Cassell, Ecker to represent Sweet Home at zone meet
Megan Cassell and Jeff Ecker will head for the Western Zone Championships in August after qualifying at state championships the weekend of July 20.
Ecker and Cassell will join 78 other swimmers from Oregon at the zone meet Aug. 6-10 against 17 other states.
“I was really happy with how I did,” Cassell, a senior at South Albany High School, said. “I think my highest place was fifth. I did pretty good.”
She ended the state championships with five out of six all-time personal best times. She finished with four priority standards in the 100 and 200 back, the 200 free and the 200 IM and five consideration times in the 50, 100, 400 and 800 free and the 400 IM for the zone meet.
“I didn’t fare out so well,” Ecker, a Sweet Home High School senior, said. “My highest place was eighth. I did good for how long I’ve been swimming.”
Ecker entered the state championships without one consideration time for the zone meet. He finished with two consideration times in the 100 and 200 back and nearly a third in the 50 free. He also improved all of his personal best times significantly.
Ecker started swimming his freshman year. Recently, he’s only been in shape for about two months, but he was happy with his performance under those conditions.
Ecker became a swimmer, he said, after “my mom had me play water polo my freshman year.”
He just continued swimming on into the swimming season and has kept at it.
Cassell has been swimming on teams for nine years. She wasn’t even a year old when she started swimming.
“I’ve always loved it,” Cassell said.
Cassell has competed with Sweet Home Swim Club for two years after being coached by Renee Kirkland at a regional meet in Federal Way, Wash.
“I knew her for two years before I came here,” Cassell said. “She’s awesome. I’ve just always gotten along with her.”
This is Cassell’s second time attending the zone meet.
“I’m more anxious than nervous, just to get there and get swimming,” Cassell said. “When you’re behind the blocks, you’re a little nervous, but once you’re in the water, you go for it.”
“I’m just glad that I made it,” Ecker said. He got a “little lucky” this year because not many boys in his age group applied to attend the Zone Championships.
The Zone Championships include up to 80 swimmers total from all age categories, from 10 and under to 17-18.
Cassell was part of South Albany’s swim team, but the program was cut this year.
Rhys Birky qualified for the Zone Championships previously. He did not apply this year in preparation for college, Coach Kirkland said.
This year’s state championships included 40 teams from all over Oregon. Sweet Home placed 24th with only five swimmers, two of which were relay only swimmers.
The following are the results for each swimmer:
– Megan Cassell: Seventh in the 100 back, 1:10.51; fifth in 200 free, 2:17.96; seventh in the 200 back, 2:33.63; 10th in the 50 free, 29.66; eighth in the 200 IM, 2:37.88; and eighth in the 100 free, 1:04.08.
– Rhys Birky: Thirteenth in the 100 breast, 1:18.42; fifth in the 50 free, 26.06; 10th in the 200 IM, 2:27.22; fifth in the 100 free, 58.02; and ninth in the 200 free, 2:07.72. This was in a “prelims/finals” format and Birky’s preliminary swim in the 200 free seeded him 11th. His final swim would have put him in fourth place, however if a swimmer doesn’t qualify into the finals in the top eight, they highest place they can earn is ninth.
– Jeff Ecker: Eighth in the 100 back, 1:07.53; 12th in the 200 free, 2:14.00; and 12th in the 200 back, 2:30.98. This was Ecker’s first Long Course State Championships meet.
In the relays, Birky, Ecker, Chris Bate and Sean Martin finished seventh in the 200 free and the 400 free. They finished ninth in the 200 medley.