Whitworth has been selected as the preseason favorite to win its third consecutive Northwest Conference (NWC) Women’s Swimming Championship, according to the conference’s preseason coaches’ poll.
The Pirates received eight first-place votes and 64 points to lead the nine-team poll. Whitworth captured its second straight conference title in 2026, finishing with 709 points and a 232-point margin over runner-up Puget Sound.
Puget Sound earned one first-place vote and 55 points to rank second in the preseason poll. Pacific Lutheran followed in third with 44 points, while Whitman (47 points) and George Fox (33 points) rounded out the top five. Linfield (31 points), Willamette (24 points), Lewis & Clark (18 points) and Pacific (8 points) completed the rankings.
Whitworth returns to the pool looking to extend its championship streak, while the conference’s other programs aim to challenge the Pirates for the title. At the 2026 championship, Whitworth’s Paige Dangleis, Whitman’s Avery Riley and George Fox’s Gabbie Patti shared NWC Women’s Swimmer of the Year honors.
The 2027 NWC Swimming Championships are scheduled for February 10-14 at the Idaho Central Aquatic Center in Boise, Idaho.
The preseason poll was voted on by NWC head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own institutions.
2026-27 NWC Women’s Swimming Preseason Coaches’ Poll
| Rank |
Institution |
Points |
| 1 |
Whitworth (8) |
64 |
| 2 |
Puget Sound (1) |
55 |
| 3 |
Whitman |
47 |
| 4 |
Pacific Lutheran |
44 |
| 5 |
George Fox |
33 |
| 6 |
Linfield |
31 |
| 7 |
Willamette |
24 |
| 8 |
Lewis & Clark |
18 |
| 9 |
Pacific |
8 |
First-place votes are indicated in parentheses.