NCAA Div 1: Washington Men and Hawaii Women Lead Day One of Big West Shootout

IRVINE, Calif, October 1. THE University of Washington swimming teams had a strong showing in the opening day of the Big West Shootout in Irvine, Calif., and will advance to tomorrow¹s championship. The 25th-ranked men (3-0) won their pool defeating 13th-ranked Hawaii (94-59), as well as Denver (116-27) and UC Santa Barbara (115-25). The win over Hawaii marks the highest ranked opponent the Huskies have defeated since head coach Mickey Wender took over the team six years ago.

The senior men sparked Washington¹s victory as four seniors posted individual wins. Justin Adrian and Luke Ekhoff were double event winners for UW. Adrian placed first in the 100 freestyle (45.36) and 100 butterfly (47.79) and posted a lifetime best in the 200 butterfly with a time of (1:51.97). Ekhoff won the 200 breaststroke (2:00.52) and tied with Derek Rose for first place in the 50 freestyle (21.35). Phil Davis picked up a win in the 100 breaststroke (55.21).

Juniors Jim Wolfe and Diogo Bezerra also had fast swims for the Huskies as Wolfe won the 200 freestyle (1:40.59) and Bezerra posted a lifetime best and first place finish in the 200 backstroke (1:49.64).

"I am so proud of our guys," said Wender. "They really stepped up against a good Hawaii team. Our senior men really led us today and put up some great swims. Beating Hawaii is a huge, huge win for us."

The 22nd-ranked women (4-4) placed second today, defeating BYU (83.5-39.5) and UC Santa Barbara (66-39) and falling just short of meet winner and 25th-ranked Hawaii (69-57).

Sharon Olson and Anissa Hilyard were double winners for Washington. Olson finished first in the 200 freestyle (1:49.53) and the 1650 freestyle (16:59.26). She also placed third in the 400 IM (4:22.68) to move into sixth place on the UW charts. Hilyard swept the butterfly races with a time of 56.40 in the 100 and 2:01.41 in the 200. Her time in the 100 butterfly lifts her to fifth on the school¹s best list.

Freshman Brittany Epperson picked up a win in the 50 freestyle (23.71) and moved up four spots on the Huskies¹ all-time chart to No. 5. She also posted a personal-best in the 100 freestyle (51.97) to rank 10th on the UW list.

Also winning races for the women were Liya Liu and Nicole Bernard. Liu won the 100 freestyle (51.73), while Bernard won the 500 freestyle in a time of 5:03.74. Bernard also posted the school¹s fourth-fastest time ever in the 200 backstroke (2:02.53) with a third place finish.

Erin Kloos propelled her way into Washington¹s top 10 with a fourth place finish in the 200 breaststroke. Her time of 2:21.80 ranks eighth on the Husky charts.

The Washington swimming teams advance to the Big West Shootout Championship tomorrow against Hawaii, UC Irvine and Santa Barbara. Last season, UW¹s women won the event, while the men placed second behind Hawaii.

Hawaii’s Nicole Mackey, who is already proving to be one of the fastest swimmers in her events, notched first place finishes in both the 100 Back (55.95) and the 200 Back (1:59.97). Both times are NCAA provisional marks and her finish in the 100 Back is her season best. Mackey also took second place in the 400 IM (4:20.11).

Ying Juan Chen earned another NCAA provisional time today, with a 4:18.72 in the 400 IM. She notched a provisional time in the 200 IM (2:02.42) at the Arizona State dual meet on Oct. 17. Chen was the top UH finisher in the 200 Free (1:51.06) as she touched the wall in second.

Distance specialist Jessica Affleck fared well in the 1650 Free (17:06.10) and the 500 Free (5:04.69), as she notched second and third place wins, respectively.

Katie Clewett came in second in the 200 Breast (2:20.74) and took third in the 100 Breast (1:05.92), improving on her season-best time. Mia Broden finished the 100 Fly in second (56.55), also improving on her personal best.

Ying Juan Zhen had second place finishes in the 200 Back (2:01.88) and the 50 Free (23.81). She improved on her personal bests in both events. Quick swam to a finish the 50 Free (24.22) in fourth.

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