Walla Walla to Tacoma is a long trip for one day but we made it there and back and had a good meet in the middle. It was great to see all the parents, siblings and friends who showed up. I think we might have had more fans than the UPS swimmers! Lauren Flynn was solid again in all of her races, consistently putting up good times and a lot of heart. Jamie Nusse touched out two swimmers to win the 200 free in an exciting race and helped the men's 400 free relay rally to win the final event. Our two distance freshmen, Linnea Scott and Chris Bendix performed well(with their parents watching) and had great wins in the 1500. Both had good swims despite the mental challenge of the extra 6 feet on every length. As usual, they just got stronger as the race
got longer!College of Idaho, a non-conference team came to Walla Walla for our last home meet of the season and the last dual meet of our 6 seniors careers. The meet was a double win and an all-around great way to end the dual season. Ysbrand Nusse, Courtney Fitzpatrick, Noel Sollom-Brotherton, and Max Hennings are all 4-year members of the swim team and their presence will definitely be missed next year. It's great to see how their leadership and maturity have developed over their swimming careers at Whitman and the positive impact they have on their teammates. Vanessa Johnson, a transfer, has become an integral part of the team after only one season and her enthusiasm will certainly be missed as well. Chance Gray, currently our team manager, has stayed dedicated to and involved with the swim team despite injuries that prevented him from swimming. His experience and contributions outside the pool are very appreciated.
With everyone excited about taper and Conference it can be hard to stay focused during the last few dual meets after we get back from Claremont but everyone pulled out a lot of moxie this weekend. Kevin McCoy, Jeff Sterrit, and Sam Couey all had season or lifetime bests. George Stanton swam another great breaststroke race from the outside lane and Monica Boshart continued to chip away at her
breaststroke time with a win for the women. Katie Tackman had a breakthrough swim in the 500 and Chelsea Klinger finally got some good races together after struggling with injuries earlier in the season. She had a very solid race in the 1650 and a season best by 2 seconds in the 100 Back. For most of the team, this dual meet was a great confidence builder for Conference and a fantastic end to our dual meet season!
