HILLSBORO, Ore. – Following a 2020-21 athletic season and academic year like no other, women’s swimming returns to the Northwest Conference (NWC) beginning Friday, October 29. All nine teams are set to return to the pool in 2021-22 after the official NWC swimming season was canceled last year.
Whitman has been selected as the Northwest Conference frontrunner for the 2021 season, as voted on by conference head coaches. The Blues earned 60 points and five first-place votes. Whitworth ranks second in the poll with 55 points and one first-place vote.
Pacific Lutheran is picked to finish third with 47 points and three first-place votes, while Puget Sound received 46 points to land in the fourth spot on the poll. Linfield earned 42 points to rank fifth followed by George Fox’s 27 points to finish at the sixth spot. Willamette (20 pts.), Lewis & Clark (19 pts.) and Pacific (Ore.) (8 pts) round out the poll.
Pacific (Ore.) will host the NWC Sprint Relays on Friday, October 29 to get conference play off and running.
Below are key returners to watch from each team as well as statistical highlights and NWC accolades from 2019.
KEY RETURNERS/PLAYERS TO WATCH
George Fox
*Allie Bates | FR | Freestyle/Breaststroke |
Olivia Gibson | JR | Backstroke/Butterfly/Freestyle | 2019: Earned three Second Team All-NWC honors at the Northwest Conference Championships… Set eight school records in the freestyle, backstroke, and fly strokes… 24.35 (50yd) freestyle at NWC Championships… 52.95 (100yd) freestyle at NWC Championships… 1:57.06 (200yd) freestyle at NWC Championships… 28.36 (50yd, relay leadoff) backstroke at NWC Championships… 58.60 (100yd) backstroke at NWC Championships… 58.16 (100yd) fly at NWC Championships… 2:14.77 (200yd) fly at NWC Championships.
Aspen Monkhouse | SR | Freestyle/Breaststroke/Butterfly | 2019: Named a CSCAA All-American - the first in program history… Qualified for the NCAA National Championships as an individual - event was canceled due to COVID-19… Broke her own school records in the 100 and 50 freestyle events… Set a total of six records in freestyle events, including four relays… Earned two First Team All-NWC honors and one Second Team All-NWC honor at the Northwest Conference championships… 23.34 (50yd) freestyle at NWC Championships… 52.43 (100yd) freestyle at NWC Championships.
Lewis & Clark
Ciara Orness | SR | Breaststroke/Individual Medley | 2019: Named All-NWC Second Team in the 200 Breaststroke at the NWC Championships... Career best in the 200 Freestyle (2:07.52) at Bruin Invitational on Nov. 24… Career best in the 200 Individual Medley (2:18.16) at 2020 NWC Championships on Feb. 14… Career best in the 200 Breaststroke (2:26.35) at 2020 NWC Championships on Feb. 16… Season-best times: 50 Freestyle (27.55) vs George Fox on Nov. 15… 100 Breaststroke (1:08.62) at the 2020 NWC Championships on Feb. 15.
Annabelle Rousseau | JR | Freestyle | 2019: Season-best times: 50 Freestyle (26.32), 200 Freestyle (2:08.23) at the 2020 NWC Championships on Feb. 14-15… 100 Freestyle (57.67) at the Bruin Invitational on Nov. 23.
Kiana Teh | JR | Freestyle | 2019: Season-best times: 50 Freestyle (26.95), 1,000 Freestyle (11:43.60) vs George Fox on Nov. 15… 100 Freestyle (58.37) vs Linfield on Jan. 17… 200 Freestyle (1:59.55), 500 Freestyle (5:28.74), 1,650 Freestyle (19:13.28), 200 Butterfly (2:19.65) at 2020 NWC Championships on Feb. 13-16… 100 Butterfly (1:05.78) at Whitworth on Jan. 24.
Linfield
Molly Shields | SR | Fly/Freestyle | 2019: Letter award winner… Timed 1:53.00 in the 200 medley relay at George Fox, March 20… Sprinted to a time of 25.26 in the 50 freestyle at George Fox, March 27… Clocked in a time of 59.62 in the 100 butterfly at Geroge Fox, March 27… Raced to a time of 1:45.61 in the 200 freestyle relay at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Season-best time of 1:09.99 in the 100 backstroke against Willamette, March 13.
Claudia Velie | JR | Freestyle/Breaststroke/Individual Medley | 2019: Letter winner… Raced to a time of 1:57.28 in the 200 medley relay at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Clocked in a time of 2:23.79 in the 200 IM at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Timed 1:13.07 in the 100 breaststroke at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Swam a time of 1:06.95 in the 100 backstroke against Willamette, March 13… Season-best time of 58.08 in the 100 freestyle against Willamette, March 13… Clocked in a time of 2:35.60 in the 200 breaststroke at George Fox, March 20… Raced to a time of 2:03.68 in the 200 freestyle at George Fox, March 20.
Kate Walkup | JR | Fly/Individual Medley/Distance Freestyle | 2019: Letter award winner… Named NWC Student-Athlete of the Week, March 30… Recorded a time of 2:05.18 in the 200 freestyle at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Timed 1:04.55 in the 100 backstroke at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Swam a time of 5:35.68 in the 500 freestyle at Lewis & Clark, March 6… Season-best time of 2:03.75 in the 200 medley relay against Willamette, March 13… Clocked in a time of 2:10.64 in the 200 butterfly at George Fox, March 20… Timed 18:39.42 in the 1,650 freestyle at Pacific, March 27… Recorded a time of 2:12.35 in the 200 backstroke at Pacific, March 27.
Pacific (Ore.)
Julie Abrigonde | JR | Freestyle/Backstroke/Breaststroke/Butterfly/Individual Medley | 2019: Broke the Pacific school record in the 100-yard backstroke at the 2020 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships and placed 10th overall in the conference… Placed 1st in the 400 IM in the dual meets against Linfield & Pacific Lutheran… Placed 1st in the 100 backstroke in the dual meets against Linfield & University of Puget Sound… Placed 1st in the 200 freestyle and 200 butterfly in the dual meet against Willamette… Placed 1st in the 200 IM and 200 breaststroke in the dual meet Lewis & Clark… Broke the Pacific school record in the 100-yard IM at the 2020 Northwest Sprint Pentathlon.
Julia Crumb | SR | Freestyle/Breaststroke/Butterfly/Individual Medley 2019: Placed 20th overall in the 1650 freestyle at the 2020 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships… Placed 2nd in the 1650 freestyle in the dual meet against Pacific Lutheran… Placed 2nd in the 200 breaststroke in the dual meet against Willamette… Placed 2nd in the 500 freestyle in the dual meet against Linfield… Placed 17th overall in the 100 butterfly & 200 breaststroke at the 2019 Bruin Invitational… Placed 16th overall in the 500 freestyle at the 2019 Bruin Invitational… Placed 3rd in the 1000 freestyle & 200 butterfly in the dual meet against Lewis & Clark.
Phoebe Pratt | JR | Freestyle/Breaststroke/Individual Medley | 2019: Placed 23rd overall in the 200 breaststroke in the 2020 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships… Placed 4th in the 200 freestyle in the dual meet against George Fox… Placed 3rd in the 100 breaststroke in the dual meet against Pacific Lutheran… Placed 2nd in the 100 freestyle in the dual meet against Willamette… Placed 3rd in the 100 freestyle in the dual meet against Linfield… Placed 19th overall in the 200 breaststroke & 24th in the 500 freestyle at the 2019 Bruin Invitational.
Pacific Lutheran
Claire Cranch | JR | Breaststroke/Individual Medley | 2019: Competed in NWC Championships in the 200 IM, 400 IM, and 200 fly. Received First Team All-Conference honors and finished 2nd in the 200 IM (2:08.66), 400 IM (4:30.94) and 3rd in the 200 fly (2:08.97). Received NWC 2019-20 Freshman of the Year award.
Bailey Hamilton | SR | Freestyle/Fly | 2019: Competed in NWC Championships in the 50 free, 100 fly, and 100 free, and the 200 medley, 400 medley, 200 free, and 400 free relay. Received First Team All-NWC honors with a 1st-place finish in the 100
Jenna Muller | SR | Freestyle/Backstroke | 2019: Competed in the NWC Championships in the 500 free, 200 IM, and 200 free, and the 800 free relay. Received First Team All-NWC honors with a 2nd-place finsih in the 500 free (5:07.63), and Second Team All-NWC honors with an 8th place in the 200 IM (2:14.13) and 4th place in the 200 free (1:58.60).
Puget Sound
Izzy Hendryx | JR | Backstroke/Freestyle | 2019: During the first home meet in Wallace Pool, Hendryx placed fourth in the 300-backstroke relay with a time of 3:04.73 (Oct. 12)... Hendryx placed first in the 500-freestyle relay with a time of 4:48.15 during the NCW Relays held in Spokane (Oct. 26)... Hendryx won the 50-freestyle (26.09) and the 400-medley relay (26.09) during the NW Conference meet at Lewis & Clark (Nov. 2)... Hendryxwon the 200-medley relay (1:51.51) and the 200-freestyle (2:02.09) during the Northwest Conference against Pacific (Nov. 16)... Hendryx finished first in the 200-medley relay (1:53.00), and second in the 200-freestyle relay (1:41.90) during the meet against NCAA D-1 Seattle University (Nov. 23)... During theLogger invitational in Wallace Pool Hendryx placed second in the 50-backstroke (27.72), and second in the 200-backstroke (2:08.21) (Dec. 8)... During the events against Whitman in Wallace Pool Hendryx won the 400-medley relay with a time of 4:06.16 (Jan. 18)... Hendryx placed first in the 50-freestyle with a time of 26.54 during the meet at George Fox (Jan. 25)... During the Senior Day meet in Wallace Pool Hendryx won second place in the 200-medley relay (Feb. 1)... During the four days of the Northwest Conference Championships Hendryx earned All NWC First Team in the 200-backstroke, as well as All NWC Second Team in the 200-medley relay, 400-medley relay (Feb. 16)...
*Annie Sullivan | JR | Freestyle
*Anna Van Boven | SR | Backstroke/Freestyle
Whitman
Ashley Joe | SR | Freestyle/Backstroke | 2019: First Team All-NWC… NWC Championships: 50 free (24.66), 100 free (53.62) 100 back (59.16)… Top Times: 50 free (24.66), 100 free (53.62) 100 back (59.16) 200 free (2:02.64) 200 back (2:13.75).
Shea Tsuha | JR | Freestyle/Breaststroke/Fly | 2019: First Team All-NWC… NWC Championships: 50 free (24.33) 100 breast (1:05.49) 200 breast (2:24.91)… Top Times: 50 free (24.33) 100 breast (1:05.49) 200 breast (2:24.91) 100 free (54.70).
Bella White | SO | Freestyle/Fly/Individual Medley | 2019: First Team All-NWC… NWC Championships: 200 fly (2:05.91), 200 IM (2:08.78), 400 IM (4:33.65)… Top Times: 50 free (27.26) 100 free (58.29) 500 free (5:38.86) 100 fly (1:01.50) 200 fly (2:05.91), 200 IM (2:08.78), 400 IM (4:33.65).
Whitworth
Carly Hoff | JR | Freestyle/Butterfly | NWC Championships: 50 free (24.57), 100 free (53.36), 200 free (1:56.88).
Ashtyn Peterson | JR | Breaststroke | NWC Championships: 100 breast (1:08.83), 200 breast (2:30.01), 200 IM (2:19.84).
*Ryann Reid | FR | Freestyle/Butterfly |
Willamette
*Katherine Cory | SO | Breaststroke/Individual Medley |
*Tatum Good | FY | Backstroke/Individual Medley |
Min Wei | SR | Breaststroke/Butterfly | 2019: Swam on Willamette's 200-yard medley relay team that set the school record at 1:49.24 during the 2019 NWC Championships... Career-best times of 1:08.71 in the 100 breaststroke, 2:39:04 in the 200 breaststroke, 1:02.35 in the 100 butterfly, and 2:29.84 in the 200 butterfly.
(Points awarded on an 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis. Coaches could not vote for their own teams; numbers in parentheses indicate first place votes)
| Team |
Pts. |
2019 NWC Finish |
| Whitman (5) |
60 |
1st |
| Whitworth (1) |
55 |
2nd |
| Pacific Lutheran (3) |
47 |
3rd |
| Puget Sound |
46 |
4th |
| Linfield |
42 |
5th |
| George Fox |
27 |
6th |
| Willamette |
20 |
8th |
| Lewis & Clark |
19 |
7th |
| Pacific (Ore.) |
8 |
9th |
For the complete 2021 NWC volleyball schedule, click
here.
*Newcomer to the NWC. Did not compete in 2019.