BOISE, Idaho. --- Linfield swimming teams wrapped up the 2026 Northwest Conference Championships on Sunday at the Idaho Central Aquatic Center, the first-time competing at the NWC's newest host site. Senior Kirsti Keppo claimed her second consecutive and third overall women's 1650 freestyle title, while the men's team improved to a third place finish.
 
Sophomore Kai Laitinen opened up Sunday's final session with the men's 1650-yard freestyle, placing fifth with a time of 16:28.34. Keppo followed in the women's final, entering with the second-fastest seed time, and upsetting Whitworth's top see, winning by just under three seconds. It's Keppo's third NWC 1650 freestyle title in her career. She has earned First Team All-NWC honors in the event all four seasons.
 
Sam Postlewait and Logan Mendez represented the men's team in the following 200-yard backstroke, with Postlewait edging out a bronze medal by six-hundredths of a second. Carson Washburn led the team in the men's 100-yard freestyle, placing fifth in the final with a best of 46.27.
 
Freshman Kira Etheredge improved by four seconds in the women's 200-yard breaststroke A final, placing fourth, just missing third by 0.05 seconds. In the freestyle relay's, senior Rocco Velie placed fifth in the men's A final, while senior Sarah Arpag took the bronze medal with a 2:09.91, just falling behind the second place finisher.
 
Both Linfield teams found themselves in tight races to close out the meet, where the men's squad downed Whitman's group by less than one second, the difference between finishing third and fourth in the team standings. Arpag, Etheredge, Caley Haydu and Keppo combined for a fifth-place finish in the final race, just behind the team from George Fox.
 
Overall, the 'Cats earned 16 finalists on the final day of the meet, with strong performances in the B finals by Ruby Bentz, Caley Haydu, Taila Patterson, Jack Sappington, Andrew Seale, Ivan Tontchev and Nathaniel Wilson. 
 
Whitworth swept both team titles once again, cruising to dominant 700+ point wins in each. The Wildcat men's squad just beat out Whitman for third, thanks to clipping the Blues in the final men's relay of the meet. 
 
The Wildcats Northwest Conference season comes to a close, honoring Linfield's nine seniors prior to the final relay: Sarah Arpag, Kirsti Keppo, Andrew Lee, Elijah Ng, Taila Patterson, Andrew Seale, Rocco Velie, Carson Washburn and Cadogan Wheat.
 
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