NEWBERG, Ore. – In their second meet in as many days, the George Fox Bruins men's and women's swim teams were outpaced by the Linfield Wildcats, but still managed to get nearly thirty swimmers on the podium in the dual meet. 

How It Happened
The Bruins started the racing day with a second-place finish in the men's 400-yard medley relay, behind a strong performance by swimmers Aries Valenzuela, Strom Nordeng, Cameron Alexander, and Levi Gibson. The women's relay team took second place in the same event, with Ellie Opdahl, Claire Benevides, Ellie Hoover, and Britney Muralt putting up a time of 4:27. 

Austin Rohrbach snagged a podium spot with a third-place finish in the men's 1000-yard freestyle, completing the lengthy event in 11:12. Laurel Knox and Kaylee Dicey went second and third for the women's 1000-yard freestyle, as each finished under 11:30 for the race. 

Kaden Oprea and Strom Nordeng went back-to-back in the men's 200-yard free, taking second and third place in the event, while Mia Smith took first place on the women's side with a blitzing time of 2:06. 

In their second event of the day, both Levi Gibson and Aries Valenzuela turned in strong performances in the 50-yard freestyle, coming in second and third respectively. 

The Bruins grabbed another two podium spots in the men's 200-yard IM event, as Wyatt Greene turned in a time of 2:06, edging out Cameron Alexander's 2:07, as they went 2-3 in the event. Parker Riley and Ellie Hoover added to the podium total on the women's side of the event, winning first and third place respectively. 

The men's team swept the podium in the 100-yard freestyle, as Aries Valenzuela, Levi Gibson, and Wyatt Greene went 1-2-3 to keep the Wildcats off the podium. 
Jesse Urback won first place in the women's 200-yard backstroke with a time of 2:20, and Claire Harmon came in third with a time of 2:33. 

Strom Nordeng added another podium to his day with a first-place finish in the men's 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:20, and Jared Gray took third place with a time of 2:26. For the women's 200 breaststroke, Elli Opdahl and Britney Muralt grabbed second and third and finished just a second off of each other (2:39.79 and 2:40.25 respectively). 

Up Next
The Bruins have their final conference meet next week, Jan. 27, 2024, at the Chelham Aquatic Center, with the first heats starting at 11 am. The meet offers one last opportunity for the Bruins before the Conference Championship meet In Federal Way, Wash. in early February.