Swimming Splits In Season Opener At Pacific Lutheran

10/30/2026 10:28:00 PM

TACOMA, Wash. — The Whitman College men's and women's swimming teams opened the 2026-27 at Pacific Lutheran on Friday at the PLU Swimming Pool. The men's squad won 92-87 while the Whitman women's team fell to the Lutes 106-67.

Nolan Pollestad led the Blues with two individual wins. He won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:46.78, beating Pacific Lutheran's Cal McColley by 0.71 seconds. He also won the 100 freestyle in 48.73, just ahead of McColley (49.09) and Garrett Breton (49.14).

Whitman went 1-2-3 in the 200 butterfly. Keenan Riggs-Turpin won in 2:06.69, Levi Ritter was second in 2:13.62 and Sam Hanna was third in 2:28.74. The sweep gave the Blues 16 points.

Calvin Tappert won the 500 freestyle in 5:13.26 and Ian Friedrich was second in 5:23.37, giving Whitman a 1-2 finish. Adrian Dulong added a third-place finish in the 200 freestyle at 1:48.70.

Finn Stukerjurgen was second in the 200 backstroke in 2:01.33 and third in the 200 individual medley in 2:04.42. Kyle Milburn finished second in the 200 breaststroke in 2:23.01, with Ethan Templeton-Palmer third in 2:26.80. Tyson Scott took second in the 50 freestyle in 22.48.

Whitman led 86-76 going into the final event and had already locked up the win. Pacific Lutheran then won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:15.67. Whitman's A relay of Elliot Yung, Flynn Davis Lawrence, Pollestad and Scott finished second in 3:18.53.

Vyron Domingo led the Lutes with wins in the 200 IM (2:00.04) and 200 backstroke (1:59.88). Pacific Lutheran also won both relays.

In the women's competition, Meital Hailpern won the 200 butterfly in 2:22.80, beating Pacific Lutheran's Hannah Kahele by more than 11 seconds. Molly FitzGibbon was third in 2:50.41.

Jules Rupp won the 200 backstroke in 2:21.96, and Molly Babbitt was second in 2:28.31. Babbitt was also second in the 200 IM in 2:27.13.

The Blues barely missed a relay win in the final event. The A team of Teague Monahan, Jordan Lloyd, Elise Kendall and Rupp finished the 400 freestyle relay in 3:54.72, 0.27 seconds behind Pacific Lutheran. Rupp swam the fastest split of the race, 56.85, on the anchor leg.

Monahan was second in the 100 freestyle in 57.84. Lloyd (27.19) and Kendall (27.23) finished third and fourth in the 50 freestyle. Kate Newsome was third in the 200 freestyle in 2:18.58, and FitzGibbon was third in the 500 freestyle in 6:25.45.

Kei Nishikawa won the 200 freestyle (2:07.23) and 500 freestyle (5:40.32) for Pacific Lutheran. Kiki McDowell won the 200 IM (2:19.24) and 100 freestyle (57.13). Harper Canessa won the 200 breaststroke in 2:34.70.
T
he Blues conclude their opening weekend with a Saturday competition at Puget Sound.

#GoWhitman

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