Local swimmers win at District 3 meet

The Outlaws boys swim team stormed the district finals last weekend to take titles in the 200-yard medley relay, the freestyle relay and the 100-yard backstroke.

Additional top finishes by a total of six swimmers in championship and consolation finals earned the Outlaws a second-place team award behind Sweet Home and ahead of eight other schools in District 3.

All first-place finishes automatically qualify the boys for the State Championships at Mt. Hood Community College February 18-19.

Individually, Justin Hedemark qualified in backstroke and freestyle, Byron Womack in freestyle and Casey Meudt is alternate in the 100-yard backstroke. Casey Pyke and Tyler Young will join the relay team as alternates.

“Considering the lack of a regulation training facility, limited water time and a curtailed competition schedule, this is an incredible accomplishment by our swimmers,” Coach Isolde Hedemark. “It is the hard work, the strength of mind and the team spirit that made all this possible.”

More than 230 swimmers representing 12 3A, 2A and 1A high schools competed at District 3 Championships in Albany February 11-12.

In the first event of the competition, the 200-yard medley relay, backstroker Casey Meudt exploded off the wall to a small lead ahead of Sweet Home’s Larry Coulter. Coulter caught Meudt at the turn and finished his segment with a 1.5-second lead.

Kyle Whipps, with a perfect relay exchange, chased Matt Maloney to the wall and in spite of Whipps’ sensational pull-out and a personal best of 33.27 for this segment, the Sweet Home swimmer touched the pad 1.4 seconds ahead of the Outlaws.

Justin Hedemark raced his fastest butterfly leg ever and handed Byron Womack, the anchor, a slight margin of 0.7 second to finish the race. Womack’s time of 23.7 seconds, a personal best, sealed the first victory for the Sisters High School swimmers in a time of 1:51.62 to Sweet Home’s 1:52.01. The Outlaws’ time represents a new Sisters High School record.

The most competitve event of the Championships, the 50-yard freestyle, had four Sisters High School swimmers in the top 12 spots.

In Championship Finals on Saturday, Hedemark had a slight lead for most of the race, Cobarrubias pulled even and only the electronic scoreboard showed the winner. Cobarrubias won with a time of 23.66 to Hedemark’s 23.72. Byron Womack won the bronze with a personal best of 24.09.

Casey Meudt finished sixth and Kyle Whipps won Consolation Finals. Clifton Williams swam prelims only.

Kyle Whipps and Tyler Young were entered in the last individual event, the 100-yard breaststroke. Whipps, competing in this stroke for the first time in championships, qualified for Consolation Finals and finished in third place with a personal best of 1:17.73

Tyler Young, seeded two seconds behind his closest competitor in the 200-yard individual medley, dropped five seconds off his prelim time and finished first in consolation finals.

On the girls’ side, Kate Canja and Jessie Swaner were the most successful swimmers for the Outlaws. Canja placed fifth in the 20-yard freestyle and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle championship finals. Swaner was sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke Consolation Finals.

The girls’ 200-yard medley relay, with Aubyn Geser in the backstroke, Jessie Swaner in the breaststroke, Kate Canja in the fly and Rachel Pilliod as anchor in the free,finished third in consolation finals.

Rachel Pilliod led the girls in the 200-yard freestyle relay to a fifth place in consolations. Chelsea Flanders swam the second leg in a PR of 32.88, followed by Kat Diener and Kate Canja as anchor.

Tori Carlson and Aubyn Geser shared the largest time drops during the two-day competition.

Carlson improved her entry time for the 50-yard freestyle event by more than two seconds and her 100-yard backstroke by almost four seconds.

Geser was seeded with a 1:29.10 in the backstroke and finished with an excellent swim in a time of 1:24.86.