Swimming Closes Out NW Collegiate Invite

11/24/2024 9:55:00 PM

BOISE, Idaho - The Whitman College swimming teams took to the pool for the third and final day of the NW Collegiate Invitational and, as was the case the previous two days, showcased a total team effort en route to a solid showing and a second-place finish for the men's team and third out of six teams for the women's squad.

"Overall, I was thrilled with our team's performance," reflected coach Jenn Blomme on the weekend. "It was a change for our team to attend a midseason meet in late November versus early December. And it turns out we were more than ready. The time drops we saw this weekend were remarkable. We were hoping for primarily season best times, which we saw, but we even had a bunch of swimmers posting lifetime best times. With a tough few weeks of training behind us and really not very much rest going into this meet, it's really impressive. It bodes very well for the next phase of the season."

The men's side saw impressive outings by both John Leeds and Keenan Tiddle who both qualified and competed in a pair of A-finals races. Tiddle placed fifth (47.55) in the 100 free and Leeds did the same in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:13.04. Both later teamed up with Brodie Salzbrener and Ian McClelland for a fifth place finish in the 400 free relay (3:14.16).

Keenan Riggs Turpin may have had the most impressive race for either side, swimming to a bronze finish in the 200 butterfly (1:55.33).

Josephine Piel and Shaye Agnew had similar contributions on the women's side as both also qualified and competed in a pair of A-finals races. Agnew finished sixth in the 100 freestyle (53.74) and Piel placed seventh in the 200 breaststroke (2:24.81).

Later, the two joined teammates Anneliese Hanson and Cassidy Monroe for the 400 free relay where they placed fourth with a race time of 3:38.68.

"I was excited about it all along," added Blomme on her decision to close the fall portion of her season by Thanksgiving. "In addition to being confident we would be ready athletically, it is just so much better for our swimmers as student-athletes. This way, when we return from Thanksgiving break, we will be able to focus on academic priorities and training, with less pressure on competition and travel."

The Blues will have December off and return to competition and Northwest Conference dual meet action on January 17 against Pacific. Start time at Harvey Pool is set for 6:00 p.m.

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