Scott Swanson
Sweet Home’s boys won their 15th straight Special District III swimming championship and the girls placed fourth as the Huskies qualified 11 swimmers, including four relay teams, for this weekend’s state championships.
“We placed as high as a team as we possibly could have,” Coach Doug Peargin said. “We took 25 swimmers and 23 of them placed for us.”
The boys rolled up 290 points to outscore Philomath (260) and Central (208), their closest competition. The boys had four individual district champions and two relay winners. Zac Pearce was a double winner, taking the 100 Breaststroke (1:03.23) and the 100 Freestyle (48.05), with Don Rockstead winning the 200 Freestyle (1:54.75) and Gravy Gunselman winning the 100 Backstroke in 58.71. State wild-card qualifiers for the boys were Victor Stupin in the 200 and 500 Freestyles, Jake Johnson in the 200 Individual Medley, Gunselman in the 100 Butterfly and Rockstead in the 100 Freestyle.
The boys also won the 200 Medley Relay (1:43.55) and the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:33.04), to qualify in those events.
Peargin said the Huskies were one place away from qualifying in four other events as well.
“That’s all right,” he said. “We swam well. That was as exciting a meet as I’ve been to, and I’ve been to a lot of them.”
Stupin, a junior who is making his first trip to state, said it was an “outstanding” day for him personally as well as for the team.
“We couldn’t have done any better. We PR’d in every relay. Our medley relay time was faster than they swam at state last year.”
Senior Cory Martin said the Huskies pulled together when they needed to.
“Close unity was what won it for us,” he said. “Coming in we were underdogs. Central and Philomath are top teams with a lot of experience. We have a tight program here and we pulled together and that gives you momentum.”
On the girls side, Blanchet Catholic won with 219 points, followed by Sisters (188), Stayton (173) and the Huskies (159).
Peargin said it came down to a head count for the Huskies, most of whose scoring came from five finalists.
“Those five girls, if we had five more like them, we’d have blown the meet apart,” he said. “We just didn’t have enough girls.”
Naomi Gunselman won district titles in both the 100 Backstroke (1:03.73) and the 200 Individual Medley (2:18.83), with Kimber Swanson adding one more in the 100 Freestyle (1:00.78). The Huskies also qualified for state in the 200 Medley Relay with a second-place finish behind Sisters (2:05.84) and a fourth-place finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:52.34), in which the district qualified its four top teams, Sisters, Stayton, Blanchet and Sweet Home. The Huskies’ finish was a school record.
“We’re a tough district,” Peargin said, noting that times have dropped around the state. “That 200 relay, we took seventh at state with a slower time last year and we took fourth in district this year.”
Senior Katie Turner, a four-year veteran, said she was pretty happy with the Huskies’ finish.
“We are a lot smaller than we were last year and some people weren’t feeling well,” she said. “But in the end we pulled it together. I’m proud of our team.”
Things got off to a bit of a rough start for both the boys and girls in Friday’s preliminaries – actually, before the prelims for the boys. That’s when, during warmups, freshman Ryan Yon hit the bulkhead that splits the 50-yard pool at the South Albany Aquatic Center where the meet was held.
Yon said he was making a flip turn and smashed his heel into the metal bridge structure, cutting it open. Forced to go to the hospital to have it stitched up, Yon made it back in time to swim on the 400 Freestyle “B” relay team, though Peargin had to scratch him in two other events, the 200 and 500 Freestyles.
Then, on the girls side, Emily Thompson got disqualified for an illegal turn in her 200 Individual Medley preliminary, the second event of the day, in which she had high expectations of qualifying for state. Peargin said he strongly disagreed with the call, but Thompson rebounded and, a strong breaststroker, helped the 200 Medley Relay team qualify on Saturday.
Although freshman McKenzie Curtis didn’t qualify for state as an individual, placing sixth in both the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Backstroke, she swam the anchor leg for the 200 Medley Relay team’s qualifying performance. Curtis has been forced to limit her practice time all season, Peargin said, due to shoulder injuries.
“I think I did really good,” Curtis said. “I placed in the top six in all my events and I’m only a freshman. I hope, when my shoulder gets better, that I can practice every day next year and place first.”
Peargin agreed: “To final in two individual events is tough.”
A club swimmer when she was younger, Curtis said she’s enjoyed high school swimming.
“I like high school meets because there’s a lot more team spirit than you have at club meets,” she said.
Peargin said the Huskies’ finish was the result of the work they’ve put in, spending most of two months getting up to swim at 6 a.m., five days a week.
“I tell these kids that by going daily doubles – putting in more yards and working harder than the other teams, that it pays off at the end of the year and our teams showed that,” he said. “They have done all of the above.
“For those that ended the season at this meet, it was a great way to finish and for those that get to go on to state, it gives these kids one more chance to better their best time.”
Pearce, a senior who won state titles last year in the 200 and 500 freestyle events, echoed the importance of the training.
“Those mornings paid off,” he said. “Those doubles every day all came together. Because of all those doubles, when we’re neck and neck with somebody in the last 25 (yards), we’re going to beat them. That’s why we did what we did.”
Senior Zach Pratt agreed.
“I thought we did good,” he said. “We had experience, which comes from how often we practice. When you do two-a-days the whole season, you get experience.”
The state championships meet, which includes divisions 1A through 4A, will be held Friday and Saturday at the Mt. Hood Community College Aquatics Center, 26000 SE Stark St. in Gresham. Prelims and finals start at 1:45 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, respectively.
Peargin said he expects a meet in which the Huskies are going to have to exert maximum effort.
“A lot of those (other) districts have one good team and they don’t have to swim strong to get there,” he said of the seed times going into the event. “Even though we’re seeded above them in some of those races, watch out. There are about 10 teams that could be in the top four on the guys’ side.
“The girls are going to have to swim lifetime bests. They have a shot.
“We’ll do all right. Those kids are fighters.”
Pearce said he expects the teams to be ready.
“I know we’re going to do better at state,” he said. “We’re not fully rested yet.”
Boys Results
Top 3 Plus Sweet Home scorers
*Qualifier for State Meet
Team Scores – (1) Sweet Home 290; (2) Philomath 260; (3) Central 208; (4) Sisters 125; (5) Blanchet Catholic 111; (6) Stayton 65; (7-tie) Cascade, Salem Academy 42; (9) Junction City 24.
200 Medley Relay – (1) Sweet Home “A” (Gravy Gunselman, Zac Pearce, Don Rockstead, Victor Stupin) 1:43.55*; (2) Philomath “A” 1:45.52; (3) Central “A” 1:49.66; (4) Sisters “A” 1:52.68; (5) Philomath “B” 1:58.62; (6) Sweet Home “B” (Bryce Roberts, Cory Martin, Elric Benson, Zane Jackson) 1:59.14; (7) Cascade 2:03.63; (8) Stayton 2:04.13; (9) Salem Academy 2:04.73; (10) Sisters “B” 2:09.18; (11) Central “B” 2:12.53; (12) Blanchet 2:14.51.
200 Freestyle – (1) Don Rockstead (SH) 1:54.75*; (2) Victor Stupin (SH) 2:00.73*; (3) Joseph Erickson (P) 2:05.89; (6) Sten Weld (SH) 2:12.76; (9) Bryce Roberts (SH) 2:20.43.
200 Individual Medley – (1) Patrick Williamson (P) 2:09.13; (2) Jake Johnson (SH) 2:22.28*; (3) Nathan Glade (Cent) 2:28.16; (4) Cory Martin (SH) 2:28.69; (6) Justin Hilburn (SH) 2:41.41; (7) Elric Benson (SH) 2:38.12.
50 Freestyle – (1) Robert Berry (Cent) 22.94; (2) Taylor Hagel (P) 22.96; (3) Joseph Walker (JC) 23.19.
100 Butterfly – (1) Taylor Hagel (P) 55.55; (2) Gravy Gunselman (SH) 55.59*; (3) Joseph Walker (JC) 57.55; (9) Zach Pratt (SH) 1:07.17; (11) Justin Hilburn (SH) 1:13.87.
100 Freestyle – (1) Zac Pearce (SH) 48.05*; (2) Don Rockstead (SH) 51.46*; (3) Andrew Hasbrook (Cen) 52.05; (12) Josh Wooley (SH) 1:02.84.
500 Freestyle – (1) Jeremy Darst (B) 5:16.00; (2) Chris Strahan (Stay) 5:31.71; (3) Victor Stupin (SH) 5:36.71*; (8) Sten Weld (SH) 6:04.49; (9) Zach Pratt (SH) 6:05.89.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) Sweet Home “A” (Gravy Gunselman, Jake Johnson, Don Rockstead, Zac Pearce) 1:33.04*; (2) Central “A” 1:34.85; (3) Sisters “A” 1:39.21; (4) Philomath “A” 1:41.12; (5) Blanchet 1:45.32; (6) Philomath “B” 1:45.59; (7) Stayton “A” 1:44.53; (8) Cascade “A” 1:45.67; (9) Central “B” 1:47.16; (10) Sweet Home “B” (Elric Benson, Justin Hilburn, Dema Gourley, Bryce Roberts) 1:48.94; (11) Sisters “B” 1:58.39.
100 Backstroke – (1) Gravy Gunselman (SH) 58.71*; (2) Chase Celorie (P) 59.24; (3) Jeremy Darst (B) 1:00.05; (10) Bryce Roberts (SH) 1:10.02.
100 Breaststroke – (1) Zac Pearce (SH) 1:03.23*; (2) Robert Berry (Cent) 1:0448; (3) Patrick Williamson (P) 1:05.98; (5) Cory Martin (SH) 1:12.50; (8) Jake Johnson (SH) 1:15.04.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) Philomath “A” 3:31.12; (2) Sisters “A” 3:38.53; (3) Sweet Home “A” (Justin Hilburn, Victor Stupin, Zane Jackson, Jake Johnson) 3:49.14; (4) Blanchet “A” 3:56.36; (5) Central 4:06.40.
Girls Results
Top 3 Plus Sweet Home scorers
*Qualifier for State Meet
Team Scores – (1) Blanchet Catholic 219; (2) Sisters 188; (3) Stayton 173; (4) Sweet Home 159; (5) Philomath 129; (6) Cascade 97; (7) Salem Academy 89; (8) Junction City 77; (9) Central 65.
200 Medley Relay – (1) Sisters 2:03.94; (2) Sweet Home (Naomi Gunselman, Emily Thompson, Kimber Swanson, McKenzie Curtis) 2:05.84*; (3) Stayton 2:07.29; (4) Junction City 2:12.89; (5) Philomath 2:13.36; (6) Sisters “B”2:15.52; (7) Blanchet 2:15.98; (8) Salem Academy 2:18.21; (9) Philomath “B” 2:30.45; (10) Cascade 2:32.30.
200 Freestyle – (1) Elizabeth Bartholomew (B) 2:10.93; (2) Julie Wallace (Stay) 2:13.54; (3) Krysta Reynolds (Stay) 2:13.95; (4) Kimber Swanson (SH) 2:15.82.
200 Individual Medley – (1) Naomi Gunselman (SH) 2:18.83*; (2) Katie Stewart (Sis) 2:27.21; (3) Manami Uehnra (B) 2:53.34; (10) Emily Claborn (SH) 3:12.20.
50 Freestyle – (1) Michelle Young (Sis) 27.09; (2) Emily Christen (Sis) 27.24; (3) Aleya Hill (Stay) 27.50; (6) McKenzie Curtis (SH) 28.80.
100 Butterfly – (1) Kelsey Nanneman (B) 1:08.76; (2) Lilly Barnes (C) 1:11.90; (3) Marissa Browning –Kamins (P) 1:12.88; no Sweet Home scorers.
100 Freestyle – (1) Kimber Swanson (SH) 1:00.78*; (2) Samantha Williamson (Sis) 1:01.49; (3) Aleya Hill (Stay) 1:01.61; (10) Paige Sanders (SH) 1:09.02.
500 Freestyle – (1) Elizabeth Bartholomew (B) 5:49.46; (2) Julie Wallace (Stay) 6:03.65; (3) Megan Waguespack (B) 6:16.74; (4) Emily Thompson (SH) 6:17.35; (7) Katie Turner (SH) 6:49.79.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) Sisters 1:49.48; (2) Stayton 1:50.91; (3) Blanchet 1:51.47; (4) Sweet Home (McKenzie Curtis, Paige Sanders, Kimber Swanson, Naomi Gunselman) 1:52.34*; (5) Philomath 1:57.12; (6) Sisters “B” 1:58.49.
100 Backstroke – (1) Naomi Gunselman (SH) 1:03.73*; Kelsey Nanneman (B) 1:08.14; (3) Codie Lagao (Sis) 1:12.28; (6) McKenzie Curtis (SH) 1:16.54.
100 Breaststroke – (1) Katie Stewart (Sis) 1:17.15; (2) Lauren Hindman (Phil) 1:19.17; Mikayla Gerdes (JC) 1:22.07; no Sweet Home scorers.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) Sisters “A” 4:04,44; (2) Blanchet 4:08.45; (3) Cascade 4:26.87; (4) Salem Academy 4:33.21; (5) Blanchet “B” 4:35.68; (6) Sisters “B” 4:46.55; (10) Sweet Home (Shiho Harada, Paige Sanders, Katie Turner, Emily Thompson) 4:56.44.
– Staff member David Johnson contributed to this article.