Whitman Men and Women Place 2nd at the Northwest Invite!

This past weekend was full of success for the Whitman swimmers!  We braved the foul weather to travel to Linfield and join seven others schools at the Northwest Invite.   With the help of fabulous swims from multiple swimmers, both the men's and women's teams placed second overall (this is the highest the Whitman men have ever placed at this meet).  

Some exceptional swims to note came from Erin Pettersen winning the 100 Fly and 200 Fly as well as being a part of Whitman's first place finish in the 200 Medley Relay with Claire Noone, Nancy Alexander, and Lauren Flynn.  Nick Wood and Chad Trexler placed first and second in the men's 200 Breaststroke and Clint Collier stood atop the podium for the 100 Breast, with Nick beside him in 2nd place.  The men's 400 Medley Relay team of Noel Sollom-Brotherton, Clint Collier, Eric Molnar, and Jamie Nusse placed first as well.

For more information, check out the swimming schedule/results page at www.whitman.edu/athletics/fullsched.cgi?swimming-mw.  

The Hour of Power

Mara Abbott, Kevin McCoy, and Chad Trexler all await their relay exchange while team members cheer them on...



On Tuesday, November 6th, Whitman Swimming joined over 45 other NCAA Division III swim teams to raise awareness for sarcoma, and honor the memory of former Carleton swimmer, Ted Mullin, who died of synovial cell sarcoma in 2006.

Sarcoma
Sarcoma is a rare type of cancer that attacks the musculoskeletal system. Over 55% of the new cases of sarcoma each year are being reported in the 15-19 year old population. Much research is needed to combat sarcoma, as current treatments have a relatively low success rate.

History of the Hour of Power
In 2006, the Carleton Swim Team captains decided to host a swim-a-thon to try to raise money for research in sarcoma and honor their teammate Ted. The event has taken off, with swim teams all over the country joining the efforts. The event itself is a full team effort all-out sprint relay. There are two rules: 1) every swimmer must swim all-out (a 50 at a time), and 2) all the relays must remain even with one another, or at least on the same 50 lap (swimmers may change strokes or even swap relay team members to accomplish this). And all the teams did the same workout on Tuesday afternoon - creating a tremendous sense of community!

In addition to a terrific sprint workout, it was a lot of fun for Whitman to be involved. We invited members of campus to come watch, giving them yellow ribbons (the color to honor sarcoma). We had a nice turnout and hope to continue to participate in this great event in the future!

Competition Season off to a Great Start

This weekend marked a great start for our first dual meets of the season. Women are currently undefeated, having won both the Linfield and Pacific meets. Men lost a close one to Linfield on Friday night, but split the weekend by easily taking the Pacific meet. Although it was the only loss of the season, the men's meet against Linfield was probably also the most exciting contest of the weekend, and the one we're most proud of. Linfield's men have been a rising force in the conference over the last several years, and last year nearly toppled powerhouse Whitworth College. To come within 10 points of beating Linfield was a real sign of our men's team's potential this year. Kudos especially to Jamie Nusse, the first year swimmer who beat Linfield's Kevin Caple in the 200 Free. Caple, a standout in the conference, was one of the Men's high point winners at last year's Northwest Conference Championships. Another highlight for our men was the decisive 1-2-3-4 victory in the 200 Breaststroke. All four of Whitman's swimmers, Clint Collier, Nick Wood, Eric Molnar, and Chad Trexler, finished ahead of Linfield's top breaststroker in the event. This brought the score within 1 point prior to the final relay. It was an awesome moment!

Last weekend the Northwest Conference opened competition at the NWC Sprint Pentathlon and Relays, hosted at Whitman's beautiful Harvey Pool. At the Sprint Pentathlon, each swimmers competes in a 50 of all 4 strokes and a 100 IM. A cumulative time is achieved to create a ranking. At the Relay Meet a series of relays are swum, some traditional, but mostly non-traditional relays (like the 3 x 100 IM or the 3 x 300 FR). The traditional relays are swum in combined form, with two women and two men competing in the 200 Medley, 200 Free, and 400 Free Relays. It was a lot of fun to start of the season this way.

More complete results for all of our meets can be found at our website: http://www.whitman.edu/athletics/sport_pages/swimming-mw.html.

Alumni Meet Shenanigans

At the annual Alumni Meet, returning alumni took on the current Whitman swimmers. To compensate for the training and youth of the 07-08 team, the alumni resorted to a variety of creative strategies, including swimming with fins and swimming relay style!

A few legitimate races did take place, among them, the long contested Men's 50 Freestyle. Tucker Jackson, '01, who still holds the school record in both the 50 and 100 Freestyles, has yet not lost this event at an alumni meet yet. With the growth of this year's men's team, Tucker had his work cut out for him, but managed to prevail yet again!

Another addition to the day was the second year of a new tradition born last year. This is a special introduction of the first year swimmers that culminates in a short "performance" before the meet. Pictured above is their skit, in which two competing "gangs" of swimmers have a dance off. And below is a photo of the awe-struck swimmers and alums. Amazingly, no one fell in the pool!


Thanks to all the alums who came back to help us start off the season: Kathy Farrell '95 , Jamie Kennedy '96, Cindy Jo Allen '99, Tucker Jackson '01, Rob Bechtloff '01, Audrey Gardiner '02, Danielle McClenahan '03, Katherine Leitzell '02, Kristyn Vytlacil '05, Keith Jarrett '05, Erin Phillips '07, Erica Sorensen '07, Robert Street '07, and Ned Morris (honorary alumni).

Don't Miss the Alumni Meet October 20th!

Our Annual Alumni Meet will occur on Saturday, October 20th. In conjunction with Family Weekend, Saturday is a great time for the current team, returning alums, and family members all to share swimming stories and Whitman experiences. The meet starts at 10am, and returning alums will take on the current team (although alumni are granted certain privileges that only come with graduations). Afterwards, the team will host a luncheon for alums, swimmers, and any family members in attendance. We hope you'll be there!

The Team

Last year's team before the Athletic Banquet in May


After a week of tryouts, the 2007-08 team was set. We are all excited to have a big group this year! Joining our returning team are 17 new swimmers from as far and wide as Alaska and Virginia, and as near as Walla Walla. Capably leading this team are captains Ysbrand Nusse, Clint Collier, Erin Pettersen, and Nancy Alexander.

Whitman’s Annual Fall Triathlon

On September 22, we held our annual Fall Triathlon. This fundraiser is a sprint triathlon consisting of a 500 yard swim (in Harvey Pool), 10 mile bike, and 5k run. It is a great event for triathlon pros and beginners alike. After taking a year off from hosting the event due to construction on our bike course, we were excited to host the event again! All proceeds benefit the team's annual winter training trip to Southern California.

Meet our assistant coaches!

This year, Whitman Swimming is excited to have three great assistant coaches!

Jamie Kennedy (’96), a swimming alum and now Whitman's Director of Planned Giving, will be re-joining us on deck this season. He is the proud father of Mary (3) and husband to Becky (’96).

Ned Morris, the winemaker at Walla Walla winery a'Maurice Cellars and water polo aficionado, is going to be joining us for one afternoon a week and possibly more once wine making season settles down. Check out the fruits of his day job at amaurice.com.

Katharine Curles (’07), a former Missionary swimmer, will be joining us for morning practices, some afternoons, and will be assisting with the behind the scenes details.

We are also lucky to have the support of two certified athletic trainers, Juli Dunn and Brooke Kennedy. The support of strength and conditioning intern Alyssa Latham will also help us meet our goals this season!

Interested in learning about our program? Come visit!

Are you a prospective student who is interested in swimming for Whitman? Contact head coach, Jenn Blomme to schedule a visit. At this visit, you can:
- Observe practice
- Visit a class
- Stay overnight with a swimmer
- Tour campus
- Meet our coaching staff
- and so much more!

Contact Coach Blomme at blommejb@whitman.edu.

Whitman Swimming gives back to the community!

Whitman swimmers are busy this fall helping out with Blue Mountain Heart to Heart’s annual fundraiser, “Dinner for Friends with Friends.” Doing set-up and hospitality during the gala, the team is helping this HIV/AIDS support organization raise funds to care for their clients and provide prevention services and education throughout Walla Walla County.

We are also joining forces with other NCAA Division III schools across the country to raise awareness and funds for Sarcoma through the Hour of Power fundraiser. The Hour of Power began when a former Carleton College swimmer, Ted Mullins, passed away from this rare soft-tissue cancer, synovial cell sarcoma. The Hour of Power is a nation-wide Div.III Swimming and Diving effort to pay tribute to his spirit and his memory as well as to raise funds for research to combat this form of cancer. Stay tuned for details on ours coming up November 6th!