After opening the season with an exhibition at home, the Boxers men’s and women’s teams look to build momentum, develop returning talent and make their mark in the Northwest Conference.
Pacific University’s men’s and women’s swimming teams have commenced their 2026-27 campaigns. They opened the season at the Forest Grove Aquatic Center on September 18 where the meet brought together swimmers from the College of Idaho, Simpson University and Southwestern Oregon Community College, giving the Boxers an early opportunity to test themselves against various outside opponents and begin building force for their long season ahead. With a mixture of returning swimmers and growing young talent, Pacific will look to improve as the season progressive as both teams prepare for another competitive season.
The opening meet provided an early measuring stick for the Boxers as they began transitioning from preseason training to competition. In the meet five Pacific swimmers were able to come in first place in their competitions. This includes Cadee Yamashita in the women’s 200 yard freestyle, Samantha Lindeman in the women’s 50 yard freestyle, Taylor Juarez in the men’s 200 yard freestyle and 100 yard butterfly, and finally Thien-Mai Nguyen in the women’s 100 yard IM, 50 yard butterfly, and 100 yard backstroke.
“The team were in great high spirits and the positive energy was amazing,” Head Coach Tabor Waterstreet shared with excitement. “Our racing was good as we are still shaking off the rust only having five practices so far. The team is steadily growing and the camaraderie is really inspiring. We have a few more weeks of training which is beginning to ramp up, as we are preparing for our alumni meet on the 17th and our first conference meet on the 30th. The swimmers are training hard, having fun and are stoked to race!”
On the women’s side, Molly Sawyer is one swimmer to watch after a productive young start to her college swim career. At the 2026 Northwest Conference Championships, Sawyer led Pacific with an 11th-place finish in the 200-yard butterfly, swimming a time of 2 minutes, 28.77 seconds. She also placed 12th in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:04.18. Her experience competing at the conference championship level gives her a foundation to stand and build on as she enters her junior season.
Senior Nicole Louie is another returning swimmer to follow. A breaststroke and individual medley specialist, Louie placed 16th in the 400-yard individual medley at the 2026 conference championships. With her last season of collegiate swimming, she will look to continue to develop in her events and contribute to the women’s team throughout the campaign.
The men’s team will also rely on returning swimmers as it strives toward stronger results. Senior Capone Delgadillo brings experience to the roster, while junior Mateo Bradbury and sophomores Elias Bradbury and Jose Salas-Farias provide additional returning depth in freestyle and individual medley events.
After talking to sophomore Jose Salas-Farias about team goals he said, “The team’s goal right now is to swim fast! We finally have enough guys this year to make a men’s team, so the men’s team’s goal is to win as much as possible through these meets. And to make it onto the podium at the conference!” Additionally, when asked what he wanted to improve on this year Salas-Farias said, “What I want to improve on this season is my kicking power, in the water the kick is what drives the swimmer, so getting that kick right is important for the events that I plan on doing!”
Last season, Pacific’s women finished ninth at the Northwest Conference Championships in Boise, Idaho. Louie also earned a 16th-place finish in the 400-yard individual medley. The men’s team will look to expand on their more veteran presence from last season as the roster continues to develop and evolve.
Looking ahead the Boxers’ schedule offers several opportunities to measure their progress against conference opponents. Pacific is set to host George Fox on October 30 to kick it off before traveling to Lewis & Clark on November 7 soon after to get their season rolling. For both the men’s and women’s teams, the season-opening meet marked the beginning of a months-long process. With returning swimmers looking to improve on last year’s results and younger athletes increasing their collegiate experience, the Boxers will have opportunities to build momentum as they work towards the ultimate prize, the Northwest Conference Championships in February.
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