Scott Swanson
Coming off its first girls state championship ever, Sweet Home’s swim team looks like a good bet to challenge again for that title.
It’s the district meet that has Coach Doug Peargin a little worried.
“We’re going to be solid in the girls, but we don’t have big numbers,” he said. “We have 14 girls. That’s going to hurt us at districts.”
The Huskies are indeed a little thinner than last year, when they had 20 swimmers on the girls side.
The boys, who have placed third at state the last two years, are back with all their district and state scorers from last spring’s championship meet. But what has Peargin concerned is that those are pretty much the team: with 10 swimmers the boys are far short of the 18 they had last year.
“Everybody on the guys that’s out, except for two, placed for us at districts last year,” Peargin said.
So the question for Sweet Home will be whether there’s enough depth on both sides to score the points needed to win district.
Once the Huskies are past that, there’s plenty of talent for state – and more coming up.
“District is going to be tougher than state for the girls,” Peargin said. “We’ll be fine on top, but underneath we’re semi in trouble because district is scored through 12th place.”
Leading the girls this year will be senior Lucia Davis and junior Lauren Yon.
Davis returns as three-time defending state champion in the 200 and 500 freestyles. She signed two weeks ago to swim at Boise State.
Yon won the 200 Individual Medley for the second time at state and the 100 Freestyle for the first time, swimming the latter in 52.91, a second faster than her closest competition, putting her “in a whole other league,” Peargin noted at the time. She was named Outstanding Swimmer for the 4A Division.
Also back is senior Jessica Coats, who has been a double-scorer at state in individual events each year she’s swum, even when suffering from the flu.
Those three, along with now-graduated Makayla Nelson, combined for wins in the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relays last year as well.
Other returning state scorers for the girls are junior Mia Davis and sophomore Sarah Hewitt.
Though the Huskies have lost Nelson and Esther Gunselman to graduation, they’re gaining two age-group swimmers in freshmen Megan Hager and Elizabeth Adams.
Rounding out the girls are senior Kristen Adams, freshman Rebekah Fassler, freshman Torree Hawken, senior Elea Hewitt – also a solid contributor at district and state, junior exchange student Hikari Kawai, freshman Madelyn Neuschwander, sophomore Ella Parker, sophomore Katrina Reynolds, and junior Milah Weld.
On the boys side, seniors Nathan Hager and Brandon Vasfaret return with juniors Rawlins and Rowland Lupoli from placewinner performances at state, including a second-place finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
Also back is senior Sean Wolthuis, who helped the boys to fourth place in the 200 Medley Relay and third in the 400 Freestyle Relay at state last year, together with various combinations of the other four.
“We have a lot of people who’ve placed,” Peargin said. “The people that are here are going to be solid for us.”
Rounding out the boys side are senior Craig Hansen, senior Wesley Parker, freshman Colton Pickett, junior Cameron Taber, sophomore Bradley Wolthuis and junior Seth Wright.
The boys need more bodies to be more comfortable, Peargin said.
“We only had one new boy come out for us this year,” he said. “That’s not good. You can hope for more later on.”
The Huskies will swim a fairly typical schedule this year, though they will make a trip on Jan. 13 to the Newport Invitational, another traditional 4A power, for the first time in recent years. They will also compete Jan. 7 at the Lebanon Invitational, which is “a bigger meet” for the Huskies.
Sweet Home opens the season Friday, Dec, 2, with a low-key meet against Blanchet, Junction City, Stayton and Toledo, since many of the Huskies’ top swimmers will be at a club meet.
“The kids are excited,” Peargin said. “This is a chance for the kids without a lot of backup to step up and see what they can do.”