Outlaws swim team improves

In a week that saw the Sisters High School swim team swell to a total of 35 athletes, the Outlaws showed some strength to go with their depth in a triple dual held at Bend Swim Center on Tuesday, December 19 against Redmond and Ridgeview  

The Sisters girls beat Ridgeview 70 to 45, but the Panthers edged Sisters 73 to 72 in the team scoring.

Top performances by the Outlaws included a big win by the 200-meter medley relay team of Meredith Mandal, Brook Robillard, Anna Bartlett and Hawley Harrer in a time of 2:33.43 to start the

meet.

Mandal came back with a win the 200-meter individual medley (2:47.75), while Harrer took top honors in the 100-meter freestyle (1:09.11). Bartlett took third in the same race and also picked up points with a runner-up finish in the 400-meter freestyle in 6:02.49.

In the 200-meter freestyle relay, Mandal, Bartlett, Robillard and Harrer picked up second place in a time of 2:09.99. Iris Diez also earned a second-place finish in the 200-meter freestyle, clocking 3:34.33.

Robillard edged Caitlin Owen of Redmond by .3 seconds in the 100-meter breast stroke for an individual win with a time of 1:29.84. She finished the day as part of the victorious 400-meter freestyle relay along with teammates Diez, Mandal, and Harrer with a time of 5:16.76, 25 seconds ahead of runner-up Redmond.

"Clearly our team leaders are setting a fine example of competitiveness for the younger swimmers on the team, but the newcomers are showing a lot of heart and promise," said Coach Bryn Singleton.

The boys don't have quite the depth of experience as the girls but showed continued improvement overall according to Singleton, losing to Ridgeview 78-36 and Redmond 118 to 23.

Off-season training is paying off for sophomore Connor Crowe, who won the 200-meter freestyle in 3:13.45. Jackson Rheuben got third place in the 100-meter individual medley in 3:58.57, and came back with a second-place finish in the 50-meter freestyle in a time of 29.69 seconds.

Rookie swimmer Tucker Higgins placed first in the junior varsity 50-meter backstroke in 1:09, which was faster than the winner of the varsity race by just under a second.

The boys finished the meet on a high note with a second-place finish in the 400-meter freestyle relay by Gator Haken, Connor Crowe, Sam Mayes and Jackson Rheuben in a time of 5:28.53.

"I never dreamed we would have 35 kids on the team this year, but it's turning out to be both exciting and fun as they learn and grow together," said

Singleton.

The Outlaws return to pool action on Saturday, January 6 at the Jay Rowan Invitational in Redmond.