128-76.
 
To kick off the meet, the team of Samuel Postlewait, Ivan Tontchev, Rocco Velie, and Carson Washburn earned a three-second win in the 400-yard medley relay, thanks to Washburn anchoring the final stretch. Kai Laitinen kept the momentum going for the Wildcats, dominating the men's 1000-yard freestyle, posting a time of 10:26.6, over 20-seconds faster than the best Logger. Laitinen's time puts him fourth in the conference for the event. 
 
Kirsti Keppo got the women's squad in the win column, and she claimed the 1000-yard free title as well with a six-second victory; also marking the second-fastest time in the NWC this season. The senior went back-to-back, also winning the 200-yard freestyle race, just beating the fastest Puget Sound swimmer by three-tenths of a second. The Loggers men's team got on a roll, although Washburn earned a top-three finish in the 50-yard sprint race. 
 
Caley Haydu swam as close of a race as it gets in the women's 50-yard freestyle, posting a 25.66, just 0.01 seconds ahead of the fastest Logger; her time places her fifth in the conference. Velie gave the 'Cats another win in the 200-yard IM, with a 2.5-second edge on Puget Sound, posting the third-best time in the conference. Postlewait's next appearance came in the 100-yard freestyle, cruising to a win, ahead of four other UPS athletes. Haydu defended her freestyle sprint in the 100-yard, also narrowly winning the event by six-hundredths of a second, and earning yet another top conference mark.
 
Sarah Arpag earned a top-three finish in the women's 200-yard backstroke, taking second with a time of 2:19.5. Velie and Keppo swept the 500-yard freestyle titles, each winning by over a five-second margin. Puget Sound was able to win each of the final four events, enough to hold onto their lead, and hand both Linfield teams their first losses of the season. 
 
Although the Wildcats won 10 of 22 events in the meet, the Loggers depth provided them the edge in the team scoring. Linfield women's swimming took their first loss, 128-76, while the men's team fell 134-69 in the weekend opener. 
 
The Wildcats are back in action tomorrow morning at Pacific Lutheran, taking on the Lutes in the weekend finale at 11 a.m.
 
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