Jessica Prokop – Review staff. writerThe men’s and women’s swim team began their seasons strong, taking third out of seven schools at the Northwest Conference Sprint Pentathlon on Oct. 30 and at the Northwest Conference Relays on Oct. 31.
The Sprint meet was held at Pacific Lutheran University, while the University of Puget Sound hosted the relay competition. Competing schools included Lewis & Clark College, Linfield, PLU, Pacific University, Puget Sound, Willamette University and Whitworth University.
At the Oct. 30 pentathlon, all swimmers competed in five different events. Overall team results were based on swimmers’ individual times.
The Oct. 31 relay meet comprised mixed relay teams of men and women. Points were determined by the teams’ times. The final scores were Whitworth, 93; UPS, 72; Linfield, 46; PLU, 41; Pacific, 27; Lewis & Clark, 25; and Willamette, 23.
“Both were fun meets where we could get a feel for the season and get an idea of who to place where and to see how the freshmen would do,” head coach Gary Gutierrez said.
Gutierrez said that this year’s freshman recruit class is resilient and one of the best that Linfield has had in years. The swim team is made up of 39 members, 24 of which are freshmen.
Senior Dominic Rieniets has played a leading role on the men’s side for four years. He said that, in past years, swimming has caused him to feel drained, but this year is encouraging because the freshmen are humorous and add versatility to the team.
“All of the freshmen are enthused and talented, and the team shows a lot of promise,” Rieniets said.
Newcomer sophomore Chrissy Baumgartner said the team has increased its depth because there are so many new additions.
“The team seems to genuinely enjoy each other’s company, and that’s what it’s really about, being part of a team,” Gutierrez said.
However, because there are so many new members, Gutierrez, Rieniets and Baumgartner each said that it is too early in the season to predict how the team will perform overall.
Gutierrez said he foresees a possible setback in the Northwest Invitational, which takes place Nov. 21-22. In previous years, it has taken place in December, which allowed the team more time to train.
In spite of this, Gutierrez said the team has greatly improved since last year. But, it is up to the freshmen to pick up the depth point.
Because Whitworth has taken first in men’s competition for the last few years, Gutierrez said he is excited for the team’s next meet against the Pirates, as there will be excellent competition.
The swim team competes against Whitman College in Walla Walla, Wash., and against Whitworth University in Spokane, Wash., on Nov. 6 and 7, respectively.