About the Lute Women: Harper Canessa won two individual events and was on a winning relay to headline the Pacific Lutheran University women's swimming team and help the Lutes to a finish runner-up at the 2025 Bruin Invitational back on Nov. 23. The Lutes scored 767 points across the two-day meet, placing second overall among the five-team meet and defeating a pair of Northwest Conference rivals. Host George Fox University won the meet with a score of 970. Southwestern Oregon Community College was 39 points behind the Lutes in third while conference rivals Willamette University (fourth- 649 points) and Pacific University (fifth- 255) rounded out the standings. Canessa tallied a pair of wins on day one on Saturday. The first-year won the 200-yard breaststroke in a time of two minutes, 26.48 seconds with teammate Scout Hawkins placing second in 2:28.12. Canessa would cap off the night with a win as a member of the 400-yard medley relay, collaborating with Emma Gassman, Riley Maher, and Karina Yevstifieieva to post a time of 4:01.89. Gassman was runner-up in the 200-yard backstroke (2:10.21) and third in the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.41) while Yevstifieieva was second in the 100-yard freestyle (55.40). Maher was second in the 200-yard individual medley (2:13.97) while also getting a runner-up showing from Hannah Testa in the 50-yard backstroke (29.95) and the 200-yard freestyle relay team (1:40.42). PLU boasted two more champions on Sunday. Maher won the 400-yard individual medley in 4:48.78 with Hawkins third overall in 4:52.34. Harper claimed the top podium spot in the 100-yard breaststroke, finishing in 1:06.52 with Testa third in 1:11.09. Kei Nishikawa was second in the 200-yard butterfly (2:16.11) while getting runner-up finishes from both the 200-yard medley relay (1:52.05) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:42.49). The Lutes landed third place finishes from Yevstifieieva (50-yard freestyle in 25.03), Canessa (200-yard freestyle in 2:01.25) and Testa (50-yard breaststroke in 32.61).
About the Lute Men: The Pacific Lutheran University men's swimming team wrapped up the fall semester's racing slate back on Nov. 23, placing runner-up at the two-day Bruin Invitational. The Lutes finished with one event champion and five runner-up finishes, scoring 787.5 points in the team standings to finish second among the five team field. PLU's point total was 220.5 points ahead of host and Northwest Conference rival George Fox University (567 points) while also placing ahead of league rivals Willamette University (544 points) and Pacific University (125 points). Southwestern Oregon Community College won the team title with a score of 1,320.5. Byron Domingo captured the Lutes' lone event win of the weekend, topping the field in the 200-yard backstroke on Saturday, touching the wall in one minute, 52.37 seconds. His winning effort shattering a school record that has stood since 2015, besting Cody Hartman's time of 1:52.58. Teammate Christian Georgi was third overall in the same event, stopping the clock in 2:02.74 while also placing third in the 200-yard breaststroke (2:08.51). Anthony James was runner-up in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.66 while Domingo was third in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:00.44. The Lutes bookended Saturday with second place showings in the relays, turning in a time of 1:27.38 in the 200-yard freestyle relay and sporting a time of 3:31.67 in the 400-yard medley relay to finish off the day. Sunday saw Domingo place runner-up in the 100-yard backstroke in 52.77 with Dylan Dang taking second billing in the 200-yard butterfly, finishing up in 2:03.49. James was third in the 50-yard freestyle (21.91) while the 200-yard medley relay team (1:35.51) and the 400-yard freestyle relay team (3:15.64) both logged third place showings.
About the Boxers: Pacific heads to Tacoma with 15 swimmers on its roster— six men and nine women. The Boxers last competed at the Bruin Invitational back in late November finishing fifth overall as a squad. The women's team has three conference duals under its belt, falling 164-30 to Whitworth University (Oct. 31), 138-43 to Whitman College (Nov. 1), and a tight 99-78 setback to Linfield University (Nov. 7).
The undermanned Boxer men fell 177-14 to Whitworth, 167-19 to Whitman, and had its best outing against the Wildcats, a 102-29 decision in McMinnville, Oregon.
Welcome to the Team Chris!: Prior to tonight's dual meet, the Lutes will sign 11-year old Chris Absher to the team in a partnership with Team Impact.
Chris lives in Puyallup with his parents and three brothers. He was born with spina bifida and hydrocephalus but has been resilient in his medical journey.
Chris describes himself as adventurous and friendly. The superpower he'd most like to have is fire. His dream vacation is Hawaii, and his favorite movie is Zombies 4.
Team IMPACT, a national non-profit organization, has developed a unique multiyear program that matches children facing serious illness and disability with college athletic teams across the country. Based on a clinical model, Team IMPACT guides a symbiotic relationship between teams and children focused on socialization, empowerment, and resilience.
Dual Meet Domination: The PLU swim programs are combined 8-0 this season in NWC dual meets, owning wins over George Fox University, Lewis & Clark College, Willamette University, and Linfield University.
Byron Domingo's Record Setting 200-Backstroke
It's one minutes and 52 seconds worth your time as Byron Domingo smashed a school record at the Bruin Invitational.
Lutes in the Community:The PLU swimming programs gave back to the local community during the month of September, partnering with No More Under for a Swim Safety Series geared for low income families in the local community.
NWC Preseason Polls
The PLU men's and women's swimming teams were both picked fifth in the annual NWC preseason coaches' polls released in late October.
In Spring of 2024, PLU became just the second NCAA Division III school in the nation and the first school in any division in the State of Washington to partner with Athlete's Thread. Athlete's Thread allows every student-athlete to sell customizable gear and jerseys with their name and number and receive monetary compensation for a portion of each sale. Check out the link above to order your gear today!
Trailblazing NIL the D3 Way: PLU Athletics continues to lead the way nationally in Name, Image, and Likeness, unveiling the Luteville Marketplace last fall through the department's partnership with Opendorse. But don't stay on the sidelines, get involved and connect with PLU student-athletes on the Luteville Marketplace: LINK
The Luteville Marketplace is the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III on the Opendorse platform that directly connects student-athletes with fans, supporters, and business partners in an easy to use website.
Stay connected to your favorite teams by downloading the official mobile app of the Pacific Lutheran University athletic department powered by SIDEARM Sports, available in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
Featuring real-time news alerts, schedules, exclusive multimedia content, gameday details and more, the new PLU Athletics app is free and compatible with both iOS and Android devices.
Next Home Meet:
Jan. 31 vs. Puget Sound at 1 p.m. (Senior Day)
PLU Non-Discrimination Policy: Pacific Lutheran University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, disability or age in its programs and activities. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination policies: Title IX Coordinator Jennifer Childress-White; 253-535-7361; TitleIX@plu.edu