Dec. 1, 2007

PLU Men Win Northwest Invitational Championship

Jay Jones

Andy Stetzler

Final Meet Results

McMINNVILLE, Ore. - Pacific Lutheran won the men's team title at the Northwest Invitational swimming meet held at Linfield College on Friday and Saturday.

The Lutes, who last won Northwest Invitational titles in 2001 and 2002, scored 610 points to finish 31 points ahead of second-place Whitman, which had 579 points. Host Linfield was third with 572 points followed by College of Idaho with 328, Pacific with 321, Lewis & Clark with 252, Willamette with 231 and Puget Sound with 219.

After winning the 200 individual medley and the 200 butterfly on Friday, freshman Jay Jones won the 400 individual medley on Saturday to finish in a tie with Linfield's Dom Rieniets for top point honors with 60. Jones had qualified second in the 400 IM prelims, but he won the final in a time of 4:17.80, improving by 10.18 seconds and defeating top qualifier Josh Parfitt from Linfield.

PLU junior Andy Stetzler won a pair of events on Saturday to go along with a second-place effort in the 500 freestyle on Friday, giving him 58 individual points. Stetzler won the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:47.75 after qualifying sixth in the prelims 5.3 seconds slower. Stetzler also won the 1650 freestyle in a time of 18:09.77. Ben Lilley placed in both events, finishing sixth in the 200 freestyle (1:52.37) and second in the 1650 (18:32.43).

Freshman Alex Limoges had a pair of top-four finishes on Saturday, placing third in the 100 butterfly (54.10) and fourth in the 100 backstroke (57.77).

Other top finishers for PLU: Luke Thomas, fourth in the 100 butterfly (56.28); Eric Brauser, sixth in the 100 butterfly (59.25); Trevor Olson, fifth in the 50 freestyle (22.65); Adam Fuller, fourth in the 1650 freestyle (20:16.23); and Pat Carlisle, sixth in the 1650 freestyle (20:27.31). In addition, PLU placed second in both the 400 medley relay (3:42.67) and in the 400 freestyle relay (3:18.17).

- PLU -