The Sweet Home boys swim team got a preview of what the state meet competition is going to look like Saturday at the Marist Invitational as the Huskies were edged by a point by last year’s state champion, Cottage Grove.
“This meet, by far, was the toughest that we’ve been in so far this year,” Coach Doug Peargin said, noting that the competition included last year’s first- and second-place teams in the Lions and Huskies, but the ninth-place team in the Marist boys. On the girls side, Marist is the defending state champion, with Cottage Grove third and Cascade fourth in last year’s state meet.
“This was a great challenge for our team midway through the season,” Peargin said.
Cottage Grove’s boys scored 85 points to win, with Sweet Home right behind with 84, followed by Marist (56), Central (51), Cascade (23) and Junction City (5). On the girls side, Marist was first (91), followed by Cottage Grove (77), Cascade (65), Sweet Home (40), Central (26) and Junction City (6).
In addition to the first-place 200 medley relay and 400 freestyle relay teams, the boys got individual wins from Kieran Schafer in the 200 and 100 freestyles, and Jayce Calhoon in the 200 IM and 100 backstroke.
Sami Webb was the top finisher for the girls, taking second in the 500 freestyle.
With the district meet only six weeks away, the Huskies will get back into their “normal” routine, Peargin said.
“We’re coming along pretty well as a team, especially with all the new swimmers we have this year,” he said. “Now we’ll be trying to find events for everyone at district time.”
Marist Invitational
Sweet Home Boys Results
200 Medley Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home “A” (Jayce Calhoon, Michael Simmonds, Zachary Pearce, Kieran Schaefer) 1:49.8.
200 Freestyle €“ (1) Kieran Schaefer 1:58.5; (5) Rob Callagan 2:10.6.
200 Intermediate Medley €“ (1) Jayce Calhoon 2:05.0; (4) Michael Simmonds 2:16.9.
50 Freestyle €“ (4) Dakotah Keys 26.1; (6) Byron Sanders 26.6.
100 Butterfly €“ (3) Zachary Pearce 1:03.4.
100 Freestyle €“ (1) Kieran Schaefer 51.2; (6) Rob Callagan 57.0.
500 Freestyle €“ (3) Michael Simmonds 5:31.7.
200 Medley Relay €“ (3) Sweet Home “A” (Dakotah Keys, David Worthen, Byron Sanders, Rob Callagan) 1:45.5.
100 Backstroke €“ (1) Jayce Calhoon 55.7; (5) Zachary Pearce 1:05.3.
100 Breaststroke €“ No Sweet Home Competitors
400 Freestyle Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home “A” (Jayce Calhoon, Michael Simmonds, Zachary Pearce, Kieran Schaefer) 3:35.2.
Marist Invitational
Sweet Home Girls Results
200 Medley Relay €“ (4) Sweet Home “A” (Laura Gourley, Nichole Simmonds, Sami Webb, Faith Helfrich) 2:16.5.
200 Freestyle €“ (5) Nichole Simmonds 2:29.9.
200 Intermediate Medley €“ (3) Sami Webb 2:31.5; (5) Laura Gourley 2:58.1.
50 Freestyle €“ No Sweet Home Competitors.
100 Butterfly €“ (4) Nichole Simmonds 1:26.1.
100 Freestyle €“ No Sweet Home Competitors.
500 Freestyle €“ (2) Sami Webb 5:59.0.
200 Medley Relay €“ (5) Sweet Home “A” (Katie Turner, Katie Kinney, Cheryl Wilson, Norajean Lemar) 1:22.6.
100 Backstroke €“ (3) Laura Gourley 1:15.3; (5) Norajean Lemar 1:22.6.
100 Breaststroke €“ No Sweet Home Competitors
400 Freestyle Relay €“ (3) Sweet Home “A” (Nichole Simmonds, Faith Helfrich, Laura Gourley, Sami Webb) 4:36.8.
Stayton Invitational
A tired Sweet Home swim squad got back into the pool after the winter holiday Tuesday at the Stayton Invitational and the boys came away with 171 points, behind 10 first-place finishes, including all three relays.
Sweet Home left Stayton and Cascade, who tied for second with 60 points each, and Junction City (8) in its wake.
This may have been the best meet that we’ve had as a team over the past five or six years,” Coach Doug Peargin said.
The meet was held in Stayton’s metric pool, which is longer than nearly all high school pools in the state.
“Most high school pools in Oregon are yard pools,” Peargin said. “One hundred meters equals 110 yards, so your races are actually longer than if they were yards.”
The Sweet Home girls finished third, with 60 points, behind Cascade (129 points) and Stayton (104), and ahead of Junction City (6).
“We swam real well as a team, but lack of depth hurt us in the girls, whereas in the boys our numbers really helped as we nearly tripled the other teams in points,” Peargin said.
Individual first-place winners for the boys were Michael Simmonds in the 200 freestyle, Zachary Pearce in the 200 IM and the 100 butterfly, Jayce Calhoon in the 100 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, Rob Callagan in the 400 freestyle and Kieran Schaefer in the 100 backstroke.
The girls had no individual winners, though Sami Webb, Laura Gourley and Norajean Lemar were runner-ups in at least one race each.
Stayton Invitational
Boys Top Three and Sweet Home Results
(All distances in meters)
200 Medley Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home (David Worthen, Michael Simmonds, Zachary Pearce, Dakotah Keys) 2:16.27.
200 Freestyle €“ (1) Michael Simmonds (SH) 2:17.33; (2) Dakota Weitman (S) 2:21.45; (3) Rob Callagan (SH) 2:26.14; (4) Byron Sanders (SH) 2:34.01.
200 IM €“ (1) Zachary Pearce (SH) 2:37.25; (2) Steve Bishop (C) 2:51.36; (3) David Worthen (SH) 2:52.83; (5) David Buck (SH) 3:14.26.
50 Freestyle €“ (1) Chris Purdy (S) 28.18; (2) Dakotah Keys (SH) 29.40; (3) Sam Selander (C) 30.64; (4) Alex Stupin (SH) 31.57; (5) Cory Martin (SH) 31.62; (7) Derek Jaques (SH) 32.74; (8) Brehk Veitenheimer (SH) 32.83; (14) Kyle Lewis (SH) 36.88; (16) Don Rockstead (SH) 37.98.
100 Butterfly €“ (1) Zachary Pearce (SH) 1:16.03; (2) Thayne Crowther (S) 1:26.75; (3) Brandon Courteau (SH) 1:32.06.
100 Freestyle €“ (1) Jayce Calhoon (SH) 58.43; (2) Dakota Weitman (S) 1:03.01; (2) Artie Selander (C) 1:07.61; (4) Alex Stupin (SH) 1:12.76; (5) Derek Jaques (SH) 1:15.34; (6) Brehk Veitenheimer (SH) 1:17.66; (10 Kyle Lewis (SH) 1:27.32; (11) Don Rockstead (SH) 1:27.72.
400 Freestyle €“ (1) Rob Callagan (SH) 5:23.47; (2) David Worthen (SH) 5:34.66; (3) Brandon Leslie (JC) 5:48.95; (4) Cory Martin (SH) 5:49.47.
200 Freestyle Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home “A” (Dakotah Keys, Byron Sanders, Jayce Calhoon, Kieran Schaefer) 1:53.43; (2) Stayton 2:02.55; (3) Cascade 2:02.60; (4) Sweet Home “B” (David Buck, Alex Stupin, Derek Jaques, Brehk Veitenheimer) 2:14.90; (5) Sweet Home “C” (Brandon Courteau, Kyle Lewis, Bryce Roberts, Don Rockstead) 2:22.72.
100 Backstroke €“ (1) Kieran Schaefer (SH) 1:10.34; (2) Bryce Roberts (SH) 1:28.73; (3) Max Thienol (S) 1:33.33.
100 Breaststroke €“ (1) Jayce Calhoon (SH) 1:19.68; (2) Steve Bishop (C) 1:24.28; (3) Chris Purdy (S) 1:24.86; (4) Derek Jaques (SH) 1:33.03; (5) David Buck (SH) 1:35.96.
400 Freestyle Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home “A” (Rob Callagan, David Worthen, Michael Simmonds, Kieran Schaefer) 4:17.01; (2) Stayton 4:44.01; (3) Cascade 4:47.11; (4) Sweet Home “B” (Brehk Veitenheimer, Cory Martin, Byron Sanders, Bryce Roberts) 4.55.14.
Girls Top Three and Sweet Home Results
(All distances in meters)
200 Medley Relay €“ (1) Stayton 2:26.16; (2) Cascade 2:29.38; (3) Sweet Home “A” (Laura Gourley, Nichole Simmonds, Faith Helfrich, Sami Webb) 2:31.76; (6) Sweet Home “B” (Katie Kinney, Norajean Lemar, Katie Turner, Cheryl Wilson) 3:01.34.
200 Freestyle €“ (1) Lauren Littrell (C) 2:38.41; (2) Lindsay Austin (C) 2:40.19; (3) Nichole Simmonds (SH) 2:48.29; (6) Katie Kinney (SH) 3:10.28.
200 IM €“ (1) Crystal Kibby (C) 2:26.70; (2) Sami Webb (SH) 2:53.55; (3) Sarah Patty (S) 3:03.20; (4) Laura Gourley (SH) 3:18.15.
50 Freestyle €“ (1) Jessie Wallace (S) 31.59; (2) Emma Englehart (S) 32.11; (3) Faith Helfrich (SH) 33.91; (8) Katie Turner (SH) 40.62; (12) Kelika Kaniaupio (SH) 45.53; (15) Savannah McCalister (SH) 49.04; (16) Silvia Milburn (SH) 51.30.
100 Butterfly €“ (1) Sarah Patty (S) 1:18.10; (2) Lindsay Austin (C) 1:35.66; (3) Alex Romero (C) 1:38.62; (no Sweet Home competitors).
100 Freestyle €“ (1) Jessie Wallace (S) 1:09.31; (2) Lauren Littrell (C) 1:10.17; (3) Faith Helfrich (SH) 1:13.73; (12) Cheryl Wilson (SH) 1:31.68; (15) Sylvia Milburn (SH) 1:52.29.
400 Freestyle €“ (1) Alyssa Brokaw (C) 5:59.09; (2) Norajean Lemar (SH) 6:12.17; (3) Mariah McGill (C) 6:54.46.
200 Freestyle Relay €“ (1) Stayton 2:08.60; (2) Cascade 2:09.81; (5) Sweet Home “A” (Katie Turner, Katie Kinney, Cheryl Wilson, Norajean Lemar) 2:36.50; (8) Sweet Home “B” (Team members’s names not available) 2:57.30.
100 Backstroke €“ (1) Crystal Kibby (C) 1:10.75; (2) Laura Gourley (SH) 1:25.23; (3) Llexa Magnuson (C) 1:38.10; (7) Kelika Kaniaupio (SH) 2:00.35.
100 Breaststroke €“ (1) Emma Englehart (S) 1:34.56; (2) Sami Webb (SH) 1:34.59; (3) Hannah Burks (C) 1:44.84.
400 Freestyle Relay €“ (1) Cascade 4:38.84; (2) Sweet Home “A” (Laura Gourley, Faith Helfrich, Norajean Lemar, Sami Webb) 5:05.09; (3) Stayton 5:22.38; (7) Sweet Home “B” (Katie Kinney, Katie Turner, Cheryl Wilson, Savannah McCalister) 6:35.31.