TACOMA, Wash. - The Pacific Lutheran University men's and women's swimming teams are set to host Northwest Conference rivals Linfield College and Pacific University this weekend at the PLU Pool for the Lutes' first home meets since early November. 
 
The men's team is returning from eastern Washington after a split weekend. The team emerged victorious in Walla Walla, taking down Whitman College 113-92, before dropping the next meet against Whitworth University 138-65 in Spokane. PLU's win against Whitman came down to the wire with Bradley Jerome, Phillip Hecksel, Charles Cutter, and Elijah Singstad winning the 400-yard freestyle relay to close out the meet.
 
Similar to the men, the women had a 1-1 weekend, although the wins were switched. The women picked up the win against Whitworth (109-96) and suffered defeat against Whitman (114-91). Kaycee Simpson notched three wins against Whitworth and six over the course of the weekend. PLU's win over Whitman wasn't decided until the last five yards of the final event when Alex Shannon touched the wall for the win in the 200-freestyle relay. 
 
As the Lutes move forward, junior Lauren Kearney talked about what a successful weekend would look like. 
 
"A successful weekend of competition would include a loud pool deck full of people cheering on their teammates, fast swimming, and lots of food after competitions," said Kearney. "This is our first weekend of home meets since November, so our team is ready to compete in our own pool and set the stage for the remainder of our season. As we get closer to the end of our season, we start to get excited about racing and leaving everything in the water."
 
Both Lute teams head into the weekend with a 4-1 record in conference duals. Of the opponents this weekend, Linfield looks to be the tougher of the two. Both the men and women have four wins on the dual season. Meanwhile, Pacific heads in on Saturday winless in conference competition. 
 
The Lutes hit the water Friday night at 6 p.m. against Linfield. The team will be back in the water Saturday taking on Pacific at 1 p.m.