By Satina Tolman
For The New Era
Sweet Home finished its swimming season with a splash Saturday, as the girls finished second behind a juggernaut team from Catlin Gabel at the OSAA 1A/2A/3A/4A state championships, held Feb. 21-22 at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.
The boys tied for seventh – showcasing the depth and talent of Sweet Home’s swimmers across the board. It was a meet full of outstanding individual performances, personal bests, and standout moments that cemented Sweet Home’s place among Oregon’s top swimming programs.
Catlin Gabel won both the boys and girls title, the boys scoring 70 points, over Newport (47), La Grande (30), Phoenix (26), North Bend (23), Hidden Valley (19) and the Huskies, who tied with Marshfield for seventh with 13 points. Philomath was ninth with 12.
The Husky girls finished with 44 points, behind 87 for Catlin Gabel. Valley Catholic was third (29) and Marshfield was fourth (28) and Newport rounded out the top five (21).
“We were really happy with how it went this weekend,” Coach A Jay Bronson said. “The kids trained and did what they were supposed to do. From Day 1, we’ve worked hard to instill mental positivity, and that can easily be shown at this last meet.”
While the team’s success was the result of hard work from every swimmer, a few performances stole the spotlight.
The Sautel sisters – Kirsten, a senior, and Khloe, a freshman– were key contributors to the team’s triumphs. Girls’ captain Kirsten, a three-time state champion in the 100 breaststroke, finished her high school career with another dominant performance in that event, finishing in 1
:04.98, just short of the school record.
“It was bittersweet, thinking that this was the last time I would race as a Husky,” Kirsten said. “I am so proud of everyone.”
Even though she fell just .01 seconds short of breaking the SHHS record, she remained focused on the bigger picture. “I gave it my all, and that’s all that matters. I couldn’t be more proud of the swimmer I’ve become and can’t wait to swim in college.”
Khloe, on the other hand, brought fresh energy to the meet, capturing the state title in the 500 freestyle in her first appearance at the OSAA State Championships. Her most memorable moment was when she hit the wall after her 500 Free, finishing in 5:21.50.
“Looking up at the board and seeing my name and a No. 1 next to it, and knowing how much work I’ve put into this season has paid off,” she said.
What she did after her win was a testament to the relationship she has with her mom, Kelly Sautel. She blew a kiss to the stands while still in the pool.
“It was to my mom because I wanted to show her I love her and I’m at where I am because of her,” Khloe said,
Senior Shayne Schuster had high praise for the Sautel sisters, especially Khloe’s impressive back-to-back wins.
“My most memorable thing about state was counting for Khloe in the 500 and watching her win two days in a row, and seeing Kirsten dominate in the 100 Breaststroke.”
While the Sautel sisters’ achievements were impressive, Sweet Home’s success was driven by the collective efforts of the entire team.
Both the girls’ and boys’ teams showed resilience, determination, and a true team-first mentality that helped elevate their performances.
Sweet Home’s girls finished second in all three relays – behind Catlin Gable, which brings together swimmers from multiple Portland-area clubs to form its high school team for competitions. The same four girls swam all three relays: Lexi Rundell, Khloe Sautel, Peyton Markell, and Kirsten Sautel.
Markell, a senior, said of their success, “I was very excited to get second overall as a team of four people. It was amazing that we were able to make such a big impact with so few swimmers.”
The Husky boys qualified for finals in both the 200 Freestyle Relay and 400 Freestyle Relay. RJ Abbott, Austyn Hogan, Schuster and Andrew Tolman taking home sixth-place medals in the 200 medley relay while Hogan, Schuster, freshman Grayson Savri, and Abbott also getting sixth in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
Senior Armon Marble, and Savri, raced each other in the 500 Freestyle final and earned fifth (5:27.45) and fourth-place (5:22.98) medals respectively.
Abbott, the boys captain, reflected on the long, grueling season and the satisfaction of seeing it all come together at the state meet: “It’s hard getting up at 5 a.m., making it to every practice, and losing tons of sleep. But thinking about where I’d be in late February always reminds me why I push myself,” he said.
Abbott’s dedication paid off as he helped Sweet Home return to the finals in the 200 freestyle relay after narrowly missing out the previous year.
Assistant Coach Mark Circkosz was quick to praise the team’s dedication and effort: “Their overall performance was outstanding. We couldn’t ask for more out of them.
“They gave their all and it showed all season and for sure this weekend,” he said. “Almost every kid had personal bests over and over throughout the meet. We’re proud of them more than words can say. They made us as coaches proud, made their families proud, and represented Sweet Home in a great way.”
Coaches noted that nearly every swimmer hit personal bests during the meet.
As the season comes to an end, Bronson is looking forward to building on this year’s success, even as the team faces the challenge of losing some key leaders.
“We’re losing seven seniors, and that’s rough, especially losing our senior leaders,” he said. “But we’re hopeful that we can keep recruiting and keep moving forward.”
“I’m so proud of everyone,” said Kirsten Sautel. “I couldn’t be more proud of the swimmer I’ve become, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me.”
OSAA 1A/2A/3A/4A State Swimming Championships
Top Three and Sweet Home Results (Finishes below sixth place are prelims times)
Girls Results
Team Scores – (1) Catlin Gabel 87; (2) Sweet Home, 44; (3) Valley Catholic, 29; (4) Marshfield,
28; (5) Newport, 21; (6) La Grande, 19; (7) Cove, 14; (8) Cottage Grove, 13; (9) Saint Mary’s Medford, 10; (10) Salem Academy, 7; (11-tie) Pendleton, Marist 6; (13-tie) Philomath, North Bend 5 (15-tie) Banks, Stayton 4; (17) The Dalles 3; (18) Pleasant Hill, 2; (19) Junction City, 1.
200 Yard Medley Relay – (1) Catlin Gabel 1:54.57; 2) Sweet Home (Lexi Rundell 10, Kirsten Sautel 12, Peyton Markell 12, Khloe Sautel 9) 1:56.34. 3, Valley Catholic 1:57.66.
100 Yard Freestyle – (1) Becca Koza, Cove, 52.84; (2) Elise Chamberland, (St. Mary’s) 55.04; (3) Aanya Chakravarthy (VC) 56.96; (12,) Peyton Markell (SH) 1:01.02.
500 Yard Freestyle Varsity – Khloe Sautel (SH) 5:21.50; (2) Jane Hanson (CG) 5:25.05; (3) Leah Ellerbee (Stayton) 5:27.88.
200 Yard Freestyle Relay – (1) Catlin Gabel 1:43.67; (2) Sweet Home (Lexi Rundell 10, Khloe Sautel 9, Peyton Markell 12, Kirsten Sautel 12) 1:46.56. 3, Marshfield 1:47.02.
100 Yard Breaststroke – (1) Kirsten Sautel (SH) 1:04.98; (2) Gwynn Postlewait (Newport) 1:11.35; (3) Kyah Weeber, (Philomath) 1:13.13.
400 Yard Freestyle Relay – (1) Catlin Gabel 3:48.99; (2) Sweet Home ‘ (Lexi Rundell 10, Khloe Sautel 9, Peyton Markell 12, Kirsten Sautel 12) 3:53.68; (3) Marshfield 3:54.76.
Boys Results
Team Scores – (1) Catlin Gabel 70; (2) Newport 47; (3) La Grande 30; (4) Phoenix 26 (5)
North Bend 23 (6) Hidden Valley 19 (7-tie) Sweet Home, Marshfield 13; (9) Philomath; 12 (10-tie) Cascade Christian, Astoria 10; (12) Marist 9; (13) Saint Mary’s Medford 8 ;(14) Klamath Union 5; (15) Cottage Grove, 4; (16) Valley Catholic 3; (17-tie) The Dalles, Molalla 2; (19-tie) Sisters, Corbett 1.
200 Yard Medley Relay – (1) Newport 1:42.75; (2) Catlin Gabel 1:45.30; (3) La Grande 1:45.44; (6) Sweet Home (Andrew Tolman 11, Shayne Schuster 12, Ronald Abbott Jr. 12, Austyn Hogan 10), 1:47.76.
200 Yard Freestyle – (1) Zane Ricker (La Grande) 1:42.25; (2) Alex Titianu (St. Mary’s) 1:46.95; (3) Carson Rotter (Catlin Gabel) 1:48.92; (5) Ronald Abbott Jr. (SH) 1:51.13.
200 Yard Individual Medley – (1) Adam Li (Catlin Gabel) 1:54.59; (2) Jahan Eibner (Newport) 2:02.36; (3) Evan Zastrow (La Grande) 2:08.96; (10) Andrew Tolman (SH) 2:20.11.
100 Yard Freestyle – (1) Ben Hurty (Newport) 48.36; (2) Myles Anderson (Cascade Christian) 49.39; (3) Quin Davis (Phoenix) 50.05; (5) Ronald Abbott Jr, (SH) 50.58.
500 Yard Freestyle – (1) Zane Ricker (La Grande) 4:37.65; (2) Coe Dauler (Catlin Gabel) 4:42.31; (3) Lucas Brandt (Philomath) 4:56.49; (4) Grayson Savri (SH) 5:22.98; (5) Arman Marble (SH) 5:27.45.
200 Yard Freestyle Relay – (1) Catlin Gabel 1:30.85; (2) North Bend 1:32.60; (3) Phoenix 1:32.68; (6) Sweet Home ” (Austyn Hogan 10, Shayne Schuster 12, Grayson Savri 9, Ronald Abbott Jr. 12), 1:37.06.
100 Yard Backstroke (1) Ben Hurty, (Newport) 54.28; (2) Coe Dauler (Catlin Gabel) 54.98; (3) Jonathan McDonough (Marist) 55.96; (8) Andrew Tolman (SH) 1:00.48.
100 Yard Breaststroke – (1) Lucas Brandt (Philomath) 59.73; (2) Carter McGriff (Marshfield) 1:01.90; (3) Carson Rotter (Catlin Gabel) 1:02.42; (7) Shayne
Schuster (SH) 1:04.56.
400 Yard Freestyle Relay (1) Catlin Gabel 3:19.02; (2) Newport 3:23.07; (3) Phoenix ” 3:25.49.; (9) Sweet Home (Andrew Tolman 11, Grayson Savri 9, Arman Marble 12, Shayne Schuster 12), 3:39.90.
