Wildcat Roundup: Basketball teams change history in Tacoma; swimming returns from winter hiatus; Ensrud takes first in 197 at Evergreen Open
Womens Basketball
Linfield’s womens basketball team (13-2,6-0) ended a 9-game slide against the University of Puget Sound (12-3, 5-1) on Friday, defeating the Loggers for the first time since Jan. 11, 2020, in Tacoma. The final score was 65-56 as the Wildcats used strong endings in both halves to claim victory on the road.
Skylar Willey, Amelia Solt and Jordan Roberts had 12 points each to lead the ’Cats, ensuring their Northwest Conference stayed unblemished.
The junior Willey also recorded 10 rebounds, marking her second double-double performance in conference play.
Linfield trailed 19-13 after one quarter but did what they do best in the second period, turning defensive turnovers into points. The ’Cats ended the half on an 11-2 run over the final four minutes to take a 33-28 lead into halftime.
Puget Sound was undefeated in NWC play prior to its meeting with Linfield. The Loggers showed their danger in the third quarter, outscoring Linfield 18-10 to lead 46-43, but the ’Cats never wavered. Linfield boxed out and pressured the Loggers over the final quarter, scoring 12 points off turnovers to regain the advantage.
Saturday offered an easier task for the ’Cats as they faced Pacific Lutheran University (1-14, 0-6), the NWC’s bottom ranked team.
Linfield handled PLU with ease, dispatching the Lutes 59-37.
Eve Burke led with a team-high 13 points and tied Natalie Rosetti and Jadyn Harrell for the team lead in rebounds with five. The ’Cats had 13 different players score the rock, assisted by eight points from Willey, seven points from Mead and six from Rosetti. The ’Cats bench scored 28 points combined, while the team shot 31% from the field.
Linfield returns to Ted Wilson Gymnasium on Friday for a battle with George Fox University (8-7, 4-2) at 5:30 p.m. and will travel to Lewis and Clark College (5-10, 2-4) on Saturday.
Mens Basketball
The mens team’s first trip to Washington in 2026 was a double-edged sword, with Linfield (5-9, 3-3) upsetting NWC No. 2 Puget Sound (10-5, 5-1), then falling to middle-of-the-pack PLU (8-7, 2-4).
On the spectrum of excitement and disappointment, the ’Cats began the road trip with a culture-establishing victory against the Loggers. The 59-58 win on Friday over Puget Sound was the university’s first since Jan. 29, 2022, ending a six-game lull.
The unparalleled development and strength of junior forward Garrett Callsen was the reason Linfield won, as he rebounded and tipped in a shot at the buzzer to give the ’Cats victory after allowing Puget Sound to come back from down 13 points in the second half.
Callsen led with 18 points and five rebounds, while senior guard Dayton Magana provided his usual spark with 15 points and four rebounds.
Before the Loggers battled back, Linfield was able to command much of the game and led 31-23 at the half.
PLU provided another tough task on Saturday, with the ’Cats losing 80-61.
The score was tied at 32-32 at halftime, but the Lutes controlled all facets to start the second stanza. They went on a 30-7 run over the first nine minutes, all but closing out the ’Cats before the clock read zeros.
Despite being unable to match the height of Linfield’s forwards, PLU stymied the larger ’Cats, which made way for large performances from the Linfield guards.
Freshman Nalu Vargas led the team with 14 points, while senior Chase Bennett and Magana went for 12 and 10, respectively.
The ‘Cats host Yamhill County rival George Fox (1-14, 0-6) at Ted Wilson Gymnasium for a 7:30 p.m. tip off on Friday and travel to Lewis and Clark (8-7, 4-2) on Saturday.
Swimming
Linfield men’s and women’s swimming hosted their first dual of the 2026 half of the season last Friday, as each team fell to the reigning NWC champion Whitworth University Pirates. The Whitworth men’s squad defeated the Wildcats, 123-81, while the Pirates won 135-70 in the women’s races.
Although the Pirates claimed the fastest time in each of the 200-yard medley relay races, the ’Cats women’s squad comprised of Kirsti Keppo, Kira Etheredge, Sarah Arpag and Caley Haydu recorded a new personal best time for the team at 1:50.92 — eight-hundredths of a second faster than their previous third-best in the NWC time.
Arpag, Etheredge and Haydu later combined with Chloe Lazaraton for a time of 1:42.90 to take first in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Linfield’s men were also victorious in their 200-yard freestyle relay, with Andrew Lee, Samuel Postlewait, Nathaniel Wilson and Carson Washburn combining for a time of 1:29.65.
Both teams went 3-6 across nine individual events.
The freestyles were where the ’Cats shined.
Kai Laitinen received the first win with a time of 16:48.88 in the 1650-yard freestyle and later touched siding before anyone with a time of 4:19.43 in the 400-yard individual medley.
Carson Washburn earned Linfield’s third individual victory, swimming to a time of 49.57 in the 100-yard freestyle.
Arpag continued Linfield’s freestyle frenzy, winning the women’s 50-yard freestyle in 25.81.
Etheredge and Keppo secured the other two wins, taking first in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke, respectively.
On Saturday, Linfield completed the homestand with a split against Whitman College, with the women’s team defeating the Blues, 108-94, and the men’s team falling 107-98.
Linfield once again split the relay events, with the men’s group of Jack Sappington, Rocco Velie, Postlewait and Wilson combining for a time of 3:38.25 to win the 400-yard medley relay.
Annikka Fetro, Chloe Lazaraton, Etheredge and Haydu were responsible for the women’s relay win, completing the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:54.95.
Linfield’s women went 6-3 in individual events, while the men were 5-4.
Keppo, Haydu and Etheredge all completed two victories, with Keppo nabbing the first in a 11:28.80 finish of the 1000-yard women’s freestyle. She later swam to a time of 5:26.79 to claim first in the 500-yard freestyle.
Haydu had two early wins, beating all opponents in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.50, and finishing the 100-yard freestyle before all in 57.06. Etheredge was responsible for first-place finishes in the 200-yard individual medley (2:17.92) and 200-yard breaststroke (2:32.33).
Laitinen started the men on the right foot with a 10:28.32 finish in the 1000-yard freestyle to claim first. Velie then claimed the 200-yard freestyle for himself in 1:47.71.
Postlewait won two races on Saturday, the 50-yard freestyle (22.48) and 200-yard backstroke (1:59.33). Ivan Tontchev was the ’Cats fifth victor, earning a win in the 200-yard breaststroke in 2:18.48.
Linfield hosts senior night next Friday, Jan. 23, in the final home dual meet of the season, set to take on Lewis and Clark at 5 p.m., honoring nine seniors prior to the meet.
Wrestling
Linfield’s men’s and women’s wrestling teams attended the Evergreen Open on Sunday, Jan. 19, where three ’Cats earned titles.
Junior Ethan Ensrud was the top winner, claiming first-place in the 197-pound bracket with a 2-0 record. Ensrud beat his first opponent via 17-2 technical fall and pinned Eastern Oregon University’s Stone Robledo in the championship.
Freshman Camden Roofener was the men’s second victor but had a longer road.
Roofener faced six opponents. He lost his first but went on a heater with five consecutive victories to claim third place in the 285-pound bracket.
Mac alumni Lucien Lefebvre (165) and Max Vander Meide (141) were also in tow in Olympia, Washington, going 2-2 and 1-2, respectively.
Freshman Tori Debold (103) was the women’s lone placer. She was in a two-person bracket and fell to Natalie Johnson of Big Bend Community College via fall in both of their bouts.
Wrestling returns home, hosting the annual Night at the Museum dual against Treasure Valley Community College on Friday, Jan. 22, at 7 p.m. at the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum.
Article written with the assistance of Chase Fisk and Linfield Sports Communication.
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