MONTEREY PARK, Calif. (Feb. 21, 2025) – The Whittier College women's swimming & diving team saw its share of success at the 2025-26 SCIAC Championship meet, hosted by the Whittier College Athletic Department staff. 

Breaststrokers Tara Hendrickson (Fargo, N.D. / Davies) and Aira Takeuchi (Buena Park, Calif. / Kennedy) led the Poets over the massive four-day event, becoming the first pair of Whittier women's swimmers to reach a podium together in the post-COVID era. They did so in the 200 Breast, an event in which Hendrickson entered the finals seeded second after a 2:24.08 time in the morning session with Takeuchi right behind her in third. The Poets managed to maintain their control over the second and third-place finishes in the finals, though it would be Takeuchi narrowly beating out Hendrickson in the evening finals with a time of 2:24.11. 

Hendrickson, a junior, and Takeuchi, a sophomore, would stand as Whittier's two highest-scoring female swimmers over the event. Hendrickson finished with 32 points while Takeuchi narrowly trailed her with 28. One key to that proved to be Hendrickson making the "B" finals of the women's 200 IM, posting a finals time of 2:12.70 nearly one second off her top time in the event. Hendrickson also came less than a second away from making the podium in the 100 Breast, touching the wall with a 1:05.44 time consistent with her morning swim. Takeuchi also made the "A" finals in that event, taking seventh with a 1:07.38.

Elsewhere, freshman Madison Scorgie (Johannesburg, South Africa / Northcliff) proved to be a nice surprise for the women's team, finding her way on to two of the Poets' Top-10 lists. Her 24.99 swim in the 50 Free left her just outside the "B" final in one of the week's most condensed events as an alternate, and she came less than a second away from making another "B" final in the 100 Fly. Her 1:01.40 lands her eighth in Whittier history for that event.

Senior captain Riana Barrett (Las Vegas, Nev. / Faith Lutheran) also gave a great showing in what will likely be the final meet of her four-year Whittier career. Barrett took 12th overall in the 500 Free, swimming to a 5:13.07 preliminary time that bumped her up to fourth all-time in Whittier history. She entered the evening session seeded second in the "B" final, and ultimately picked up some key points that helped the Poets hold off the likes of the University of Redlands and the University of La Verne for seventh in the team standings. Barrett, along with the three aforementioned names, contributed in the Poets' relay events and checked in as Whittier's top finisher in the women's 1650 Free. Barrett completed the mile with a time of 17:59.57, marking the second time in her career she has posted a sub-18 minute time.

Additionally, junior Madison Mathewson (Hayward, Calif. / Moreau Catholic / Ottawa University (AZ)) and freshmen Kailey Flesner (San Jose, Calif. / Cupertino) and Olivia Becher all posted personal bests in at least one of their respective events this week, and all four will be swimmers to watch on the 2026-27 team and beyond.

The Poets also had all three of their divers see action over the four-day meet. Juniors Miriam Brownell (Marshall, Mich. / Marshall) and Aubrie Kirkby Tatro (San Luis Obispo, Calif. / Arroyo Grande / Cuesta College) placed in the women's 1-meter competition, while Brownell and freshman Penelope Turgen placed in the 3-meter competition on Friday. Next for Brownell will be NCAA Midwest/South/West Regionals in Georgia.