SPOKANE, Wash. -- The Whitworth University swimming teams begin defense of their Northwest Conference titles this weekend with dual meets at Pacific University (Friday, 6:00 p.m.) and at Linfield College (Saturday, 1:00 p.m.).

Michael Woodward

The Pirate men are six-time defending conference champions and have won 57 NWC dual meets in a row. This season the Pirates will be led by Michael Woodward (So., Springfield, Ore.) and Justin Brandler (Sr., Tacoma, Wash.). Woodward is the defending NWC champion in the 200-yard individual medley and was conference runner-up in both the 100 and 200-yard freestyles. Brandler finished second at the 2008 NWC Championships in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard butterfly and was third in the 100-yard freestyle. Rory Buck (Fr., Dubai, U.A.E.) will be a conference title contender in the breaststroke events this season.

Natalie Turner

The Whitworth women ended Puget Sound's 11-year run as conference champions last winter while winning their first NWC title since 1995. All-Americans Natalie Turner (Jr., South Lake Tahoe, Calif.) and Brittany Gresset (Sr., Seattle, Wash.) are returning NCAA Division III All-Americans and individual conference champions. Gresset won both the 50- and 100-yard freestyles at the 2008 NWC Championships, while Turner was victorious in the 200-, 500- and 1,650-yard freestyles. Gresset is the NWC record-holder in the 50, while Turner holds NWC marks in all three of her events.

In addition to eight dual meets on the schedule, Whitworth will host the 2008 Northwest Invitational on November 21st and 22nd. The Husky Invitational at the Federal Way King County Aquatic Center will take place on December 4th-6th. The Pirates will return to the KCAC for the 2009 Northwest Conference Championships the weekend of February 13-15.

For the first time in history, the NCAA Division III men's and women's Swimming and Diving Championships will be run concurrently. The meet will take place March 18-21 at the University of Minnesota Aquatic Center in Minneapolis.

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