Scott Swanson
Swimming doesn’t always get the glamor that other sports do at Sweet Home High School, but Coach Doug Peargin’s Huskies have unquestionably been the most consistently dominant team at the state level over the past 30 years, rivaled only by wrestling.
Last year’s girls team won the district and finished third at state, with two freshmen and three sophomores accounting for all the Huskies’ points in the state championships.
They’re back this year, with even more talent on the roster. And the boys aren’t far behind, after a third-place finish at the district meet and two medalists at state from a team with no seniors and only two juniors.
The really good news is that the boys team is twice the size it was last year, with four seniors this time around.
The girls team also is back almost intact, with the addition of five freshmen who will add to the Huskies’ punch in the water.
“We have around 40 kids out; we had 27 last year,” Peargin said, beginning his 40th year as coach of the Huskies. “The only senior we graduated was a foreign exchange student.”
The girls have a core of swimmers who have significant age group experience, led by sophomore Lucie Davis, who won the 200 and 500 freestyle titles last spring. Right behind her are junior Makayla Nelson, who was second to Davis in the 500 and third behind her in the 200 at state, and sophomore Jessica Coats, who was second in the 100 butterfly at state as a freshman after swimming with the flu.
Though Peargin doesn’t usually put a lot of public emphasis on incoming freshmen when calculating his team’s potential, he noted that he has three coming in with significant club experience: Mia Davis, Lauren Yon and Milah Weld.
“On the girls side, if they put it all together and go for it, I think they have a chance to be better than last year, with the talent that’s coming back,” he said.
“We only have about six girls who have never competed before and they’re coming along.”
Also back are three district finalists: juniors Esther Gunselman and Sara Helfrich and sophomore Elea Hewitt, who barely missed a trip to state as a wildcard in the 100 Butterfly.
Rounding out the girls team are: seniors Loka Eksa, an exchange student from Indonesia, and Sierrah Owen; juniors Natasha Benson, Hope Fears, Maddie Hawken, Livvie Hindmarsh, Megan Oberg and Carolann Ross; sophomores Kristen Adams and Kat Kinker; and freshman Kendyl Stutzman.
The boys team is led by seniors Jaeger Howatt, Ryan Yon and Tanner Goble, who will be supported by a raft of underclassmen.
Howatt was a fourth-place finisher in the state 50 Freestyle last spring, Sweet Home’s top placing by a boy, after slipping in as a wildcard entry following a third-place finish in the district meet.
It’s the young talent that has Peargin feeling optimistic, one of which is sophomore Brandon Vasfaret, who was the Huskies’ other state place-winner with sixth in the 500 Freestyle as a freshman.
Right behind him last year was Nathan Hager, also now a sophomore, who was district champion in the 200 Freestyle and second in the 100 Free, then just missed the state finals in both events.
Adding to the mix for the boys are incoming freshmen Rowland and Rawlins Lupoli, both of whom have extensive age group experience.
“With other people in there having come back from last year, if they get after it like they did last year, we will have a better season than last year,” Peargin said of the boys.
Rounding out the boys team are: senior exchange student Jun Kaneyama; juniors Adam Barber, Grant Jones and Ryan Vander-yacht; sophomores Craig Hansen, Logan Howatt, Wesley Parker, Alonzo Perez, Nick Tolman and Sean Wolthuis; and freshmen Jacob Harden and Adam Oberg.
This year’s schedule is similar to the typical program for the Huskies, with the addition of Madras to the Sweet Home Invitational on Dec. 18. The White Buffaloes boys finished third last year and they have seven boys returning who medaled at state. Also in that meet will be Philomath, which has four state medalists back on the boys side.
“We will see where we stand real quick,” Peargin said. “We’ll have some good competition. I like to see it at that time of the year because you’ve got to see them to know what you’ve got to do to beat them.”
He said he expects North Bend, which was second on the girls side last year, to return another “horrendously tough” team with only one graduating senior. Henley, Salem Academy and Valley Catholic also look to give the Huskies competition at the state level.
On the boys side, Cottage Grove will be back as a perennial top pick, along with La Grande and Madras.
“Those are the top three,” Peargin predicted. “Valley Catholic will be fair to middlin’.”
The Huskies open Friday, Dec. 5, against Stayton and Blanchet at home.
“I hope they lock in mentally, because physically I know they can do it,” Peargin said. “I’m looking forward to that state meet to see how good we are. If they stick it out, they will continue to improve.
“If they do, this will be a fun season, a good season.”