Scott Swanson
Sweet Home’s girls won their seventh straight Special District 3 swimming championship Saturday, Feb. 15, at the South Albany Aquatic Center.
The boys, with six swimmers, placed ninth.
Individual district champions for the Huskies were sophomore Malia Hewitt in the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke, senior Megan Hager in the 100 Freestyle, and sophomore Chloe Tyler in the 100 Backstroke. The Huskies also won the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle relays.
“We had an outstanding district meet for both the boys and the girls,” Coach Doug Peargin said.
“The boys swam well. We’ve got so few of them you can’t tell it. All six of our boys scored points for us. Everybody on the team got a medal. You can’t say anything wrong about that. We just need a few more boys. We got beat on depth.
“The girls swam well. We got everybody across to state that we we thought we would. We got lot of kids that placed in events that were borderline, who we weren’t sure would get in.”
Going into this weekend’s state championships, Friday and Saturday evenings, Feb. 21-22, at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton, the Huskies have six swimmers who have qualified in a total of 10 events.
Hewitt is seeded third in both of the individual events she won.
Hager is the top seed in the 100 Freestyle, with Tyler third, and Hager is seeded second, to Sisters’ Lydia Bartlett, in the 200 Freestyle, a new event at state for Hager, who lost to Bartlett by three-tenths of a second in the district final.
“It was a good one,” Hager said, noting that her performance was “exactly what I needed to do.”
“It was a really great race. (Bartlett) was in a tech suit and she had a really great race. She PR’d and I’m happy for her, but I went my goal time and I’m exactly where I need to be right now. I’m looking forward to state.”
Peargin noted that Hager also isn’t rested yet.
“She will be next week. Megan got upset, but it was not really an upset – that girl’s a good one in the 200 Free.”
Tyler is top-seeded in the 100 Backstroke, with fellow sophomore Jamie Seward fifth. Seward also qualified for the 50 Freestyle, after placing third in the district, and is seeded 11th at state.
Also qualifying, with a third-place finish at district in a personal-best time, was sophomore Isabel Sayer in the 500 Freestyle. She is also seeded 11th.
Junior Hunter Calderwood was the only boy to qualify for state, with a fifth-place finish in the 500 Freestyle that has him seeded 11th.
The Huskies qualified in all three relays, and are seeded second in the 200 Freestyle, third in the 200 Medley, and fourth in the 400 Freestyle, though the latter isn’t on their list of events for state.
Hager said that getting the relay teams into state was a priority for the team.
“We usually include (non-club) high school swimmers in our relays at districts,” she noted.
In addition to the individual state qualifiers, the Huskies got help in the relays from senior Torree Hawken.
“Our relays did really well except for the 400 – we got second place, but we still did really well,” said Hawken, who also plays soccer and is a top performer in track. “I’ve done three sports every year. Swimming is the one where you have to work the hardest, I think, day in and day out, doing the same thing. Nothing else counts except for this meet right here.
“I just tried to help the team get to state. I haven’t actually gone to state, but I’ve been helping the team get there. I’m going to go this year, finally, which is nice.”
Peargin said it was hard to choose standouts in the meet, but “Torree Hawken had a heck of a meet, coming away with two medals in the relays and one in the breaststroke” and “Isabel really stepped up in the 500.”
“Our older kids really stepped up and the younger kids did a good job. The first time you come here, you don’t know what to expect. Next time they come here, they’ll be tougher. I’m happy.”
The girls posted 14 personal bests, across the board (listed in the results below) and the boys had six, including an 11-second improvement for Micah Wright in the 500 Freestyle.
Calderwood was the top performer for the boys with his fifth-place finish in the 500 Freestyle and seventh in the 200 Individual Medley, both in PR times.
He said it “definitely wasn’t easy” with just six swimmers, particularly in the finals.
“It was definitely harder than yesterday,” he said Saturday, as he stood on the deck after the meet.
“We gave it our all and it got us here.
“There were more guys my freshman year, but it’s always been kind of like a small guys team, as far as I’ve known.
“As long as I’m improving, I’m happy about it.”
Junior Chase Lopez, who swam on all three relays and placed 15th in the 50 Freestyle, said his meet went “pretty good” except that he nearly missed the flip turn in that race.
“I barely got my toes (on the wall),” he said.
“There’s just minor things we can work on,” Calderwood added. “Maybe we can improve on stuff for next year. Coach is a good coach. He knows what he’s doing.”
Hager, who will swim at Colorado State next year, said she enjoyed the district meet.
“The best part’s always being with the team, being able to have all of us together as one cohesive unit,” she said. “It’s really great to be out here and have everybody do relays together and have everybody participate. And it just really brings a sense of unity, more than anything else.”
Peargin noted that all but two of the Huskies, both rookies, came away with medals from district.
“For the whole team to do that, I couldn’t be prouder. I told them, everybody, ‘If you want to do well, other people can’t do it for you.'”
Friday and Saturday, Sweet Home’s girls will be defending the state title they won last year with five swimmers, one of which, Sarah Hewitt, is gone to graduation. The Huskies will be facing big challenges from La Grande and Catlin Gabel, Peargin said, with Marist, Marshfield, Henley and Stayton all in the hunt for a trophy. as
“I think our girls are top five in state,” Peargin said. “Where they are in that top five depends on what they do that day. There are a lot of good ones out there. Catlin Gabel is loaded. Every team has a kid or two, like that girl who beat Megan.
“It’s like track or wrestling – boy, at the state level, if you’re not on it that day, you’re looking at hindquarters.
“This isn’t a regular meet. It’s a business trip. Let’s take care of business.
OSAA District 3
Swimming Championships
State Meet qualifiers in bold.
*Personal Record
Girls Results
Team Scores: (1) Sweet Home 265; (2) Marist 194; (3) Stayton 164; (4) Blanchet 131; (5) Cascade 131 ; (6) Philomath 122; (7) Salem Academy 93; (8) Sisters 90; (9) North Marion 17; (10) Kennedy 6l (11) Junction City 5.
Top 3/State Qualifiers
and Sweet Home Finishers
(Note: Finishers below 12th place
are preliminary finishes/times.)
200 Medley Relay – (1) Sweet Home (Jamie Seward, Malia Hewitt, Megan Hager, Torree Hawken) 1:54.00*; (2) Marist 1:55.23; (3) Cascade 2:03.48; (4) Stayton 2:04.44; (5) Balnchet 2:0-4.85; (6) Philomath 2:07.39; (8) Sweet Home “B” (Hailey Aramendariz, Bailey Womack, Maren Weld, Meagan Baham) 2:22.01.
200 Freestyle – (1) Lydia Bartlett (Sis) 1:52.26; (2) Megan Hager (SH) 1:52.56; (3) Kylie Mannix (Stay) 2:05.32; (4) Sophia James (M) 2:05.90; (5) Lauren Kennedy (B) 2:12.62; (10) Lauren Taber (SH) 2:35.14*; (12) Brook Womack (SH) 2:41.39; (16) Olivia Martineau (SH) 2:39.51; (20) Nora Pettner (SH) 2:42.99.
200 Individual Medley – (1) Malia Hewitt (SH) 2:14.50; (2) Brylee Syverson (C) 2:19.68; (3) Raquel Druery (SA) 2:31.21; (6) Isabel Sayer (SH) 2:34.08*.
50 Freestyle – (1) Lauren Barry (M) 26.42; (2) Caitlyn Martinak (Stay) 26.12; (3) Jamie Seward (SH) 26.21*; (4) Kayla Greenwood (B) 26:35; (9) Torree Hawken (SH) 28.82*; (14) Meagan Baham (SH) 30.37; (30 Bailey Womack (SH) 34.93; (43) Valerie Richards (SH) 37.90; (50) Alaina Curtiss (SH) 39.76.
100 Butterfly – (1) Aubrie Ellison (M) 1:03.47; (2) Raquel Druery (SA) 1:05.47; (3) Sydney Maurer (Stay) 1:06.74; (11) Annaleea Shuttlesworth (SH) 1:28.36*; (12) Maren Weld (SH) 1:30.03.
100 Freestyle – (1) Megan Hager (SH) 52.36; (2) Chloe Tyler (SH) 54.24*; (3) Lauren Barry (M) 55.21;(11) Brook Womack (SH) 1:14.96; (29) Valerie Richards (SH) 1:27.76; (37) Alaina Curtiss (SH) 1:34.68.
500 Freestyle – (1) Lydia Bartlett (Sis) 5:06.11; (2) Kylie Mannix (Stay) 5:33.38; (3) Isabel Sayer (SH) 5:59.46*; (6) Lauren Taber (SH) 6:56.08*; 7) Hailey Armendariz (SH) 6:50.71*; (11) Meagan Baham (SH) 7:09.15*; (13) Olivia Martineau (SH) 7:07.38*; (12) Annaleea Shuttlesworth (SH) 7:08.48*.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) Sweet Home (Megan Hager, Torree Hawken, Isabel Sayer, Chloe Tyler) 1:45.92; (2) Cascade 1:51.50; (3) Sisters 1:52.07; (9) Sweet Home “B” (Maren Weld, Nora Pettner, Brook Womack, Olivia Martineau) 2:13.54.
100 Backstroke – (1) Chloe Tyler (SH) 59.42; (2) Aubrie Ellison (M) 1:00.77; (3) Jamie Seward (SH) 1:01.80; (4) Sofia James (M) 1:03.18; (5) Caitlyn Martinak (Stay) 1:06.03; (17) Maren Weld (SH) 1:22.42; (19) Hailey Armendariz (SH) 1:24.77; (22) Nora Pettner (SH) 1:28.38.
100 Breaststroke – (1) Malia Hewitt (SH) 1:08.80; (2) Brylee Syverson (C) 1:10.80; (3) Melia Morton (P) 1:14.60; (4) Katie Thompson (M) 1:16.70; (6) Torree Hawken (SH) 1:22.49*; (18) Bailey Womack (SH) 1:34.49.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) Marist 3:49.83; (2) Sweet Home (Jamie Seward, Isabel Ayer, Malia Hewitt, Chloe Tyler) 3:52.58; (3) Stayton 4:02.15; (4) Blanchet 4:09.20; (5) Philomath 4.09.40; (6) Salem Academy 4:18.40; (7) Sweet Home “B” (Lauren Taber, Meagan Baham, Annaleea Shuttlesworth, Hailey Armendariz) 4:45.84.
Boys Results
Team Scores: (1) Marist 211; (2) Salem Academy 205; (3) Stayton 159; (4) Sisters 132; (5) Kennedy 109 (6) Philomath 108; (7) North Marion 92; (8) Blanchet Catholic 88; (9) Sweet Home 62; (10) Cascade 40; Junction City 0.
200 Medley Relay – (1) Salem Academy 1:51.15; (2) Stayton 1:52.00; (3) Marist 1:53.03; (4) Philomath 1:53.41; (5) Kennedy 1:59.18; (6) North Marion 2:01.51; (9) Sweet Home (Jacob Kennedy, Bill Hawken, Hunter Calderwood, Chase Lopez) 2:10.81.
200 Freestyle – (1) Tanner Fixsen (Stay) 1:54.29; (2) Trent McQuaid (M) 1:56.73; (3) Jacob Miller (K) 2:02.75; (4) Austen Heuberger (Sis) 2:04.86; (11) Bill Hawken (SH) 2:20.91.
200 Individual Medley – (1) TJ Lee (SA) 2:12.43; (2) Jackson Anderson (M) 2:13.77; (3) Kyler Lajoie (M) 2:20.65; (7) Hunter Calderwood (SH) 2:30.59*.
50 Freestyle – (1) Parker Dirkx (Stay) 23.90; (2) Whyley Pierce (K) 24.14; (3) Sam Mayes (Sis) 24.49; No Sweet Home finalists; (15) Chase Lopez (SH) 27.06; (22) Vince Drake (SH) 28.15*.
100 Butterfly – (1) Cameron Miller (K) 58.64; (2) Kyler Lajoie (M) 1:00.12; (3) Mason Cole (C) 1:02.36; (4) Kyler Lajoie (M) 1:00.12; No Sweet Home competitors.
100 Freestyle – (1) Lucas Toth (NM) 50.92; (2) Parker Dirkx (Stay) 54.72; (3) Sam Mayes (Sis) 55.25; No Sweet Home finalists; (22) Vince Drake (SH) 1:06.11*.
500 Freestyle – (1) Tanner Fixsen (Stay) 5:09.03; (2) Trent McQuaid (M) 5:20.94; (3) Jacob Miller (K) 5:35.48; (4) Sebastian Ramos (B) 5:38.93; (5) Hunter Calderwood (SH) 5:39.13*; (8) Micah Wright (SH) 6:12.95*.
200 Freestyle Relay – (1) Salem Academy 1:38.10; (2) Sisters 1:40.15; (3) Marist 1:40.68; (4) Philomath 1:41.65; (5) North Marion 1:43.28; (6) Kennedy 1:44.65; (9) Sweet Home (Vince Drake, Jacob Kennedy, Chase Lopez, Micah Wright) 1:54.69.
100 Backstroke – (1) Austyn Shelton (SA) 57.43; (2) Eli McLennan (P) 1:02.88; (3) Jackson Anderson (M) 1:04.62; (11) Jacob Kennedy (SH) 1:18.49.
100 Breaststroke – (1) Osmond Bates (Sis) 1:10.64; (2) Clifford Hegney (B) 1:11.47; (3) TJ Lee (SA) 1:11.68; No Sweet Home finalists; (13) Bill Hawken (SH) 1:18.83.
400 Freestyle Relay – (1) Marist 3:36.59; (2) Stayton 3:38.51; (3) Sisters 3:43.44; (4) Salem Academy 4:01.51; (5) Sweet Home (Chase Lopez, Micah Wright, Hunter Calderwood, Bill Hawken) 4:10.02; (6) Blanchet Catholic 4:10.32*.