Men are fourth after day one in Newberg

NEWBERG, Ore. — Willamette University wrapped up Day One of the two-day Bruin Invitational in fourth place, fueled by a dominant performance from Trai Xiong, who secured two notable second-place finishes in the 200-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley. The Bearcats showcased their competitiveness in the tightly contested meet, with key points also coming from Kevin Olmedo and other individual and relay efforts.

Highlights and Key Performances

Willamette delivered a strong overall performance at the Bruin Invitational, highlighted by Xiong's impressive showing.

• Trai Xiong captured second place in both the:

  • 200-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 2:05.47.

  • 200-yard individual medley, with a time of 1:55.95.

  • Xiong earned a total of 34 points for his team.

• Ka'olapa Masuko also contributed significantly, finishing fourth in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:13.74, adding 15 points.

• Kevin Olmedo stood out in the 100-yard freestyle, securing sixth place with a time of 48.87 and contributing 13 points.

Additional Team Success

The relay teams showed depth and competitiveness, particularly the Bearcats' A team in the 200-yard medley relay, which placed fourth with a time of 1:28.44, earning 30 points.

Other critical individual placements included:

• Jan Beck's performance in the 500-yard freestyle, which garnered a third-place finish in 4:52.62, adding 16 points to the team's tally.

• Ethan Barker's fourth-place finish in the 200-yard backstroke, completing the race in 2:03.69.

These individual and relay efforts combined to demonstrate the team's robust competitive spirit throughout the event.