FAIRBANKS, Alaska. -- The Loggers split up for the first swim weekend of the year, as the women's team traveled to Alaska to take on Alaska Fairbanks, and the men's team made the trek up to Seattle University.

Men's Meet at. Seattle U
The men's team kicked it off on day one, picking up a pair of race wins against a touch Division I opponent. They held their ground well all day, starting the season with some solid times in a number of different races. 

Devin Goetsch got things started with a podium finish in the men's 400 IM. He raced well, pacing the Loggers with a 4:22.51. The Loggers' lone win of the weekend came when Sam Lyon took first place in the 500 freestyle with a time of 4:48.37. 

Will Cabana, Anderson Bennett, Lyon, and Emory Burden kicked off day two with a stellar performance in the 400 medley relay, snatching a third-place finish. They finished with a time of 3:29.74, beating one of Seattle's top teams. Lyon continued to shine in the distance races, placing second in the 1000 Free. He just missed a sub-10-minute mark, finishing in 10:04.07. 

Burden was also only .07 outside of a podium finish in the 50 free. His time of 21.37 is a fantastic time to start the season, as he was one of seven to finish under 22. Cabana and Brandon Tsang both finished in second and third place in the 200 backstroke, as Cabana finished strong with a 1:59.45. Tsang had an intense finish to the race, beating out Seattle's Jae Lee by 0.12 seconds for his first podium finish of the weekend. 

Bennett, in his first collegiate meet, made his name well-known this weekend. He finished in third place in the 200 breaststroke, squeaking it out over a tough couple of Redbird swimmers. 

Coach's Thoughts
"Against a tough D1 opponent, the Logger men completed well," said Logger head coach Jay Daniels. "It was cool to see us place in the top three in several events. Our 200 medley and 400 medley relay teams posted times that should be ranked among the nation's best at this time in the season."

Women's Meet at. Alaska Fairbanks
The women's team showed early strength, kicking off their season with a second-place finish in the 400 medley relay. They flashed their depth as they took both second and third place over a tough Division II squad. 

Laleeta Pal made her debut as a freshman, racing well in the 1650 freestyle. She took second place, beating out UAF's Guielsie Borbon by .07 seconds after a grueling back-and-forth race. Her time of 19:14.57 secured her four points, coming from behind in the final stretch to overtake Borbon. 

Avery Z-Reardon also had a good race in the first sprint of the year, placing second in the 50 free with a time of 26.39. Daphne Khong got her first win of her collegiate career in the 200 IM, winning by just .03 seconds with a time of 2:16.97. Z-Reardon scored well again in the 100 free, as another freshman, Adison Cosbey-Lewis, was right on her heels to place third. 

The Loggers finished the first day with a Loss, 63-141, but still competed hard and showed flashes of greatness early. 

Day two started with another solid relay race, as the Loggers finished the 200 medley in 1:54.01. Khong and Pal went 2-3 in the 200 free, and Maddy Brennan picked up the Loggers' first win of the day in the 200 butterfly with a time of 2:15.07. 

Pal continued to race well in the freestyle events, placing second in the 500 free with a time of 5:31.62 - 17 seconds clear of the next closest competitor. Camille McClafferty had a solid race in the 200 breaststroke, and the team wrapped up their day with a second-place finish in the 200 freestyle relay. 

Coach's Thoughts
"It's an exciting opportunity to race higher-level competition to start the season," said Daniels. "The Lady Logs had several great performances across the weekend. Our first-years also showed what strong additions they are to the program."

What Happens Next
The Loggers open up conference dual meets against George Fox on Saturday, November 1st. The meet is slated to begin at 1:00 pm.