The Sweet Home swim teams got their first double trophies ever this year with a team effort and that theme carried over to the team’s awards night Thursday as boys state finals relay team members and three girls were named Most Outstanding Upperclassmen.
The boys honorees were Zach Pearce, Gravy Gunselman, Don Rockstead and Alex Stupin. The girls were Sami Webb, Niccole Simmonds and Kimber Swanson.
The fourth member of the girls team that clinched their first-ever state trophy with a third-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay, sophomore Naomi Gunselman, was named Most Outstanding Underclassman.
Sophomores Victor Stupin and Sten Weld were named Most Outstanding Underclassmen for the boys.
Coach Doug Peargin emphasized that it took every point scored by every swimmer to win the boys district title by two points and the girls’ title by six points, both over Philomath.
“If one of these boys hadn’t scored, we wouldn’t have won,” he said.
Webb and Naomi Gunselman, as high point scorers for the girls, were named team captains, while Gravy Gunselman and Pearce were for the boys.
Most Improved Swimmers were sophomores Emily Thompson and Emily Claborn for the girls and senior Josh Liskey for the boys. Peargin noted that Liskey swam for three years before he made the finals at districts, a feat he accomplished this year. Both Thompson and Claborn placed at districts as well.
The girls had three four-year letter winners: Webb, Simmonds and Cheryl Wilson, and one three-year winner, Katie Turner. Two-year letters were Claborn, Naomi Gunselman, Paige Sanders, Swanson and Thompson. Michelle Carper was awarded a first-year letter and Shelby Wymetalek, Megan Sanderson and Rosaliya Minigulova received JV certificates.
Boys third-year letter winners were Brandon Courteau, Derek Jaques, Cory Martin, Pearce, Bryce Roberts and Alex Stupin. Two-year letter winners were Wes Clarkson, Gravy Gunselman, Jake Johnson, Rockstead and Victor Stupin. First-year letter winners were Elric Benson, Zane Jackson, Josh Liskey, Zach Pearce and Sten Weld.