PORTLAND, Ore.—Lewis & Clark College men's swimming senior Ezra Billings was named the Oregon Small College Men's Collegiate Athlete of the Year by Sport Oregon on Wednesday. 
 
Billings will be recognized at the Oregon Sports Award Ceremony on Thursday, November 6. This year's ceremony will be hosted at the Patricia Reser Center For the Arts in Beaverton. The reception will start at 6 p.m. the ceremony will run from 7-8:30 p.m. Tickets are on-sale now and can be purchased here. 
 
Billings is one of 10 honorees selected by Sports Oregon for their accomplishments during the 24-25 season. University of Oregon alum and New York Liberty player Sabrina Ionescu (Women's Professional Athlete of the Year), Oregon State alum and Cleveland Guardians player Steven Kwan (Men's Professional Athlete of the Year) and former Oregon quarterback and current Cleveland Browns player Dillon Gabriel (Men's Collegiate Athlete of the Year) are some of the other athletes who will be celebrated that night. 
 
Billings is one of three confirmed Lewis & Clark student-athletes to have received major state awards. Men's basketball alum Alex Jones ('17) earned the Play it Forward Award from Sport Oregon in April 2017 for his community service efforts. Lewis & Clark Hall of Famer Pete Ward ('62) was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame and was named Oregon's Athlete of the Year in 1964. 
 
Billings earned the award after putting together an incredible first season in Orange & Black. The Fairbanks, Alaska native won four events at the Northwest Conference Championship Meet and became the first Pioneer to win Northwest Conference Men's Swimmer of the Year honors. 
 
He won the 50 Yard Freestyle (20.42), 100 Yard Freestyle (44.70) and 100 Yard Butterfly (49.25) as an individual at the NWC Championship Meet. Billings also teamed up with Micah Rysavy ('25), senior Zach Martin and sophomore Sam LoCurto to win the 400 Yard Freestyle Relay (3:03.88). He became the first Lewis & Clark men's swimmer to win an event at the NWC Championship Meet since 2006 – when Justin Lawton won the 100 Yard Backstroke. The Pioneers 400 Yard Freestyle Relay Team became the first Lewis & Clark relay team to win at conference since 1988 (400 and 800 Free). Billings was the first Pioneer men's swimmer to win four events at the same NWC Championship Meet since Dave Cloninger in 1988. 
 
In his first season at Lewis & Clark, Billings set the program record for the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. He also was a part of three relay teams that posted program-record times last season: 400 Yard Medley, 200 Free Relay and 400 Free Relay.