Sweet Home’s boys and girls swim teams came away with a win Friday in a home meet against Philomath and Junction City.
The girls scored 120 points to Philomath’s 105 and Junction City’s 68.
It was the girls’ first team win of the season, thanks to six first-place finishes, including two each by Sami Webb (200 intermediate medley and 500 freestyle) and Laura Gourley (50 freestyle and 100 backstroke), and a win by Nichole Simmonds in the 100 butterfly. Webb anchored the Huskies’ winning 400 freestyle relay team and clocked the 10th-fastest time in school history to win the 500 free in 5:49.6. The other win for the girls came in the 200 freestyle relay.
The boys scored 198 points, winning every event, to pass Philomath (60) and Junction City (24).
Individual winners for the boys were Kieran Schaefer (200 IM, 100 backstroke), Jayce Calhoon (100 breaststroke, 100 butterfly), Rob Callagan (100 freestyle), Michael Simmonds (500 freestyle) and Dakotah Keys (50 freestyle).
“We had another overall good team effort,” said Coach Doug Peargin. “We still have a few little things to work on before district but overall, I’m real pleased with our effort.”
Peargin noted that all 32 Sweet Home swimmers in the meet placed in at least one event and thus scored points.
“Without team depth like this effort, you won’t win district championships, and our goal for both boys and girls teams every year is to come home from the district meet with that trophy in hand.”
He said some of the young swimmers are showing improvement.
“We had a few swims where we could have used a little more strategy as to how we attacked the race, but our new people are doing better and better at that part of the race and by district I think we’ll pretty well have it down.”
The Huskies will swim Saturday at the Albany Invitational, which is held in the South Albany pool in which districts will be held, an “invaluable” experience, he said.
Sweet Home Boys Results
200 Medley Relay €“ (1) Sweet Home “A” (Jayce Calhoon, Michael Simmonds, Kieran Schaefer, Dakotah Keys) 1:49.8; (3) Sweet Home “B” (Cory Martin, Derek Jaques, Holden Greene, Byron Sanders) 2:04.9.
200 Freestyle