BOISE, Idaho --- Linfield men's and women's swimming opened the 2026 Northwest Conference Swim Championships at the Idaho Central Aquatic Center on Friday night, earning six A-Final bids. The men's team sits in third while the women's team is in fourth following the first two sessions.
 
Following a pair of fifth-place finishes in the opening 200-yard freestyle relay events, sophomore Kai Laitinen and Kirsti Keppo paced the Wildcats with top-three finishes in the 500-yard freestyle. Laitinen improved on his preliminary time by a half-second, while Keppo gained nine-seconds on her way to a runner-up finish. Junior Chloe Lazaraton finished fifth in the event, adding 14 additional points for the team.
 
Rocco Velie earned a bid in the A Finals, taking seventh in the men's 200-yard individual medley. Sarah Arpag and Caley Haydu led the 'Cats in the 50-yard freestyle, both sprinting to faster times than in the morning preliminaries.
 
The men's group of Samuel Postlewait, Ivan Tontchev, Rocco Velie and Carson Washburn teamed up in the men's 400-yard medley relay for a third-place finish with a time of 3:26.61, taking third just behind Puget Sound and Whitworth.
 
Sarah Arpag, Kira Etheredge, Kirsti Keppo and Caley Haydu finished fifth in the final event of the evening, the women's 400-yard medley relay, capturing 28 points to finish the day in fourth as a team. 
 
The 'Cats are back in the pool for sessions three and four tomorrow, looking to continue earning finalists and make ground in the team standings.
 
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