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An almost complete Sisters High School swim team tested the waters in their first scheduled competition on Friday, December 6 at Sweet Home High School. Sixteen of eighteen swimmers competed in the Relays Meet against teams from Marist, LaSalle, Cottage Grove, Junction City and Sweet Home, setting some impressive marks for the beginning of the season. For many of the swimmers, this was the first encounter with a regulation size pool, starting blocks and early take-off rules.
Starting with the 200-yard Medley Relay, Andie Lesowske sent the Outlaws on a fast course in her backstroke leg, followed by veteran Jacquelien Mansker in the breaststroke, captain Tessa Durdan-Shaw with a powerful butterfly and newcomer Kaylin Brink with a respectable freestyle debut.
On the boys' side, novices Casey Meudt in the backstroke and Morgan Mansker in the breaststroke joined JustinHedemark in the butterfly and captain LeePyke in the freestyle for an awesome time of 2:11.00. Meudt and Mansker show great promise in their strokes and will definitely be forces during District Championships in February. Hedemark and Pyke raced a 27+ sec. butterfly and freestyle respectively with relatively little training so far.
The 400-yard freestyle relay with legs of 50-100-200 and 50 yards was swum by Evan Livsey, Kyle Whipps, LeePyke and Brandon Johnston. Though new to swimming, Livsey and Johnston put out good sprints to frame their team mates 100 yds and 200 yds segments. The girls did not compete in this event but saved their stamina for the 4x100 Medley Relay in which each swimmer must compete in one length of butterfly, backstroke, breaststroke and freestyle.
Tessa Durdan-Shaw led the team with an outstanding time of 1:21.1, followed by co-captain Anna Evered, Jacquelien Mansker and Andie Lesowske, finishing the event with respectable results for the beginning of the season. The boys team did not compete in the 4x100 Medley Relay.
In the 200 yds freestyle relay, Lauren Anderson led the pack with a time of 35.5 , followed by Kaylin Brink, Katlyn Diener and anchor Andie Lesowske. On the boys' side, Kyle Whipps started with a personal best of 28.1, followed by Evan Livsey's 30.0, Casey Meudt's 30.8 and Justin Hedemark's best of 25.4. Swimming with two novices in the game, the final time of 1:54.3 put them within striking distance of the standing Sisters High School record. Nick Patterson, Travis Comfort, Eli Pyke and Kevin Carlsmith set the record in 2000 with a time of 1:51.19.
The Outlaws did not feature teams for the 200 yds butterfly relay.
Good times were clocked in the backstroke segments by expert Andie Lesowske as well as senior Tessa Durdan-Shaw. First year swimmers Mareta Lindley and Kaylin Brink completed the backstroke relay for the girls. The boys backstroke relay finished with a time of 2:25.9 and personal bests for Kyle Whipps and Justin Hedemark.
Jacquelien Mansker, Anna Evered, Andie Lesowske and Tessa Durdan-Shaw finished the 200 yds. breaststroke relay in a time of 2:59.00, with a personal best of 39.8 for Durdan-Shaw. Morgan Mansker and Casey Meudt swam excellent legs on the boys relay, with Justin Hedemark setting the pace with a personal best and Kyle Whipps anchoring with a 39.7.
The final event of the competition
, the 4x100 freestyle relay, showed very even swims by Kaylin
Brink, MaretaLindley,
Katlyn Diener
and Anna Evered.
Justin Hedemark,
Evan Livsey,
Brandon Johnston
and Lee Pyke finished
with respectable times in the competition. Co-captain Will
Hanson and Casey
Pyke were absent due to Jazz Band committments.
The next competition for the Outlaws swimmers is at the Redmond Highschool
Pool, Saturday, December 21.
"Considering the Outlaws have limited training time and space, their accomplishments are phenomenal," coach Hedemark commented. "It is their work ethic and spirit that will bring them continued success in and out of the pool."
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