Boise, Idaho– The Whitworth Pirates men and women have officially clinched the 2026 Northwest Conference Championship title after 3 days of competition. Day three of the 2026 NWC Swimming Championships concluded with the traditional jump in the pool from the team champions and a celebration honoring all NWC’s graduating seniors.
The Northwest Conference also recognized coaches and student-athletes in end of the year awards. Earning Swimming Coach of the Year for the women’s side was Natalie Turner of George Fox, helping to earn her women’s side several individual championship titles. Whitworth’s coach Steve Schadt earned Swimming Coach of the Year on the men’s side– awarded for their team’s championship finish.
The 2026 Swimming Rookie of the Year for the men was claimed by Puget Sound Freshman Anderson Bennett, who racked up a total of 50 points during the championship weekend. On the women’s side, two top Freshman swimmers were awarded Co-Rookie of the Year & Co-Swimmers of the year– Paige Dangleis of Whitworth and Gabbie Patti of George Fox who both contributed 60 points for their teams. Sophomore Avery Riley of Whitman women’s squad also put up 60 points on the weekend, earning her Co-Swimmer of the Year alongside Dangleis and Patti. Last but not least, the men’s 2026 Swimmer of the Year was awarded to Junior Austin Elwyn (60 points) of Whitworth, who helped the Pirates claim 1st place in the team standings.
The final women’s team scores lined up with the Whitworth Pirates on top (709), followed by Puget Sound (477), Pacific Lutheran (410), Whitman (386), George Fox (381), Linfield (363), Willamette (239), Lewis & Clark (217) and Pacific (103). The Whitworth men claimed the team victory with a total of 875 points, followed by Puget Sound (509.5), Linfield (394.5), Whitman (392.5), Pacific Lutheran (287.5), Lewis & Clark (282), Willamette (238), and George Fox (216).
The evening finals opened with the longest race of the weekend– defending champion Kirsti Keppo of Linfield claimed victory with a time of 17:52.11. On the men’s side, Jake Sachtjen of Whitworth outswam the competition with a final time of 16:01.08 to claim the gold and defend his 2025 title.
In the women’s 200 backstroke, George Fox’s Gabbie Patti swam a time of 2:01.83 to seize the top spot, followed by Pacific Lutheran’s Emma Gassman (2:08.96). Whitworth’s Austin Elwyn claimed the gold medal and defended his championship title, swimming a time of 1:50.81.
Whitworth freshman Paige Dangleis made a splash in the women’s 100 free and claimed her gold medal spot swimming at time of 52.44. Men’s defending 2025 champion Ezra Billings of Lewis & Clark swam another speedy time of 44.89 to claim victory in the 100 freestyle.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Freshman Molly Konop outswam the competition with a time of 2:19.26 to claim another gold for the Whitworth women. In an exciting finish, Willamette’s Trai Xiong championed the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:02.09, while Alex Popov finished close behind with a time of 2:02.52.
Sophomore Avery Riley took home the gold in the women’s 200 fly with a time of 2:07.23, making her a back-to-back champion in the event. On the men’s side, Henry Brewster outswam the competition in the 200 fly, defending his championship title finishing with a time of 1:50.96.
Wrapping up the championships with a thrilling set of 400 free relays, the Whitworth men’s squad of Nathanael Van Liew, Austin Elwyn, Mason Groth, and Parker Dangleis grabbed the top spot with a time of 3:02.18. The women’s quartet of Paige Dangleis, Makhaela Parris, Grace Esteban, and Megan Bonikowsky posted a time of 3:32.03 to take home gold for the Whitworth Pirates.