PUGET SOUND LOGGERS
WOMEN
NAME EVENTS HOMETOWN
Maddy Brennan Fly/IM
Salt Lake City, Utah / West
Molly Clement Free Saint Paul, Minn. / Central
Lara Franco Breast, Back, IM Erie, Colo. / Centaurus
Kaya Fronek Free Kent, Wash. / Kentwood
Sara Guillen Free Bozeman, Mont. / Bozeman
Hazel Knight IM/Fly/Breast Littleton, Colo. / Heritage
Sophia Lihou Back/IM Toledo, Ore. / Newport
Trinity Link Free/Fly/IM/Breast Gig Harbor, Wash. / Curtis
Amy Madsen Free, Breast, IM Glenwood Springs, Colo. / Glenwood
Camille McClafferty Free/Breast/IM Vancouver, Wash. / Union
Harper McGuire Free Port Angeles, Wash. / Port Angeles
Kass McLennan Back, IM, Free Springfield, Ore. / Springfield
Amelia Mercado Breast/Fly
Julia Meyers Breast/Fly
Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline
Leila Ollenburg Fly/IM Hoodsport, Wash. / Oasis Alternative
Abby Prouty Santa Cruz, Calif. / Samuel Marsden Collegiate School
Ayla Rowan Loveland, Colo. / Loveland
Holly Zipay Free American Canyon, Calif. / American Canyon
MEN
NAME YR. EVENTS HOMETOWN / PREVIOUS SCHOOL
Cam Aaselund Fly, Free Bellevue, Wash.
Emory Burden Free Flagstaff, Ariz.
Will Cabana Back/Free/IM Harbor Springs, Mich.
Logan Cezar Free/Fly Snoqualmie, Wash. / Mount Si
Josh Cunningham Fly, Free, IM Boise, Idaho / Centennial
Kevin Flannery Breast/IM Kirkland, Wash. / Woodinville Montessori
Jaden Francis Free/Fly Dededo, Guam / Madison
Devin Goetsch Fly/Breast/IM East Helena, Mont. / Helena
Jonah Kembel Free/Fly Boulder, Colo. / Fairview
Bryce Kirk Sedona, Ariz. / Sedona Red Rock
Nick Larson Fly/Free Ukiah, Calif. / Ukiah
Gavin Legere Free Seattle, Wash. / Bishop Blanchet
Joel Liu Free
Sam Lyon Los Altos, Calif. / Los Altos
Lance Mielke Breast/IM Coeur d’Alene, Idaho / Coeur d’Alene Charter Academy
Michael Schermerhorn Missoula, Mont. / Hellgate
Eli Stevens Free/Back/Fly Bozeman, Mont. / Bozeman
Taro Tsuji Honolulu, Hawaii
Connor Walstead Back Minneapolis, Minn. / Washburn
Campbell Wencel Saint Paul, Minn.
HEAD COACH: Jay Daniels (first year)
ASSISTANT COACHES: Tim Yu Yen, Mike Askew, Trever Gray, Mark Schramm, Kristin Holtgren
sarah arpag Fly/IM/Back Hood River, Oregon
kirsti keppo Fly/Distance Free/IM Eugene, Oregon
levi buker Free/Fly Medford, Oregon
LINFIELD WILDCATS
bentz Breast/Fly Gladstone, Oregon
Sprints
Oregon
haydu Free Poulsbo, Washington CHloe lazaraton Free/Back Redding, California
mullins IM/Free Gresham, Oregon
Caley
Zumbrum
WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT
keeping it all in balance
Swimming at Linfield allows Lauren Bobo-Shisler to perfectly balance academics with her sport and social life
by KELLEN WIGGINS ’28
For Lauren Bobo-Shisler, competitive swimming has been more than a sport, it has been a lifelong journey shaped by hard work, inspiration, and balance.
Following the guidance of a beloved coach, Bobo-Shisler’s swimming story began in a childhood immersed in the pool. It grew into a collegiate experience of growth, connection and self-discovery. Now in her final season at Linfield University, Bobo-Shisler reflects on how her dedication to her sport and her pivot to elementary education has crafted a college experience rich in lessons both in and out of the water.
The Newport, Oregon, resident’s journey to competitive swimming was not because of a sudden moment of inspiration, but instead what she credits as “being at the right place at the right time.”
She began swimming when she was three years old. By age 4, she had enlisted with the Newport Swim Team under the tutelage of inspirational coach and friend Suisan Fox, whom Bobo-Shisler sadly lost this year.
At Linfield, Bobo-Shisler has found swimming at the NCAA Division III level beneficial to enhancing the social value of sports into her life, an element which she says she did not get in her younger days of swimming. She also gained a great appreciation for the balance between athletics and academics, successfully managing both while attending Linfield.
“My college swimming experience has finished off my swimming career in a way that allowed me to experience the social part of university life with swimming, something that I lacked in my younger swim days when swimming was my entire life,” she says. “I’ve love swimming D3 where I can have a balance between swimming, school and socializing!”
The value of balancing sports and school can be an adjustment for some when transitioning to the collegiate level of athletics. Bobo-Shisler has had an easy time doing so. She regularly completes her school assignments early in the week so she can enjoy the weekends and not have to
worry about homework. And she credits Linfield swimming coach Kyle Kimball for organizing schedules that serve the team’s best interests.
“I try to stay on top of my schoolwork and allow myself to have fun on the weekends. Coach Kyle makes sure to schedule practices at times that we can all attend, and this makes my schedule much more manageable.”
Though swimming has been a huge staple in Bobo-Shisler’s life during her time at Linfield, she has also developed a growth mindset and explored new opportunities she knew would not always come around. The biggest decision of her collegiate career came out of the water. As a junior, she faced a crossroads of either studying abroad in New Zealand or competing with her teammates at the 2024 Northwest Conference Championships.
“A standout moment for me wasn’t in the pool itself, but instead a decision I had to make: Was I going to miss conference or study abroad?”
Swimming was always a top priority, and her personal interests were never given the highest priority. This time, she says, “I chose to miss our big meet to study abroad. It was a difficult decision for me. Swimming has always been important. I always prioritized it above all else, but this time I wanted to instead prioritize myself.”
Despite having to make such a hard choice, Bobo-Shisler has no regrets and found the experience to be valuable.
Another tough decision came when Bobo-Shisler elected not to become a captain of the swim team this winter.
“I’m very glad that I chose not to be a captain. It has allowed me to be more of an ally with the girls, instead of a coordinator. I’ve become close with many of the newer girls. I try to help guide them as they enter swimming at Linfield.”
Initially a biology major, Bobo-Shisler transitioned to studying elementary education after an illness caused her to fall behind in her biology coursework.
In hindsight, Bobo- Shisler believes she better connects with her new major and already has plans to teach after the end of her senior year.
“Becoming a teacher, I believe, is my true calling,” she says. “After graduation, I will be licensed to teach kindergarten through sixth grade in Oregon. I plan to relax a little this coming year and substitute teach before teaching fulltime as an independent teacher.”