HILLSBORO, Ore.—Seven Lewis & Clark College men's swimmers earned Northwest Conference All-Conference honors at the NWC Championship Meet, the conference office announced on Tuesday afternoon. 
 
The Pioneers put together their best showing in nearly three decades, as they won four events (three individual and one relay) and posted 370 points to finish fifth overall. Lewis & Clark recorded 13 All-Conference performances across their three days of swimming. 
 
Junior Ezra Billings was named the Northwest Conference Men's Swimmer of the Year and head coach Caitlin DeNise earned NWC Men's Swimming Coach of the Year. It marked the first time in program history Lewis & Clark had won either award on the men's side. 
 
Billings made the most of his first NWC Championship Meet. He came in as the top seed in the 50 Free and 100 Free and swept both events, while adding a first-place finish in the 100 Butterfly. Billings became the first men's swimmer to win an individual event at NWCs since 2006 (Justin Lawton) and the first swimmer to win four events in the same year since Dave Cloninger in 1988 (50 and 100 Free, 400 and 800 Free Relay) He earned 60 out of 60 possible points in his three individual events to finish first among all NWC competitors (men's and women's). 
 
The Northern Michigan University (NCAA DII) transfer swam program-record times in all three of his wins, including two NCAA "B Cut" times in the 100 Free (44.66 and 44.70). He was also a part of three Lewis & Clark Relay Teams that swam program record times. The 400 Freestyle Relay team became the first men's relay team to win an event at NWCs since 1988. Billings was also a member of the 200 Free Relay Team that earned Second Team All-Conference honors by finishing second overall. 
 
DeNise earned her first career Coach of the Year honors in just her second year leading the Pioneers. She is the first Lewis & Clark coach to earn NWC Coach of the Year accolades since Chris Fantz shared the NWC Women's Coach of the Year in 2011. Fantz (2010 and 2011) and Matt Sellman (2003) are the only previous Pioneers coaches to win NWC Coach of the Year honors. 
 
DeNise led Lewis & Clark to their best showing at NWCs since the conference expanded past five teams in the mid 1990s. The Pioneers four event wins and 370 total points in the same program are their most since 1989 (when the conference only had five teams competing). The Pioneers posted nine program records across three days of swimming, including notching the fastest times in program history in four of their five relay events. Men's Swimming's fifth-place showing was tied for their best since the 1988-89 season when the team placed third overall. The team took a massive step forward from her first year to this season. The Pioneers scored 91 more points and finished within 22 points of third-place (compared to being 218.5 points back of third in 2024). Seven of the team's 11 swimmers earned All-Conference honors – with two swimmers picking up their first career All-Conference awards. 
 
Senior Micah Rysavy closed out his career with his best NWC Championship Meet. He earned his first three career First Team All-Conference honors and posted a career-high five total All-Conference performances. Rysavy placed second overall in the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke and broke the program record in both events. He added a program-record time in the 200 Free (first leg of the 800 Free Relay) with a time of 1:41.22. The senior tacked on an eighth-place finish in the 100 Free and was a part of both the 400 Free (1^stplace) and 200 Free Relay (2^nd) Teams that earned All-Conference accolades. Rysavy and junior Zach Martin were on all four Lewis & Clark relay teams that swam program-record times. Rysavy finishes his career with 12 career All-Conference awards in nine different events (100 Breaststroke 3x, 200 Breaststroke 2x). He leaves Lewis & Clark as the program record holder in the 200 Free and 200 IM and ranks in the top-10 in 10 individual events. He's also a member of the program-record relay team in all five relays. 
 
Martin picked up a career-high four All-Conference honors during his junior season. Martin earned his first two career First Team accolades, after placing second in the 200 Free (1:42.03) and swimming as the anchor leg on the 400 Free Relay Team that earned First Place honors. Martin came into the 200 Free seeded 11^th, but swam a 1:42.89 in prelims to qualify second and then a personal-best time, second in program history, in the Finals with a 1:42.03. He added a seventh-place showing in the 100 Freestyle (46.46). Martin has now earned nine All-Conference honors through his first three seasons, including placing in the top-six of the 100 Free and 200 Free in all three seasons. He will enter his senior season top-seven in program history in the: 200 Free (second), 100 Free (fourth), 50 Free (sixth) and 100 Breaststroke (seventh). 
 
First year Sam LoCurto was the fourth and final Pioneer to earn First Team All-Conference plaudits. He swam the second leg of the 400 Yard Free Relay that led from wire-to-wire. LoCurto was also a member of the 200 Free Relay Team that placed second overall – to take home Second Team honors. LoCurto also swam on the 800 Free Relay that posted a program record time and just missed the podium with a fourth-place finish (0.15 seconds out of third). The first year made the B Finals in the 100 Fly (11^th place) and 50 Free (15^th place) and just missed out on a spot in the B Final of the 100 Free (17^th place). During his first season, LoCurto posted top-10 marks in the 50 Free (seventh) and 100 Fly (sixth). 
 
Senior Isaac Anderson earned his first collegiate All-Conference honors on the final day of the 2025 NWC Championship Meet. He set the program record in the 200 Breaststroke in qualifying (2:09.29) to finish fifth. Anderson came back in the A Final and placed eighth overall (2:12.34) to earn Second Team All-Conference honors. His PR time in the prelims was a PR by 2.17 seconds. It helped him break Matt Jackson's record (2:09.94) that had stood since the 2019-20 season. Anderson was also a member of the 400 Medley Relay that swam a program-record time and finished fifth overall (3:27.96). He ends his career first all-time in the 200 Breaststroke and 10^th in the 100 Breaststroke.  
 
Senior Aidan Ringel claimed All-Conference honors in the Mile for a second-consecutive season. Ringel swam in the night session of the 1,650 Free and placed seventh overall with a PR time of 16:50.27. His time was a PR by 3.95 second and helped him move up to fifth-place all-time in the event. Ringel also was a member of the 800 Free Relay that set the program record on Day Two of the meet. He finishes his career fifth all-time in the 1,000 and 1,650 Free and seventh in the 500 Free.
 
Junior Michael Spicer claimed his fifth career All-Conference honors after placing fifth in the 200 Fly. He was recognized in the event for the third-consecutive season. Spicer earned his spot in the A Final by finishing seventh in the prelims. He moved up to fifth-place in the Finals, with a time of 1:56.20. Spice has finished in the top-five of the event in all three of his seasons. He will enter his senior season ranked in the top-10 all-time in the: 200 Fly (third), 400 IM (fifth), 100 Fly (seventh) and 500 Free (ninth). 
 
COMPLETE ALL-CONFERENCE LIST 
 
First Team All-Conference 
 
Ezra Billings 
 
50 Freestyle – 1^st Place – 20.42 
100 Freestyle – 1^st Place – 44.70 
100 Butterfly – 1^st Place – 49.25 
400 Freestyle Relay – 1^st Place – 3:03.88 
 
Micah Rysavy 
 
100 Butterfly – 2^nd Place – 49.55 
200 Individual Medley – 2^nd Place – 1:52.80 
400 Freestyle Relay – 1^st Place – 3:03.88
 
Zach Martin 
 
200 Freestyle – 2^nd Place – 1:42.03 
400 Freestyle Relay – 1^st Place – 3:03.88
 
Sam LoCurto 
 
400 Freestyle Relay – 1^st Place – 3:03.88
 
Second Team All-Conference 
 
Zach Martin 
 
100 Freestyle – 7^th Place – 46.46
200 Freestyle Relay – 2^nd Place – 1:24.02
 
Micah Rysavy 
 
100 Freestyle – 8^th Place – 46.51 
200 Freestyle Relay – 2^nd Place – 1:24.02
 
Isaac Anderson
 
200 Breaststroke – 8^th Place – 2:12.34 
 
Ezra Billings 
 
200 Freestyle Relay – 2^nd Place – 1:24.02
 
Sam LoCurto 
 
200 Freestyle Relay – 2^nd place – 1:24.02 
 
Aidan Ringel 
 
1,650 Free (Mile) – 7^th Place – 16:50.27 
 
Michael Spicer 
 
200 Butterfly – 5^th Place – 1:56.20