February 8
Men
Aaron Vaccaro
Whitworth, Freshman
Placerville, Calif./El Dorado
Vaccaro broke his own school record in the 100 butterfly by .8 of a second with a time of 50.24. He also posted a season-best in the 50 free in 21.33 and swam the butterfly on the winning 200 medley relay team.
Honorable Mention –
Derek Frenzel (Puget Sound, Fr. – Moscow, Idaho)
Jamie Nusse (Whitman, Jr. – Palo Alto, Calif./Henry Gunn HS)
Dylan Cramer (Pacific, So. – Caldwell, Idaho/Caldwell)
Shuichi Matsumoto (Lewis & Clark, So. – Montebello, Calif./Montebello)
Lee Rivers (Linfield, Fr. – Renton, Wash./O’Dea HS)
Alex Limoges (Pacific Lutheran, Sr. – Vancouver, Wash./Hudson’s Bay HS)
Women
Melissa Ballinger
Whitworth, Sophomore
Conrad, Mont./Conrad
Ballinger won both breaststroke events in season-best times, in 1:08.20 in the 100 and 2:32.23 in the 200. Her 100 time is second-best in the NWC this season. She also swam the breaststroke leg on the winning medley relay.
Honorable Mention –
Mackenzie Kitson (Puget Sound, Jr. – Durango, Colo./Durango HS)
Katie Chapman (Whitman, So. – Redmond, Wash./Inglemoor HS)
Jessie Klauder (Pacific Lutheran, Sr. – Klamath Falls, Ore./Mazama HS)
Kayla Ernewein (Lewis & Clark, Fr. – Warrensburg, Mo./Warrensburg)
Lauren Ballinger (Willamette, So. – Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee HS)
Megan Sandall (Linfield, So. – Bellevue, Wash./Kentridge)
February 1
Men
Michael Hargitt
Pacific, Freshman
Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS
In two dual meets over the weekend, Hargitt landed victories in four individual events and two second-place finishes. On Friday, he won the 100 butterfly (56.70), the 100 backstroke (59.96), and came in second in the 100 freestyle (51.21). On Saturday, he won the 200 IM in 2:02.77 and 200 breaststroke in 2:19.22, and finished second in the 200 butterfly in 2:08.13.
Honorable Mention –
Lee Rivers (Linfield, Fr. – Renton, Wash./O’Dea HS)
Ian McGahan (Willamette, So. – Tacoma, Wash./Stadium HS)
Aaron Vaccaro (Whitworth, Fr. – Placerville, Calif./El Dorado)
Women
Lauren Ballinger
Willamette, Sophomore
Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee HS
Ballinger won three individual races during Willamette’s two meets. She set a personal record in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:01.84 against L&C on Saturday to win by 0.14. On Friday at Pacific, she won the 100-yard freestyle in 56.88 (won by 2.2 seconds) and the 200-yard freestyle in 2:02.21 (won by 0.57).
Honorable Mention –
Megan Sandall (Linfield, So. – Bellevue, Wash./Kentridge)
Laura Ross (Pacific, Fr. – Eugene, Ore./South Eugene)
Kate Duvall (Whitworth, Fr. – Vancouver, Wash./Hudson’s Bay)
January 25
Men
Kalen Darling
Whitworth, Senior
Honolulu, Hawaii/Univ. of Hawaii
Darling led Whitworth road dual meet victories at Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran by winning all four of his individual events. He also led off the winning medley relay at UPS. Whitworth’s men have won 77 NWC dual meets in a row.
Honorable Mention –
Michael Hargitt (Pacific, Fr. – Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City)
Paul Chang (Whitman, So. – Carson City, Nev./Carson City HS)
Shuichi Matsumoto (Lewis & Clark, So. – Montebello, Calif./Montebello)
Miles Phillips (Linfield, So. – Richland, Wash./O’Dea)
Alex Limoges (Pacific Lutheran, sr. – Vancouver, Wash./Hudson’s Bay HS)
Women
Jennifer Benson
Whitworth, Junior
Phoenix, Ariz./Scottsdale, Christian Acad.
Benson was the only Pirate woman to win four individual events as the Pirates swept Puget Sound and PLU. She was also the anchor leg on two winning relays. Whitworth’s women extended their NWC dual meet winning streak to 34 in a row.
Honorable Mention –
Charlotte Graham (Whitman, So. – Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island)
Rachael Cazden (Lewis & Clark, So. – Boulder, Colo./Fairview)
Laura Ross (Pacific, Fr. – Eugene, Ore./South Eugene)
Casey Jackson (Pacific Lutheran, sr. – Seattle, Wash./Kennedy HS)
January 18
Men
Rory Buck
Whitworth, Junior
Dubai, U.A.E./St. Andrews School (Malawi)
Buck won all of his individual and relay events in meets at Willamette and Linfield. At Willamette, he won the 100 breaststroke in 56.71 and helped the Pirates win the 200 medley relay in 1:36.33 and the 200 freestyle relay in 1:26.56. At Linfield, he took first in the 200 breaststroke in 2:07.68 and was part of the winning 400 medley relay in 3:32.75 and 400 free relay in 3:15.76.
Honorable Mention –
Jamie Nusse (Whitman, Sr. – Palo Alto, Calif./Henry Gunn HS)
Kevin Jones (Pacific Lutheran, Fr. – Aiea, Hawaii/Iolani HS)
Jack Zaharchuk (Puget Sound, Sr. – Portland, Ore./Cleveland)
Chris Whitehead (Willamette, Fr. – Sherwood, Ore./Sherwood HS)
Women
Rachael Cazden
Lewis & Clark, Sophomore
Boulder, Colo./Fairview
Cazden led the Pioneers with first-place finishes in the 50 freestyle (24.19), 50 backstroke (27.79), 100 backstroke (58.36), and in the 200 medley relay in 1:51.89 at Occidental/Westminster. At the Pacific Lutheran dual meet, she also took first in the 50 free (25.30), 100 free (54.93), and in the 400 free relay (3:41.32). The very next day at Puget Sound, Cazden again won the 50 and 100 freestyle events in 28.28 and 1:01.14, and then helped the 400 free relay team win in 4:14.60.
Honorable Mention –
Jennifer Benson (Whitworth, Jr. – Phoenix, Ariz./Scottsdale Christian Academy)
Caitlin Fuller (Puget Sound, Fr. – Sherman Oaks, Calif.)
Helen Jenne (Whitman, So. – Shoreline, Wash./Shorewood HS)
Lauren Ballinger (Willamette, So. – Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee HS)
December 7
Men
Rory Buck
Whitworth, Junior
Dubai, U.A.E/St. Andrews International School - Malawi
Buck won both breaststroke events at the husky Invitational, earning automatic NCAA qualifying marks in both events. Both of his times lead the nation at the NCAA DIII level. He was also part of five relays that finished in second place, behind only NCAA DII Grand Canyon.
Honorable Mention –
Rory Buck (Whitworth, Jr. – Dubai, U.A.E./St. Andrews International School – Malawi)
Derek Frenzel (Puget Sound, Fr. – Moscow, Idaho)
Alex Limoges (Pacific Lutheran, Sr. – Vancouver, Wash./Hudson’s Bay HS)
Women
Abby Pavelko
Whitworth, Sophomore
Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Central
Pavelko won the 1,650 freestyle with an NCAA provisional qualifying time. She was the only NWC woman to win an individual event at the Husky Invite.
Honorable Mention –
Rachael Cazden (Lewis & Clark, So. – Boulder, Colo./Fairview)
Tracy Wormwood (Puget Sound, So. – Elk River, Minn./Elk River HS)
Jessie Klauder (Pacific Lutheran, Sr. – Klamath Falls, Ore./Klamath Falls HS)
November 23
Men
Michael Hargitt
Pacific, Freshman
Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS
Hargitt was named the Outstanding Swimmer at the Northwest Invitational for his first place finish in the 200 IM with a time of 2:02.30, the 400 IM in 4:21.54, the 200 breaststroke in 2:16.85, and for his part in the third place 400 medley relay and fourth place 200 medley relay.
Honorable Mention –
Jamie Nusse (Whitman, Sr. – Palo Alto, Calif./Henry Gunn HS)
Derek Frenzel (Puget Sound, Fr. – Moscow, Idaho)
Women
Allison Clark
Pacific, Sophomore
Keizer, Ore./McNary HS
At the Northwest Invitational, Clark was named the Outstanding Swimmer for placing first in the 200 IM in 2:16.05, the 400 IM in 4:47.69, and second in the 200 breaststroke in 2:31.99. She also swam in the third place 800 freestyle relay, the fourth place 400 medley relay, and the fourth place 400 freestyle relay.
Honorable Mention –
Lauren Flynn (Whitman, Sr. – Bellingham, Wash./Sehome HS)
Tracy Wormwood (Puget Sound, So. – Elk River, Minn./Elk River HS)
November 16
Men
Aaron Vaccaro
Whitworth, Freshman
Placerville, Calif.
Vaccaro won all four of his individual events over the weekend. His time in the 50 free is within a half second of Whitworth’s school record and his 100 fly time is less than a second off the Pirate school record. He also swam the butterfly leg on both winning medley relays against Pacific and Lewis & Clark.
Honorable Mention –
Jamie Nusse (Whitman, Sr. – Palo Alto, Calif./Henry Gunn JS)
Adam Ganz (Puget Sound, Jr. – Cleveland, Ohio/Beachwood HS)
Chase Mesford (Pacific Lutheran, So. – Longview, Wash./Mark Morris HS)
Michael Hargitt (Pacific, Fr. – Oregon City, Ore./Oregon City HS)
Women
Abby Pavelko
Whitworth, Sophomore
Wixom, Mich./Walled Lake Central
Pavelko led Whitworth to a pair of dual meet victories. She was the only Pirate woman to win all four of her individual events over the weekend.
Honorable Mention –
Rachael Cazden (Lewis & Clark, So. – Boulder, Colo./Fairview)
Maggie O’Rourke (Puget Sound, Fr. – Los Angeles, Calif.)
Keller Hawkins (Whitman, Fr. – Nashville, Tenn./Hillsboro)
Alex Bing (Pacific, Fr. – Roseburg, Ore./Roseburg)
Kina Ackerman (Pacific Lutheran, Fr. – Lynnwood, Wash./Meadowdale HS)
Lauren Ballinger (Willamette, So. – Wenatchee, Wash./Wenatchee HS)