Monday, March 21, 2022

Filion Claims 200 Backstroke National Title, Shatters NCAA Record

Junior psychology major Tanner Filion swam in three events at the NCAA Division III National Swimming & Diving Championships in Indianapolis last week. Filion capped his national championship experience with a footprint in NCAA lore, winning the 200 backstroke national title and setting a new NCAA record in the process on the final day of the championships.

 

"There just aren't enough words to express how happy I am for Tanner," said head coach Jenn Blomme. "Nationals wasn't even on the radar when Tanner started college, and not even a full three years later here he is on the podium in three events at the national meet. And not just on the podium, on the top of the podium. And then the (NCAA) record! About halfway through the race I knew he was going to win it, and hoped he'd be able to make a small dent in the record. But he obliterated it! It's amazing. Such a celebration of talent and hard work but also an unfathomable amount of resilience over the last two years. So happy!"

Joining Filion all week were teammates Daniel Bloor (junior, sociology-environmental studies), Jackson Masson (junior, history and Japanese), Peter Fitch (junior, economics-mathematics) and Ryder Brookes (junior, economics-mathematics). "I am so grateful to my teammates, my coach, my friends and the Whitman community!" said Filion. "I cannot overstate my gratitude to everyone who helped get me to the point where I am today. Thank you! Go Blues!"

Filion's accomplishment puts him in rare company not only in the NCAA but in Whitman Athletics. The swimmer became only the second Whitman NCAA national champion in any sport, the other being men's swimmer Karl Mering in 2014. 

Filion's record setting mark of 1:41.49 shattered the previous NCAA Division III record by nearly two seconds and bested Kenyon's Yurii Kosian who, himself, topped the previous NCAA record.

The win caps a remarkable run in which Filion also placed seventh in the 200 freestyle and won silver in the 100 backstroke, earning several All-American honors in the process.

Penrose Library will be moving the ARMINDA repository to a new platform this week. The ARMINDA site makes digital collections from Penrose Library, the Whitman College and Northwest Archives, Sheehan Gallery and the Maxey Museum available for online users. We expect there will be a few hours of down time for the site on Wednesday, March 23. 

 

The new site will be similar to the current one, and the existing materials will still be available. Some URLs may change–so if you have bookmarked a particular resource you may need to search for it again on the new site. Please bear in mind this schedule and upcoming changes if you plan to access ARMINDA resources (including Honors Theses). If you have questions, please email arminda@whitman.edu.

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