After spending the 2008 portion of the season on the road, the Seattle University swim teams begin a stretch of two straight Saturdays at home with a meet against Whitworth University this Saturday, Jan. 10, beginning at 4 p.m. at the Connolly Center.
Seattle University last competed at the Husky Invitational in Federal Way, Wash., during the first week of December, setting four school records during the three-day meet. Alexis Morehouse (Vancouver, Wash.) set a new school record in the 200 breaststroke and now holds two top times, having previously broke the school record in the 100 breaststroke during the Nov. 21 meet at Idaho. Hayley Cobb (Irvine, Calif.) posted a new school record in the 200 individual medley and nearly did the same in the 400 individual medley the next day, missing the school record by 43/100ths of a second.
On the men's side, Doug Djang (Seattle, Wash.) lowered the school record in the 50 freestyle to 20.71 seconds, while Eric Pedack (Snohomish, Wash.) became the school record holder in the 200 backstroke with a time of 1:53.37, becoming the third freshman this year to set a new school record. Pedack holds the team's top time of the season in five events, while Djang and James White (El Cajon, Calif.) are the top swimmers so far this year in three events each.
Whitworth also competed in the Husky Invitational, finishing just behind Seattle University in both the women's (254-224 pts.) and men's (286-233 pts.) standings. Junior Natalie Turner will lead the Whitworth women's team, as she has the Pirates' fastest time in four of the 11 events the teams will compete in on Saturday. The men will be paced by freshman Rory Buck and sophomore Michael Woodward, who have the team's top time in three events each.
Both teams are extremely young, with only seven seniors and 45 freshmen and sophomores among the 68 swimmers on the two teams' active rosters. If the Husky Invitational is any indication, the first race of the day, the women's 200 medley relay, should be very exciting, as Whitworth defeated SeattleU by just 12/100ths of a second on Dec. 5 in Federal Way. The men's 200 individual medley should also be an interesting race if both Pedack and Woodward compete, as their top times are separated by just 45/100ths of a second.
The competition pool at the Connolly Center is located on the second floor, near the North Court. The entrance will be off Cherry Street east of 14th Avenue, the same entry used for Seattle University basketball and volleyball contests. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so come early to see exciting collegiate swimming action.