Scott Swanson
Sweet Home’s girls swam away with their fifth straight district championship Saturday, Feb. 10, and the boys pulled out a three-point win over Salem Academy to post their second straight title.
It was a team effort in every way, Coach Doug Peargin said.
“It took everybody,” he said. “Out of everybody who was here, every boy on the team placed and we only had three girls who didn’t. If we hadn’t had all of them, we’d have gotten whupped.”
The Huskies qualified 10 swimmers or relay teams for state in eight events on the girls side and eight competitors in seven events on the boys.
As Peargin said, every point counted, particularly for the boys, who outpaced Salem Academy 273-270, ahead of third-place Philomath (196).
“I knew it was going to be a close meet,” Peargin said. “I told the team that we needed everyone to pull points for us to be in the hunt. We knew we were in great physical condition and we knew we were in our best events. We just had to come into the meet with the mental attitude that we weren’t going to make mistakes and do our job.
“If we were to be beaten, it would be simply because they outswam us, not because we made a mistake and gave it to them. We stayed solid and stuck with our game plan.”
For the boys, senior Rowland Lupoli won district titles in the 50 and 100 Freestyles, and junior Stewart Curtis qualified for state in the 100 with a third-place finish.
Rawlins Lupoli, also a senior, also won a pair of titles, in the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke.
All three of the boys relay teams qualified, with the Lupolis leading the Huskies to a win in the 200 Medley Relay.
The boys team race came down to the final event, in which Sweet Home’s 400 Relay team of Seth Wright, Cameron Taber, Dakota Seward and Stewart Curtis finished second to Salem Academy, preserving the Huskies’ margin of victory.
Rawlins Lupoli said things were a little tight after the preliminaries on Friday, but he had confidence in his team.
“I knew going in we had a good chance,” he said after Saturday’s competition was over. “As of yesterday it became a little closer, so I knew I was going to have to swim well. It was a nail-biter, but everybody came out and performed.”
Wright, also a senior, said “all this season’s training and hard work just paid off today.”
“I’m very thankful that I had the opportunity to share this with my team. And it’s great that we won districts this year. I’m really grateful.”
On the girls side, Oregon State University-bound senior Lauren Yon won her fourth straight district title in the 200 Individual Medley and added a win in the 500 Freestyle, the seventh individual championship of her high school career.
“It was super awesome (to win four in a row),” she said. “It was a cool experience. Everybody worked really hard all year for this moment. It’s best to watch our coaches’ expressions. That’s the best part.”
Sophomore Megan Hager repeated as league champion in the 50 and 100 freestyles, and senior Mia Davis won the 200 Freestyle to notch her first league individual title.
The girls also won district titles in the 200 Medley Relay and the 400 Freestyle Relay.
In addition to the district titlists, Sarah Hewitt qualified for state in the 200 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke.
Peargin said it was hard to pick out anyone who stood out on his team.
“So many kids did good that I just hate to mention anybody,” he said. “I think we’re in as good or better shape than most of the people we’re going against and that’s what the difference is. On that final lap, (his swimmers) dig in and get after it.
“As I told them (before Friday’s preliminaries), ‘You put too much time in, if it’s tight, to get beat.'”
The competition is growing for the Huskies, and it showed last weekend.
“There’s so much talent any more,” Peargin said. “Five years ago you could come in here and walk away with this thing. Any more, when you’ve got 1,000 points out there and you only win by three, I mean, it’s tight.
“We’ve got good people but the thing is other teams have good people too, nowadays. A lot of the guys are going year-round. It’s gotten a lot more competitive, it really has.”
The state meet, this Friday and Saturday at Mt. Hood Community College in Gresham, will be a challenge for Sweet Home, which won both the boys and girls titles last year. Simply stated, the 4A/3A/2A/1A division is loaded with talent and the Huskies will find out how they match up.
“Now comes the second part of our goal – a trophy at state,” he said.
On the girls side, Catlin Gabel “looks unbeatable,” Peargin said, with Marshfield, North Bend, La Grande and Tillamook all looking for a piece of the action. For the boys, Newport is loaded, with qualifiers in every event – as many as three in several, with North Bend, La Grande and others in the running as well.
“There are some real quality teams at state,” Peargin said. “It’s going to be a lot tougher this year, a lot tougher than it was last year. I’m just hoping that we can be a trophy team up there.”
His swimmers have been there before.
“Newport is going to be tough,” Rawlins Lupoli said. “North Bend is going to be tough. We’re just shooting for a trophy.”
“State is going to be really good racing, good competition,” said Yon, who will be seeking her sixth and seventh individual state titles – she’s won three in the 200 IM and one each in the 100 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke. “It’s going to be different because it’s going to be a lot closer.”
Hager will seek to repeat in the 100 Freestyle after winning last year and
“We’ll just swim our races and hope for the best,” said Rowland Lupoli, who won a state title in the 100 Butterfly last year.
Davis said the Huskies just need to pull together.
“I’m hoping that we swim really fast, obviously, but not just that – that we stay positive and we don’t focus too much on the goal of winning because it is a goal – we’re not too sure that we’re going to win yet, but I have full confidence that we can. I’m really excited to see what happens.”
District 3 Swimming Championships
Finals Results Top Three
and Sweet Home Finishers
State Qualifiers*
Girls Results
Team Scores – (1) Sweet Home 310; (2) Salem Academy 281; (3) Sisters 159; (4) Philomath 156; (5) Blanchet Catholic 140; (6) Stayton 101; (7) Cascade 97; (8) North Marion 30; (9) Amity 19; (10) Junction City 2.
200 Medley Relay – (1) *Sweet Home “A” (Sarah Hewitt, Lauren Yon, Mia Davis, Megan Hager) 1:55.21; (2) *Sisters 1:58.33; (3) *Philomath 2:08.12; (4) *Cascade 2:08.52; (5) *Blanchet 2:09.00; (6) Salem Academy 2:10.01; (8) Sweet Home “B” (Isabel Rodriguez, Torree Hawken, Milah Weld, Ella Parker) 2:17.68.
200 Freestyle – (1) *Mia Davis (SH) 2:02:49; (2) *Sarah Hewitt (SH) 2:04.09; (3) Ana Kosiewicz (Blanchet) 2:12.37; (5) Torree Hawken (SH) 2:25.26; (8) Brook Womack (SH) 2:27.50.
200 Individual Medley – (1) *Lauren Yon (SH) 2:11.88; (2) *Sarah Kenyon (Salem Academy ) 2:27.10; (3) Chloe Lone Elk (Cascade) 2:33.12; (6) Ella Parker (SH) 2:45.51; (7) Milah Weld (SH) 2:49.53.
50 Freestyle – (1) *Magen Hager (SH) 24.80; (2) *Hawley Harrer (Sisters) 25.77; (3) *Molly Gallagher (Salem Academy) 26.07; (7) Moira Curtis (SH) 28.72.
100 Butterfly – (1) *Trinity Pierce (Salem Academy) 1:03.23; (2) *Min Wei (Cascade) 1:03.49; (3) *Megan Mak (Stayton) 1:06.37; (4) *Ana Koseiwicz (Blanchet) 1:09.46; (11) Maren Weld (SH) 1:31.08.
100 Freestyle – (1) *Megan Hager (SH) 53.75; (2) *Kayla Greenwood (Blanchet) 59.77; (3) Moira Curtis (SH) 1:02.88; (6) Torree Hawken (SH) 1:05.14; (11) Samantha Coats (SH) 1:08.11; (12) Hikari Kawai (SH) 1:08.64.
500 Freestyle – (1) *Lauren Yon (SH) 5:13.68; (2) *Lydia Bartlett (Sisters) 5:25.17; (3) *Mia Davis (SH) 5:25.84; (4) *Meredith Mandal (Sisters) 5:34.55; (9) Ella Parker (SH) 6:14.86.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) *Sisters 1:43.53; (2) *Salem Academy 1:47.27; (3) *Stayton 1:53.87; (4) Philomath 1:55.58; (5) Cascade 1:57.64; (6) Sweet Home “A” (Brook Womack, Samantha Coats, Torree Hawken, Moira Curtis) 2:00.59; (9) Sweet Home “B” (Milah Weld, Lizz Adams, Hikari Kawai, Katrina Reynolds) 2:04.49.
100 Backstroke – (1) *Trinity Pierce (Salem Academy) 1:03.91; (2) *Sarah Hewitt (SH) 1:03.89; (3) *Molly Gallagher 1:06.41; (12) Maren Weld (SH) 1:26.59.
100 Breaststroke – (1) *Brooke Robillard (Sisters) 1:11.36; (2) *Min Wei (Cascade) 1:12.79; (3) *Amity Coon (Philomath) 1:14.92; (8) Milah Weld (SH) 1:26.61.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) *Sweet Home (Megan Hager, Mia Davis, Sarah Hewitt, Lauren Yon) 3:43.90; (2) *Sisters 3:48.64; (3) *Salem Academy 3:59.96; (4) *Blanchet 4:10.40; (5) *Stayton 4:14.03; (6) Sweet Home “B” (Brook Womack, Ella Parker, Samantha Coats, Moira Curtis) 4:27.65.
Boys Results
Team Scores – (1) Sweet Home 273; (2) Salem Academy 270; (3) Philomath 196; (4) Blanchet Catholic 134; (5) Stayton 112; (6) North Marion 90; (7) Junction City 74; (8) Sisters 69; (9) Kennedy 34; (10) Cascade 3.
200 Medley Relay – (1) *Sweet Home “A” (Bradley Wolthuis, Rawlins Lupoli, Rowland Lupoli, Seth Wright) 1:45.60; (2) *Salem Academy 1:45.71; (3) *Philomath 1:53.47; (4) *Blanchet 1:53.82; (5) *Stayton 1:54.67; (9) Sweet Home “B” (Noah Dinsfriend, Cameron Taber, Dakota Seward, Carlos Galvez) 2:14.67.
200 Freestyle – (1) *Caleb Warde (Salem Academy) 1:50.72; (2) Wyatt Chaffey (Salem Academy) 1:59.53; (3) Seth Wright 2:00.77; (7) Dakota Seward (SH) 2:09.74;
200 Individual Medley – (1) *Rawlins Lupoli (SH) 2:06.96; (2) *Lucas Toth (North Marion) 2:09.42; (3) *Paul Hegney (Blanchet) 2:09.87; (6) Cameron Taber (SH) 2:30.26; (10) Noah Dinsfriend (SH) 2:51.97.
50 Freestyle – (1) *Rowland Lupoli (SH) 22.42; (2) *Wilson McLean (Salem Academy) 22.50; (3) *Matthew Nettland (Salem Academy) 23.53; (4) Stewart Curtis (SH) 23.95.
100 Butterfly – (1) *Caleb Warde (Salem Academy) 56.60; (2) *Elijah Leutwyler (Salem Acadey) 57.69; (3) *James Dye (Philomath) 58.21; (4) Bradley Wolthuis (SH) 1:00.66.
100 Freestyle – (1) *Rowland Lupoli (SH) 51.01; (2) *Lucas Toth (North Marion) 51.69; (3) *Stewart Curtis (SH) 52.64.
500 Freestyle – (1) *James Dye (Philomath) 5:18.94; (2) *Jacob Miller (Kennedy) 5:28.42; (3) *Chris Linton (Stayton) 5:33.53; (5) Cameron Taber (SH) 5:37.95; (6) Seth Wright (SH) 5:46.42; (7) Dakota Seward (SH) 5:33.34; (9) Hunter Calderwood (SH) 6:33.90.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) *Salem Academy 1:32.48; (2) *Sweet Home “A” (Bradley Wolthuis, Rawlins Lupoli, Stewart Curtis, Rowland Lupoli) 1:32.97; (3) *Philomath 1:39.20; (4) Sisters 1:47.20; (5) Junction City 1:52.19; (12) Sweet Home “B” (Zech Brown, Hayden Deatherage, Hunter Calderwood, Noah Dinsfriend) 2:04.21.
100 Backstroke – (1) *Wyatt Chaffey (Salem Academy) 1:00.54; (2) *Paul Hegney (Blanchet) 1:00.83; (3) *Elijah Leutwyler (Salem Acadey) 1:01.74; (4) Bradley Wolthuis (SH) 1:05.66; (10) Noah Dinsfriend (SH) 1:19.49.
100 Breaststroke – (1) *Rawlins Lupoli (SH) 1:02.74; (2) *Eric Seitz (Stayton) 1:04.10; (3) Tristan Pindell (Philomath) 1:08.36.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) *Salem Academy 3:27.98; (2) *Sweet Home (Seth Wright, Cameron Taber, Dakota Seward, Stewart Curtis) 3:41.37; (3) *Blanchet 3:47.23; (4) Stayton 3:51.66; (5) Philomath 4:06.60; (10) Sweet Home “B” (Zech Brown, Carlos Galvez, Hunter Calderwood, Hayden Deatherage) 4:39.84.