SPOKANE, Wash. -- Whitworth College heads into this weekend's Northwest Conference Championships with great confidence. The Pirates are ready to swim fast and the teams hope that outstanding individual performances will translate into successful team results in the final standings.

The NWC Swimming Championships run February 10-12 at the Weyerhaeuser King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Washington. The facility is a world class pool that has hosted many international and national championship events. Preliminary heats begin at 10:00 am each morning. Friday and Saturday's championship finals will begin at 6:00 pm, while Sunday's final heats start at 5:00 pm.

Click here for the Championship website. The meet is being co-hosted by the University of Puget Sound and Pacific Lutheran University. Results will be posted on the championship website following each session.

Whitworth's men come into the meet as three time NWC Champions and winners in four of the last five. The Pirates are heavy favorites to win their fourth straight conference title after rolling through the NWC dual meet season undefeated.

Loren Killgore (Sr., Corbett, Ore.) is the only one of last season's three NWC Co-Outstanding Men's Swimmers of the Meet to return. But Killgore, who won the 500 and 1,650 Freestyles last year, will only defend his 400 Individual Medley title. Instead he will also swim the 200 I.M. and either the 200 Backstroke or 200 Butterfly. David Lillard (Sr., Ellensburg, Wash.) is a favorite to win both butterfly events, as well as the 200 I.M. David Dolphay (So., Great Falls, Mont.) has the NWC's best marks in the 500 and 1,650 Freestyles. Steve Garka (Fr., Marysville, Wash.) has the conference's best times in the 50 and 100 Freestyles. Bryan Clarke (So., Seattle, Wash.) is the defending NWC champion in the 100 Breaststroke, and he hopes to add the 200 Breaststroke this year. Luke Stocker (So., Anchorage, Alaska) will challenge for the top of the podium in both Backstroke races. Whitworth also has the NWC's best times in four of the five relays heading into the championships.

The Pirate women hope to challenge Puget Sound and its nine consecutive conference titles. But it will take a huge effort to do so. Whitworth swam a nearly-perfect dual meet against the Loggers on January 28th, winning eight of the 11 events, but still came up short against the UPS depth by a score of 103-102.

Samantha Kephart (So., Santa Maria, Calif.) is the returning NWC Swimmer of the Meet. Kephart broke NWC championship meet records while winning the 500 Freestyle and 100 and 200 Butterflies last year. She will defend the same three events this year. Katelyn Erickson (So., Austin, Texas) is the defending champion in the 200 Backstroke and was NWC runner up in the 200 I.M. and 100 Back last year. Brittany Gresset (Fr., Seattle, Wash.) has burst on to the NWC scene this winter to become a threat to win the 50 and 100 Freestyles. Lindsey Gresset (So., Seattle, Wash.) will provide important points for the Pirates in the Individual Medleys, as will Luan Ly (So., Tacoma, Wash.) in the Butterfly events.

Whitworth could be very strong in the relay races as well. The Pirates hold the conference's top times in both Medley Relays and are near the top in all three Freestyle relays.