Husky swimmers swam lifetime bests per man Saturday to win the district title for the 10th year in a row Saturday at the South Albany pool.
Coach Doug Peargin took 19 athletes to the meet and saw each one post a lifetime best time in at least one event.
The Husky girls team, numbering just four, finished sixth out of the 12-team field.
“Our kids swam their guts out,” Coach Peargin said of his squads’ performances. “I couldn’t have been happier. If our guys had lost to Junction City, we still could not have given any more.”
Sweet Home went into the contest expecting Junction City to be the team to beat.
“We should have been down to the very last event of the day to decide the championship,” Coach Peargin said. “Instead, Junction City had one swimmer disqualified in the 100 freestyle trials and they just folded. They couldn’t afford to have any errors and that was the difference.”
Sweet Home swimmers had outstanding improvements in their event times.
The girls 200 relay cut their time by a full 18 seconds.
“We really just rose to the occasion in every event,” Coach Peargin said. “We had lost to Junction City three times before in the 200 medley relay. We got a lead and just never looked back.”
Coach Peargin said that relay unit cut its previous best time of the year by five seconds, posting a 1:47.0 clocking.
The boys 200 freestyle relay cut four seconds off the clock.
“I never saw a single kid from our team who didn’t have a good swim,” Coach Peargin said.
Boys Placings: Sweet Home, 278; Junction City, 225; Marist, 203; Philomath, 154; North Marion, 103; Cascade, 93; Stayton, 87; Sisters, 48; Molalla, 37; Jefferson, 1.
Girls Placings: Cascade, 202; Junction City, 190; Philomath, 190; Stayton, 178; Marist, 170; Sweet Home, 129; North Marion, 80; Jefferson, 51; Sisters, 30; Molalla, 2.
State berths
200 medley relay: champions, 1:47.7, (Ecker, Hjørnaard, Bate, Martin).
200 freestyle: Jeff Ecker, champion, 1:53.4; Sean martin, second, 1:56.5; Jeff Stratman, fifth, 2:03.3.
100 freestyle: Chris Bate, second, 42.0.
500 freestyle: Sean martin, champion, 5:20.7; Jeff Stratman, second, 5:36.7; Frank Coulter, third, 5:42.5.
200 freestyle relay: SHHS A, third, 1:40.2 (L. Coulter, Burford, Stratman, F. Coulter).
100 backstroke: Jeff Ecker, champion, 57.1.
100 breast stroke: Jeppe Hjørngaard, fourth, 1:08.9.
400 free relay: SHHS, champions, 3:29.8 (Martin, Chris Burford, Chris Bate, Ecker).
Girls to state
200 freestyle: Dani Birky, second, 2:12.3.
200 I.M.: Nicole Starha, second, 2:29.3.
500 freestyle: Birky, second, 5:50.0.
100 breast stroke: Starha, third, 1:18.4.
400 free relay: SHHS, second, 4:09.8 (Starha, Jones, Helfrich, Birky)
Coach Peargin said LaGrande will be the team to beat at the state meet.
“Seaside will be right there with them, then there are eight other teams that will be going after a trophy,” Coach Peargin said.
The state swimming championships will begin at 8:30 a.m. Friday at Mt. Hood Community College, Gresham. Saturday finals begin at 9 a.m. Friday, tickets at $7 for adults and $5 for students. On Saturday, tickets are $9 for both adults and students.
District 3 Results
Girls
200 medley relay: SHHS, fifth, 2:13.3 (Jones, Starha, Birky, Helfrich).
200 freestyle: Birky, second, 2:12.3.
200 I.M.: Starha, second, 2:29.3.
50 freestyle: Helfrich, fifth, 28.5.
100 freestyle: Helfrich, fourth, 1:02.7.
500 freestyle: Birky, second, 5:50.0; Jones, seventh, 6:44.4.
100 backstroke: Jones, ninth, 1:19.5.
100 breast: Starha, third, 1:18.4.
400 free relay: SHHS, second, 4:09.8 (Starha, Jones, Helfrich, Birky).
Boys
200 medley relay: SHHS, first, 1:47.7 (Ecker, Hjørngaard, Bate, Martin); SHHS B, fourth, 1:57.3 (L. Coulter, Stratman, F. Coulter, Holmes).
200 freestyle: Ecker, first, 1:53.4; Martin, second, 1:56.5; Stratman, fifth, 2:03.3; F. Coulter, seventh, 2:03.8.
200 I.M.: Burford, seventh, 2:24.2; L. Coulter, ninth, 2:28.8.
50 freestyle: Hjørngaard, eighth, 26.1.
100 butterfly: Burford, sixth, 1:05.1; Lovik, seventh, 1:09.9; Caswell, 10th, 1:43.6.
100 freestyle: Bate, second, 52.0.
500 freestyle: Martin, champion, 5:20.7; Stratman, second, 5:36.7; F. Coulter, third, 5:42.5; Lovik, seventh, 6:05.8; Davis, 10th, 6:20.6.
200 free relay: SHHS A, third, 1:40.2 (L. Coulter, Burford, Stratman, F. Coulter; SHHS B, 10th, 1:50.3 (Lovik, Erstgaard, Davis, Holmes).
100 backstroke: Ecker, champion, 57.1; L. Coulter, fifth, 1:04.7; Bate, sixth, 1:07.4.
100 breast stroke: Hjørngaard, fourth, 1:08.9.
400 free relay: SHHS A, first, 3:29.8 (Martin, Burford, Bate, Ecker); SHHS B, 8th, 4:17.2 (Lovik, Davis, Caswell, Erstgaard).