Swimmers set personal bests at District Championships

Fifteen Sisters swimmers set personal records at the District Championships held in Albany Friday and Saturday, February 14-15. Sixteen swimmers advanced to finals on the second day of competition.

The Boys A 200 freestyle relay (Trevor Barry, Keenan O'Hern, Brennan Miller and Ian Baldessari) placed first in the finals with a time of 1:37.00. All swam personal best splits, and the first-place finish secured the relay team a spot at state next weekend.

"We were ahead by at least a body length for the entire race up until the last 25, when Philomath caught us," said Coach Brittany Baldessari. "The last 25 yards were neck-and-neck but Trevor (Barry) just out-touched him for the finish. These guys are all seniors and they had a lot on the line. They really gave it their all and it paid off."

The Boys A 200 medley relay (Brennan Miller, Ian Baldessari, Jonathan Luz and Trevor Barry) placed third in finals with a time of 1:49.65 and broke the school record, which was previously 1:50.62.

The Boys B 200 medley relay (Keenan O'Hern, Trevor Standen, Will Werts and Gavin Jaqua) placed fifth in consolation finals, and took 14 seconds off their season best to finish in 2:10.94.

The Boys B 200 freestyle relay (Standen, Jaqua, Werts and Luz) placed fourth in consolation finals.

Brennan Miller swam a personal record in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.72 for a second-place finish. Ian Baldessari finished fourth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.54.

Standen had some standout relay performances. Trevor dropped seven seconds from his best 100 freestyle split in the 400 freestyle relay and two seconds off his 50 freestyle split in the 200 freestyle relay.

Baldessari said, "The amount of hard work I saw him put in was absolutely inspiring."

O'Hern was another Outlaws standout. Keenan took nine seconds off his 100 freestyle split in the 400 Freestyle Relay with a time of 55.96. In the 200 Freestyle Relay he took two seconds off his 50 freestyle split for a time of 24.33.

"Both Trevor and Keenan are seniors and it will be sad to see them go next year," said Baldessari. "They have played a huge role of the team this season."

The Boys A 400 freestyle relay (O'Hern, Standen, Luz, Barry) placed third with a time of 3:50.16.

Trevor Barry placed third in finals in the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.12.

Several boys placed in the consolation finals. O'Hern placed first in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 25.00. Ian Baldessari placed first in the 100 Freestyle with a time of 53.29, and Miller finished second with a time of 54.85. Luz placed first in the 100 butterfly and dropped five seconds from his prelim seed for a finish of 1:08.00.

Although Noah Huber did not advance to finals, Baldessari told The Nugget he was the most inspirational member at the meet.

"Even on the second day, Noah was found standing next to the team as they warmed up, and offered support and encouragement," said Baldessari. "The team was thankful to have him there."

On the girls' side, Mary Stewart placed fourth in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:04.11, which broke the previous school record of 1:04.65. Stewart has chased that record all season and finally reached her goal.

Brooke Knirk, Emily Christen, and Stewart all swam the 50 freestyle. Christen came in second with a time of 26.17 and Steward took third at 26.21. Christen also placed fourth in the finals heat of the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:06.38, also a personal best.

The Girls B 200 freestyle relay (Hannah Stuwe, Tara Greaney, Cheyenne Sproat and Beth Miller) swam a personal best in consolation finals. The team dropped two seconds from their prelim finish the day before, for a time of 2:13.89.

"These four girls have worked so hard this season," stated Baldessari. "It was awesome to see them have the opportunity to compete on day two. I am so proud of them."

Madelyn Zadow placed first in consolation finals in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:08.30.

The girls' relay teams dealt with a bit of misfortune. The Girls A medley (Beth Miller, Madelyn Zadow, Cheyenne Sproat and Brooke Knirk) were disqualified for a false start in their transition. It was the same scenario for the Girls A freestyle relay (Mary Stewart, Emily Christen, Madelyn Zadow and Brook Knirk). The girls 200 freestyle relay had a false start at the beginning of the race. Baldessari told The Nugget they have a video that shows it was an incorrect call, but teams are not allowed to use a video to contest a disqualification.

After the District Championships concluded, only the first-place finishers knew they had secured a berth to the State Championships. There are 12 slots in each event, so after the winners are entered, the next fastest times from around the state fill the remaining slots.

The team waited anxiously for last-minute news on who else would advance. Sunday evening, Coach Baldessari received the final results. The following teams/individuals will also advance to the State Championships: Boys 200 medley relay; boys 200 freestyle relay; Mary Stewart in the 50 freestyle and also the 100 butterfly; Emily Christen in the 50 freestyle and the 100 backstroke; Trevor Barry in the 50 freestyle; Ian Baldessari in the 100 freestyle; and Brennan Miller in the 100 backstroke.

Sisters' swimmers will compete at Mt. Hood Community College on Friday and Saturday, February 21-22.