In their first scoring meet of the year, Sweet Home’s swim teams came away victorious from their own Sweet Home Invitational, but it wasn’t easy, Coach Doug Peargin said.
The boys scored 127 to finish ahead of Philomath (94), Sisters (50) and Blanchet (34), while the girls finished with 95 points, ahead of Philomath (87), Sisters (58) and Blanchet (56).
One hurdle was that the lights went out, for a total of approximately an hour and a half. Then the compeittion proved stiff.
“We had a good overall meet,” Peargin said of the event. “We’ve been pretty solid as a team. We had a lot of good swims.”
But so, Peargin said, did the competition.
“Our girls medley relay placed fourth in the state last year, but they barely won,” he said. “Everybody else swam well too.”
In the 200 medley relay, Sweet Home fnished in 2:05:38 with Sisters and Philomath right behind, in 2:06.35 and 2:06.54 respectively.
On the boys side, the Huskies placed first in every event except one.
Freshman Jayce Calhoon came from behind to win the 500 freestyle in 5:04.57, the fourth-fastest time in school history. Calhoon also won the 200 IM, in 2:10.98. Both times, Peargin said, would have placed at state last year.
“He had a monster meet,” the coach said.
Fellow freshman Kieran Schaefer won the 100 butterfly (1:02.64) and placed second in the 200 freestyle (1:55.22), a time that also would have placed at state in last year’s championships, Peargin said.
Senior Cole Stumbaugh was another double winner for the Huskies, finishing first in the 50 free (24.60) and the 100 free (54.42). Other individual winners for the Sweet Home boys were fresheman Michael Simmons in the 100 breastroke (1:02.64) and junior Brinden Sanders in the 100 backstroke (1:05.91).
Swimmers who posted personal bests for the boys were Calhoon, Simmons, David Worthen, Za Ramsey, Shawn Adams, Casey Topp, Seabass Mauer and Trever Byers.
Individual winners for the girls were seniors Nichole Martin in the 100 butterfly (1:10.84) and Jessica Trautwein in the 100 freestyle (1:01.44), and junior Justine Calhoon in the 500 freestyle (6:02.13.
Swimmers posting individual best marks for the girls were Laura Gourley, Tiffany Traeger, Jenessa VanEpps, Katie Kinney, Krystal Grim, Jill Wilson, Louise Wilcox, Tashina Davis, Sarah Rosa and Tee Whaley, who recorded personal-best times in all four of her races, Peargin said.
The teams will have a three-week break in competition over the holidays, returning to action Jan. 6 at the Junction City Invitational.
Sweet Home Invitational
Boys Results
200 Medley Relay