NEWBERG, Ore. — The College of Idaho men's swim and dive team closed out its regular season with a thrilling 96-88 dual victory over George Fox University, while the Yote women fell to the Bruins 162-23 in Newberg, Oregon.
The men's squad set the tone early, claiming 11 points in the 400-yard medley relay as Matti Eikenes, Cahill Robinson, Karl Yount and Caden LaRue combined for a winning time of 3:43.64. Yount delivered one of the meet's most dramatic finishes, edging his George Fox challenger by less than three-tenths of a second to win the 200-yard freestyle and score nine points.
Distance standout Jace Zemlicka dominated the 1000-yard freestyle, winning by nearly 10 seconds, and later added another nine-point victory in the 500-yard freestyle with a 5:07.49 swim. Sam Cortez sprinted to a win in the 50-yard freestyle in 22.57, while Robinson powered to a decisive victory in the 200-yard butterfly at 2:04.12.
The Yotes also swept the 200-yard breaststroke, with Alec Rodriguez (2:18.97) and Cortez (2:19.13) combining for 13 crucial points. The men capped the meet with an emphatic 400-yard freestyle relay win, as Cortez, Zemlicka, LaRue and Rodriguez posted a 3:28.24 to secure the team triumph.
On the women's side, Reese Kerr-Tayrien earned four points with a 6:08.42 finish in the 500-yard freestyle, while Lily Schroer added four points in the 1000-yard freestyle with a time of 12:15.84.
The meet marked the final tune-up before the Great Southwest Athletic Conference Swimming Championships, set for Jan. 30–Feb. 1 in Aliso Viejo, California.
