FEDERAL WAY, Wash. – The Whitworth University men won every event on Friday night at the 2024 Northwest Conference Swimming Championships, hosted by Pacific University at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center, while the Pirate women bounced back well from Thursday's misfortune.

Kai Hayashida and Zachary Washburn each won an individual event and were part of Whitworth's come-from-behind win in the 400-yard medley relay.

The Pirates put three men into the finals of the 500-yard freestyle and freshmen Hayashida and Parker Dangleis finished first and second, respectively.  Hayashida dropped more than five seconds from his morning preliminary to win with a time of 4:38.30.  Dangleis touched second in 4:41.02.  Vincent McNabb finished sixth in 4:47.01. 

Austin Elwyn, another freshman, posted a lifetime best time to win the men's 200-yard individual medley in 1:52.76, dropping 1.8 seconds from his morning preliminary swim.  Mason Groth (1:55.97) was fifth, Brody Faser (1:56.15) was sixth and Alex Popov (1:56.17) was seventh as Whitworth had half of the championship finalists.  In addition, Samuel Draeger won the consolation final with a time of 1:56.56.

Washburn defended his title in the men's 50-yard freestyle with a winning time of 20.14.  He has won the event three years in a row.  Dangleis demonstrated his versatility in the freestyle events by taking fifth (21.11) and Mason Self was seventh (21.21).

Hayahida led off the winning 400 medley relay with the backstroke leg, followed by Alex Popov (breaststroke), Henry Brewster (butterfly) and Washburn (freestyle).  The Pirates were in fifth place after the first two legs, but caught Puget Sound on the final 50 yards to win 3:23.99 – 3:24.14.

The men's team scores through Friday's events are: Whitworth 293, Puget Sound 176, Whitman 173.5, Linfield 141.5, Willamette 119, Pacific Lutheran 95, Lewis & Clark 89, George Fox 86, Pacific (Ore.) 54.

Whitworth's women suffered a blow on Thursday night when the 200-yard medley relay was disqualified for an illegal exchange between swimmers, but the Pirates bounced back well on Friday.  Led by a win from Isabelle Hoopes, Whitworth moved up from ninth place to a tie for fifth place in the standings.

Makhaela Parrish posted per personal record while finishing third in the women's 500 freestyle with a time of 5:05.99.  She improved by more than three seconds from her morning preliminary time.  Hailey Freeman took eighth (5:26.07).  Linfield's Kirsti Keppo defended her title in the event with a time of 5:03.69.

Hoopes followed with a come-from-behind win in the 200 I.M., posting a lifetime PR of 2:07.26.  She edged Madeleine Brennan of UPS by .35 seconds. 

The women's team scores through Friday:  Linfield 204, Whitman 200.5, Puget Sound 154, Pacific Lutheran 128, Whitworth and George Fox 125, Willamette 116, Lewis & Clark 93, Pacific (Ore.) 63.5.

Jillian Larrabee took fourth place in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.38.  Whitman's Shaye Agnew won in 23.81.

Taylor Thorne (back), Hoopes (breast), Larrabee (butterfly) and Parrish (freestyle) went 3:59.51 to finish fourth in the 400 medley relay.  Pacific Lutheran won the event in 3:53.24.

The meet continues on Saturday and concludes on Sunday.