GOLINFIELDWILDCATS.COM
NOVEMBER 18, 2023
WHITMAN BLUES NAME Shaye Agnew Olivia Briggs Katelyn Chua-Chiaco Gwen Empie Natalie Fearn Adelaide Foden-Vencil Anneliese Hanson Siena Hayes Holly Hermanson Frances Lenz Asta Liffick Zola Lungershausen Erin McKinney Cassidy Monroe Nicola Myers Josephine Piel Elly Rectenwald Angela Roberts Rachel Sapper Bella Smith Ella Tyroler
EVENTS BK/FR BK/FR FL/BR/IM FL FR/FL FR BK/FR BR/IM BK/IM BK/FR BK BK BR/FR/IM FL/FR FR BR, FR BR/IM BR/IM BR/IM FR FR/BK
NAME Tucker Belanger Jay Boivin Theo Delmonaco Aaron Friedrich Ian Friedrich Joseph Gillett Andrew Hanson Gage Hembree Andrew Kim John Leeds Collen Lokan Ian McClelland Liam Muilenberg Chris Levy Ramesha Ngabo Keenan Riggs-Turpin Brodie Salzbrener Carter Sundin Andrew Tate Ethan Templeton-Palmer Keenan Tiddle Ian Walsh Peter Yamane
EVENTS BK FR FL/FR FL/FR FR/IM FR/IM BR/IM BR/IM FL/FR BR/FR FR FL/FR FR FR BF/FR FL/FR FL/IM FL/FR BR/IM FR FR FL,BK,FR
HEAD COACH: Jennifer Blomme ASSISTANT COACHES: Jamie Kennedy, Stuart Vickery
WOMEN YEAR Jr. So. Sr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. So. Sr. Jr. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. So. So. So. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr.
HOMETOWN Issaquah, Wash. Issaquah, Wash. Honolulu, Hawaii Bloomsburg, Pa. Stockton, Calif. Portland, Ore. Santa Monica, Calif. Phoenix, Ariz. Bend, Ore. Seattle, Wash. Seattle, Wash. Portland, Ore. Bozeman, Mont. Denver, Colo. Boise, Idaho Sammamish, Wash. Duluth, Minn. Salt Lake City, Utah San Diego, Calif. Longmont, Colo. Santa Fe, N.M.
YEAR Jr. Fr. Sr. Jr. Fr. So. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. So. Fr. So. Fr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Fr. Jr. Sr. So.
HOMETOWN Hamilton, Mont. Snoqualmie, Wash. Corvallis, Ore. Santa Maria, Calif. Santa Maria, Calif. Austin, Texas Santa Monica, Calif. Driftwood, Texas Milpitas, Calif. Austin, Texas Murray, Utah Port Aransas, Texas Lake Forest Park, Wash. Bujumbura-Bubanza, Burundi Eureka, Calif. Parker, Colo. Sammamish, Wash. Cornville, AZ Boulder, Colo. Santa Cruz, Calif. Wenatchee, Wash. Kenmore, Wash.
MEN
LINFIELD WILDCATS
sarah arpag
Fly/IM/Back Hood River, Ore.
whitney averill
Breast/IM/Sprint Free Tillamook, Oregon
lauren bobo-shisler
avery campbell
Sprints Newport, Oregon
Back/Sprint Free Olympia, Washington
emma campbell Mid-Distance Ketchikan, Alaska
stephanie kaylee elsom castellanos-welsh Mid-Distance Free
Caley haydu
Free/Back Portland, Oregon
Bend, Oregon
Freestyle/IM Poulsbo, Washington
abbi karsseboom
maggie kelley
kirsti keppo
kalea mullins
taila patterson
ella quijano
kayla wilson
levi buker
edan donaldson
connor fery
jack gallo
nathan herde
Nikola jelusic
andrew lee
sasha moore
elijah ng
Portland, Oregon
Breast/IM Portland, Oregon
carson washburn
cadogan wheat
cam wheeler
Free/IM/Back Tualatin, Oregon
Sprint Free/Fly/Back Colton, Oregon
Daniel Olson
Sprint Free/Fly Medford, Oregon
Sprint Free Silverton, Oregon
Fly/Distance Free Eugene, Oregon
Sprint Free/Fly Beaverton, Oregon
cole runion
Sprint Free/Back Silverton, Oregon
IM/Free Gresham, Oregon
Back/Fly Honolulu, Hawaii
Distance Free/Fly Mid-Distance/Free Freestyle/Breast Vancouver, Washington Parkland, Washington Milwaukie, Oregon
gavin smith
Distance Free/Back/IM Bremerton, Washington
ivan tontchev
Freestyle, Breast Grants Pass, Oregon
rocco velie
Free Salem, Oregon
Breaststroke Redding, California
IM/Back/Fly/Sprint Free
IM/Fly Free/Breast Kingston, Washington Grants Pass, Oregon
Fly/Free Missoula, Montana
Fly/Free Medford, Oregon
Back/Free Kailua-Kona, Hawaii
Distance Free Wenatchee, Washington
ORDER OF EVENTS
bram zlotowski
IM/Fly/Free Redding, California
kyle kimball Head Coach 10th Year
alec webster
Assistant Coach Sixth Year
Events 1 and 2: 400 Medley Relay Events 3 and 4: 1,000 Freestyle Events 5 and 6: 200 Freestyle Events 7 and 8: 50 Freestyle Events 9 and 10: 200 Individual Medley --10 minute break-Events 11 and 12: 200 Butterfly
Events 13 and 14: 100 Freestyle Events 15 and 16: 200 Backstroke Events 17 and 18: 500 Freestyle --10 minute break-Events 19 and 20: 200 Breaststroke Events 21 and 22: 400 Freestyle Relay
LINFIELD SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
MASTER'S DEGREE PROGRAM
Design & Innovation, Sport Leadership and Wine Business Leadership
Unique one-year program open to all majors School of Business
Learn to lead and manage high-performing teams
WILDCAT SPOTLIGHT always more to achieve Swim team captain Kaylee Elsom pushes herself daily by asking ‘What can I do this year that I didn’t do last year? by karlie vercauteren ’27
K
aylee Elsom’s powerful combination of love for her sport and a no-nonsense dedication to achieving her goals make her a fierce swimmer and excellent team leader. Since the Linfield women’s swimming team won the Northwest Conference championship last February, Elsom has returned to the pool more motivated than ever to find that same feeling of fulfillment. But she refuses to let prior success distract her and her teammates from the work that is cut out for them this season. “(Winning the NWC title) was an awesome accomplishment, but if that’s something we want to do again, we’re going to have to work really hard,” she says. Elsom knows that in order for the team to maintain the strength to push themselves to their limits, they must trust and care for one another. After a difficult freshman season during the height of COVID, she dedicated herself to creating that ideal dynamic. As a team captain, her capacity for positive change has only grown. “In my time here, I’ve always tried to organize events and social gatherings. But being team captain is more of an official stance. I’ve enjoyed bonding more with the team. Especially for the underclassmen, it’s important for them to have opportunities to go to social events and get to know the upperclassmen. So, figuring that out is a main priority for me and it’s something I enjoy doing.” Teammate Emma Cambell eagerly testifies to Elsom’s enormous role on the team: “Kaylee goes above and beyond to make sure everyone on the team feels included. She’s made it a priority to get to know all the freshmen and make sure that they feel connected and welcomed into the team.” Many of Elsom’s leadership capabilities come from what she has learned from watching her mother navigate difficult adversity. “When my dad passed, (my mom) just picked up the work and took over the family business and stepped up for us. That’s something that was just amazing to watch. She did what she needed to do for our family and to support us. Seeing her work ethic is definitely something that helps me keep going.” Elsom carries this appreciation for hard work
in every aspect of her life and it is what motivates her to never stop pushing herself as an athlete, say-ing “There’s always more you can achieve. You don’t want to limit yourself to your abilities. Dropping time or ranking higher isn’t just going to happen, it’s something where you have to put the work in, such as ‘What can I do this year that I didn’t do last year?’” Elsom’s words are impressive. Even more than that, they are sincere. It can be easy for athletes working at such a demanding level to lose sight of their passion, but the swimming itself is the reward for Elsom. Any honors and wins that come out of it contribute to the experience as a whole and are a testament to how far her devotion can take her. “You have to enjoy it to want to keep going. And I know if I don’t do the work for the whole season, I’m not going to get that reward in the end. I want to see those results and that’s what keeps me going” she says. Elsom is confident that even as she transitions into the working world following her graduation in the spring, swimming will continue to play a large role in her life. And as for her career, she will be taking over her uncle’s finance firm where she will strive to keep her clients informed and confident amongst ever-changing market conditions. A Law, Rights, & Justice major with an Economics minor, Elsom once pictured herself attending law school after Linfield and the change in those plans has taken some adjusting to. “Yes, it’s something that was unexpected. But it’s such a good opportunity that there’s no way I could pass it up. I had to shift my idea of what my future is, but I’m shifting it for a future that’s also equally as bright and exciting,” she says. Elsom’s resolute focus on the positive and the command she shows in shaping her life is enormously inspiring and indicative of how hard she has worked to become the person she is today. She in no way denies the inevitable hardships of life but actively chooses to focus on overcoming them, and the strength and resilience that creates. In her own words: “You can complain and dread and feel bad about whatever it is in your life, but you can’t stop living because of the bad things. You have to push through no matter what it is and try to find the positive. If you stay in that negative space, nothing is going to get better.”