Setting the Scene: Its senior day for the Pacific Lutheran University men's and women's swimming teams on Saturday as they conclude the dual meet season by hosting crosstown rival University of Puget Sound. Track & field heads back up to Seattle for another indoor meet while the men's and women's basketball teams are on the road for the second straight week, this time heading to Portland.

FRIDAY:
T&F at UW Invitational in Seattle, Wash. (10 a.m.)
WBB at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. (5:30 p.m.)
MBB at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Ore. (7:30 p.m.)
SATURDAY:
SWIM hosts Puget Sound at PLU Pool (1 p.m.)
WBB at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. (3 p.m.)
MBB at George Fox in Newberg, Ore. (5 p.m.)
 
Super Lutes: For the fourth time in the last five years and the fifth time over the last nine, a Lute alum will be coaching in the Super Bowl. This year, Michael Byrne is making the trip to the big game as an offensive assistant for the NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks. Byrne was an All-Conference quarterback for the Lutes, playing for the team during the 2007 and 2008 seasons. Byrne returned to PLU as an assistant coach for three seasons from 2019 to 2021 before making the leap to the NFL.
 
Ken Flajole made the other four trips to the Super Bowl, winning rings at Super Bowl LII as a linebackers coach with the Philadelphia Eagles and at Super Bowls LVII and LVIII as the outside linebackers coach with the Kansas City Chiefs. Flajole played for the Lutes in 1975 and 1976 and started his coaching journey with PLU as a defensive line and linebackers coach during the 1977 and 1978 seasons. 

Byrne won't be the only Lute connection at this year's Super Bowl as Seahawks wide receiver Cooper Kupp is the son of PLU Athletics Hall of Famers Craig and Karin Kupp, and the brother of PLU defensive coordinator Ketner Kupp. 

Women's Swimming: Pacific Lutheran (6-1) was in eastern Washington last weekend, splitting a pair of dual meets against the Whits. The Lutes fell 151-49 to NWC favorite Whitworth University last Friday evening before overpowering Whitman College 130-75 the following day.

Emma Gassman was one of seven Lutes to win races over the weekend, securing the top spot in the 200-yard butterfly (two minutes, 19.42 seconds) against the Pirates while registering victories in both the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle relay on Saturday against the Blues.

Saturday's win saw Riley Maher and Karina Yevstifieieva each win a trio of events with Harper Canessa and Anna Haneda each winning a pair of events.
 
Men's Swimming: The Lutes (6-1) had a similar experience as the women, splitting their road dual meets against the Whits. PLU came up short 159-37 to NWC juggernaut Whitworth before earning a nailbiting 102.5-101.5 win over Whitman.

Tyler Tanaka won four events over the weekend, including PLU's lone victory against Whitworth, taking the 200-yard individual medley in 2:00.77.

Dylan Dang, Elijah Vickery, Hoskoo Amgalan, and Anthony James came through in the clutch in Saturday's one point win, outsprinting Whitman in the 200-yard freestyle by a slim 0.31 seconds, clocking a winning time of 1:29.07.

Men's Basketball: PLU (9-8, 3-5 NWC) enters the second half of league play this weekend with the second of three trips to Oregon.

The Lutes split a pair of road games last weekend, downing host Whitman 72-66 in Walla Walla before coming up short 76-65 against league leading Whitworth.

Ben Tellez has been on fire over the last three games, averaging 22.7 points per game during that stretch. Tellez dropped 22 points in the win over Whitman before adding 24 points on Saturday, sinking five three-pointers against the Pirates.
 
Women's Basketball: Sydney Reisner inches closer to the 1,000th point milestone, finishing in double figures along with fellow senior Emi Wada in a pair of road games in eastern Washington.

Wada had 14 points and Reisner added 10 in an 89-50 Whitman victory before Reisner unleashed a season-high 24 with Wada adding 10 in Saturday's 73-65 setback to Whitworth. 
 
Reisner currently leads the Lutes in scoring, dropping 13.7 points per game and sits just 40 points shy of 1,000 for her career. 
 
Track & Field: PLU's sprinters and jumpers will make a return to the University of Washington on Friday, competing at the UW Invitational. The Lutes' last time out was Jan. 17 at the Huskies' UW Preview Meet.

That meet saw Hunter Kleindl clear 13 feet, 10 inches in the pole vault with Bridger Hanis leaping over 6' 0 ¾ inches in the high jump. The women's squad had Abi Caprye clearing 5' 1" in the high jump and clocking a time of 10.13 in the 60-meter hurdles.
 
The Lutes also had Lexie McGurk run a 27.04 in the 200-meters with fellow sprinter Soukhanya Waters clocking a time of 8.14 in the 60-meter dash.