MCMINNVILLE, Ore.. --- Linfield men's and women's swimming hosted their first home meet of the season on Friday night inside the Linfield Pool, with each team sweeping the Boxers, their second-straight sweep to open the 2025-26 season. Men's swimming won each event to a 102-29 victory, meanwhile the women's team handled the Boxers, 99-78.
 
"It's always good for both sides to start out 2-0. These first two meets have been a great tune-up for what we have coming ahead in our trip to Los Angeles at the La Verne Invitational. That will be a good opportunity for us to race some great Division III competition and see some new teams down there." Said Head Coach Kyle Kimball. 
 
"Today, we had some people swimming outside of their comfort zone, and we tried to create some of our own competition in the races that we could. Watching the team get up, and get excited for each other was fun."
 
To begin the meet, the team of Andrew Seale, Andrew Lee, Ivan Tontchev, and Carson Washburn defeated the Boxers squad, posting a time of 3:47.63, earning a winning margin of 44-seconds. The Wildcats posted the fourth-fastest time in the event this season. The women's relay team followed suit, as Chloe Lazaraton, Sarah Arpag, Kirsti Keppo, and Caley Haydu cruised to a win by over a minute, with Wildcats Kermen Kendoll, Mikayla Wilson, Taila Patterson, and Rebecca Colburn taking second place. 
 
Rocco Veile was the lone competitor in the men's 1000-yard freestyle, notching a time of 11:57.8. Manda Reso claimed the 1000-yard freestyle, finishing in 12:43.4, a top-ten time in the NWC. Reso finished 46-seconds ahead of her opponent from Pacific. 
 
Logan Mendez won the third-straight men's event for Linfield, with a 1:55.8 in the 200-yard free, he was trailed by fellow Wildcat Andrew Seale, helping Linfield secure the top-two spots in the event. The Boxers women's team claimed their first event of the meet in the 200-yard free, just beating out Linfield's Annika Fetro. 
 
Linfield swept the top-three finishers in the men's 50-yard freestyle, with Samuel Postlewait was the fastest at 22.4-seconds and Elijah Ng close behind with a 24.2. Kai Laitinen rounded out the top-three finishers, ahead of the fastest Boxer in the race. Another event fell the Boxers way in the women's 50-yard freestyle, with Mikayla Wilson taking third as the fastest 'Cat in the race. 
 
Jack Sappington won the men's 200-yard IM, earning the NWC's eighth-fastest time in the event with a 2:08.4. Tontchev finished second, ten-seconds behind Sappington. Women's swim got back in the winners circle, thanks to Kira Etheredge claiming the 200-yard IM with a 2:22.7, the fifth-fastest time in the conference this season. 
 
Lucas Buker was the lone competitor in the men's 200-yard butterfly, notching a time of 2:35.4 to earn the Wildcats yet another win. Arpag cruised to a huge victory for the women's team, recording a 2:19.1, for a new fourth-fastest NWC mark in the event. 
 
Sappington returned in the 100-free, winning his second event of the night with a time of 51.68, Ng trialed close with a 53.62. Reso also grabbed her second win of the meet in the same event, winning the 100-free with a time of 1:03.6. Keppo's return saw her win the women's 200-yard backstroke, not only winning the event, but earning the fifth-fastest time in the conference with a 2:21.7. Etheredge also notched an excellent conference mark in her 200-yard breaststroke, with a 2:36.7, she moved into second in the NWC. 
 
To close out the night, the men's 400-yard freestyle relay team of Postlewait, Washburn, Tontchev, and Lee recorded a 3:24.5 to beat out teammates Velie, Sappington, Ng, and Laitinen as the only other relay team in the race. Linfield men's swimming won every event over the Boxers in the meet. In the women's 400-yard freestyle relay, Annikka Fetro, Lazaraton, Keppo, and Etheredge just finished ahead of teammates Rebecca Colburn, Arpag, Patterson, and Haydu who were just seven-tenths of a second behind the winning team from Linfield. 
 
The men's team remained perfect, with Andrew Lee as the only swimmer in the men's 500-yard freestyle, finishing in 5:48.1. Caley Haydu lapped three other swimmers from Pacific in route to winning the women's 500-yard free with the conference's tenth-best time of 5:44.0. Veile shined once again I the men's 200-yard breaststroke, winning with the third-fastest NWC time of 2:21.9; a 39-second margin on the fastest Boxer. Etheredge also sowed out again, winning the women's 200-yard breastroke with a 2:36.7. 
 
To close out the meet, the 400-yard freestyle men's relay team of Postlewait, Washburn, Tontchev, and Lee swam a 3:24.5 to beat the other Wildcat team but just eight-seconds. Annikka Fetro, Lazaraton, Keppo, and Etheredge also ended the meet with a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay, just beating the second team from Linfield by seven-tenths of a second. 
 
Both teams earned their second-straight wins over conference opponents to begin the season.
 
"Sam Postlewait is looking real solid right now, winning two events today. And Reso has been great, winning two races today, a sprint and distance, that's very hard to do. Kira Etheredge winning two events as well is a great sign for us as a freshman, and she's unique because she's a nursing student on the Portland campus. She continues to work hard and stay focused."
 
The Wildcats are back in action next Friday and Saturday in Tacoma, Washington, set to face Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran, with hopes of continuing each team's winning streak. 
 
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