Wildcat Roundup: Women's basketball starts with dominant win; swimming, wrestling battle in weekend dual meets
Junior guard Allie Mead led the Wildcats with 16 points while going 7 of 12 from the field. She also added eight assists, four rebounds and four steals on a defensively sound night as Linfield held the Eagles to 11 points in each of the first two quarters.
Senior Eve Burke (13 points), senior Amelia Solt (12 points) and junior Skylar Willey (10 points) also had double-digit scoring days. Senior Miki Vermeulen grabbed a career-high 17 rebounds, while Linfield secured 41 as a team. The ’Cats outshot the Eagles as well with a 55% field goal percentage compared to Northwest’s 41%. Linfield was better from beyond the arc, too, shooting 28%.
Vermeulen got the scoring started, sinking one of two free throws on the Wildcats’ first possession of the game, before Northwest took a 4-1 lead shortly after. An 8-0 run capped off by a Mead bucket gave Linfield a 9-4 lead halfway through the first. The ’Cats would not trail for the remainder of the game. Senior Jordan Roberts and Solt closed out the scoring in the first quarter, with a Solt 3-pointer to put Linfield up 17-11.
A short scoring drought to begin the second quarter was ended by sophomore Tana Hoekama and Eve Burke, giving Linfield a comfortable 10-point lead with 7:19 remaining. The Eagles cut it to a 9-point deficit a pair of times, although Solt and Mead halted any further damage. Burke capped off the scoring in the first half, giving the Wildcats a lead of 33-22 at the break.
Both teams traded threes in the first minute of the third, leading to Burke and Vermeulen combining for a 6-0 run to put the ’Cats up 16 halfway through the third. Jayden Ray executed a 3-point play opportunity, while Roberts and Mead gave Linfield a 56-40 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
In the final quarter, Northwest scored eight points in the opening 94 seconds, cutting the deficit to nine. Skylar Willey made Linfield’s next three buckets, followed by Solt and Mead going back-to-back from beyond the arc to climb back out to a comfortable lead. The ’Cats largest lead of the game came with 2:29 left in the game, thanks to an offensive takeover by Mead. Senior Logan Roberts ended the game with a 4-0 run by herself, giving Linfield an 81-63 victory in the season opener at home.
The Wildcats’ next trio of games begins Friday at the East Texas Baptist Tournament, where they will face Concordia University-Texas, Piedmont University and East Texas Baptist University from Nov. 21 to Nov. 24.
Wrestling
Linfield women’s wrestling faced off against Northwest Conference rival Pacific University on Friday, Nov. 14, inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium, falling 36-6 in the first dual of the season. They closed the weekend on Sunday, Nov. 16, with four Wildcats competing against the Southwestern Oregon Community College Lakers in Coos Bay, where the ’Cats fell 25-14.
On Friday, Pacific began the match with a 20-0 lead due to five forfeited matches by Linfield. At 103 pounds, freshman Jessica Cottings (3-2) wasted no time. With five takedowns in the first period, she only needed 50 seconds to earn a 10-0 tech fall, putting the ’Cats on the board with four points.
Freshman Cadence Fineran (1-4) competed at 131 pounds and was bested just over two minutes into the match, falling in an 11-1 technical fall. However, she earned a point, adding one to the team’s score. Making her freshman debut at home was Cassidy Jones-Mowen (1-4), who trailed 4-0 after the first three-minute period. Ultimately, Jones-Mowen came up short early in the second, dropping the 138-pound match in a 10-0 tech fall.
In the 160-pound bout, sophomore Karina Yoder (1-4) was behind 6-0 in the first period but battled back to get a takedown of her own in the second. Yoder’s match ended two minutes into the final period, as her opponent from Pacific earned a 13-2 technical fall.
Freshman Alexia Zacharof (0-1) closed out the dual for the team at 180 pounds, dropping the finale with an 84-second, 10-0 technical fall. Pacific extended their win streak in duals against Linfield to three, taking a 36-6 win inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium.
On Sunday, the Lakers began the match with an advantage due to four forfeits by the Wildcats and one for the hosts at 103 pounds. Fineran competed first for Linfield at 131 pounds, earning a dominant 14-4 victory via technical fall. Jones-Mowen followed the win with a quick pin in the 138-pound match, ending the bout in the first period.
Senior Klaira Flatt and sophomore Karina Yoder ended the dual meet with losses.
The Wildcat men also faced Pacific on Friday, earning a dominant 53-0 dual victory in their home debut.
Freshman Duke Wentzel opened the night at 125 pounds with 13-7 decision over his opponent after trailing 7-6 in the third period. Linfield led 30-0 to begin the match, due to five forfeited matches by Pacific.
Senior Jacob Moore, at 133 pounds, also trailed but won by a 9-8 decision. Freshman Damon Gasilos won his home debut with a technical fall in the first period. Freshman Draven Marsh later pinned his opponent following a reversal, adding six points to the team’s total. Lucien Lefebvre matched with a pin of his own in a quick bout that lasted only 1:56 in the 174-pound weight class.
The men travelled to Coos Bay on Sunday as well but fell 35-23 after immediately trailing 18-0 due to three Wildcat forfeits.
Both Wildcat squads are set to compete next at the Spokane Open on Sunday, Nov. 23.
Swimming
Linfield’s mens and womens swimmers competed against the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University on Nov. 14 and 15, but finished without team victories.
The Wildcat men lost 134-69 on Friday to Puget Sound and 109-92 on Saturday to PLU. Meanwhile, the women dropped their weekend matches 128-76 and 114-90, respectively.
Together, the teams won 10 events over Puget Sound. Senior Kirsti Keppo headlined the women’s squad in the win column, claiming the 1000-yard freestyle title with a six-second victory, marking the second-fastest time in the NWC this season. Sophomore Kai Laitinen led the men after a 400-yard medley relay victory, dominating the men’s 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 10:26.6. He beat the best Logger by over 20 seconds, putting him fourth in the conference for the event.
Against PLU, Laitinen got the ’Cats first win with a 1650-yard freestyle victory by over 77 seconds. Keppo and junior Chloe Lazaraton dominated the women’s 1650-yard freestyle, finishing five seconds apart to take first and second in the race.
The team’s next races will see them in Los Angeles as they compete in the La Verne Winter Invitational on Friday, Nov. 21.
Article written with the assistance of Chase Fisk and Linfield Sports Communication.
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