HRV swimmers flex team depth at Bend meet

The boys team has now won an invitational meet and dual meets over Pendleton and The Dalles. The HRV girls also defeated the Riverhawks and Buckaroos in duals.

Coach Shelly Rawding said the team success is due to depth. The Eagles did not have any individual champions at Bend, but were able to field two scoring teams in each of the meet’s three relays for big team points.

“The boys and girls swim teams have been on fire this December,” Rawding said on an online recap of the December season. “The teams really surprised the competition in Bend this weekend, and that was worth the bus trip south.”

Boys captains Gavin Hackett (third, 100-yard butterfly and 100 backstroke) and Zayd Ziada (second, 500 free and sixth, 100 back) led the way for HRV. The Eagles also had strong support from Jackson Bullock (fourth, 200 freestyle, seventh, 100 free), Lucas Elliott (fourth, 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke), and Elijah Adams (fifth, 200 IM and seventh 100 breast).

“It was really a full team event where everyone was needed,” Rawding said. “Our JV swimmers are getting experience in racing and being able to have them fill in wherever needed is helping our team grow and get stronger.”

Bullock, Elliott, Kaitaro Hawkins and Hackett combined to finish second in the meet’s final race, the 400 free relay — the top relay finish for the Eagles.

 The HRV girls team was led by senior co-captain Sarah Arpag, who was second in the 100 fly and third in the 100 back, and senior distance specialist Nora Sandoval, who was second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free.

Arpag was involved in one of the more competitive races of the meet, the 100 fly. Five racers dipped under 64 seconds, including Milia Costa of Bend who edged Arpag, 1 minute, 1.8 seconds to 1:02.12.

HRV co-captain Emma Titus, a junior, was fourth in the 100 free and sixth in the 100 breast. Those three were joined on HRV’s 400 free relay team by junior Abby Tomlinson, which finished second to Summit.

Maya Arndt and Sophia Cross joined Tomlinson and Sandoval on HRV’s fifth-place 200 free relay. Rawding said, “Special shout out to sophomores Kaitlyn Armderding and Avery Walker who have embraced the distance free roles on the team and are willing to do whatever is needed.”

On Saturday, the Eagles needed them to score points in two relay races and two individual races (Armderding) or a relay race and two individual races (Walker).

HRV takes a break from competition over the holiday break before a dual meet Jan. 6 at Caldera High in Bend.

IMC notes: Senior Ryan Konop of Redmond won his two races — the 50 free in 22.36 seconds and 100 free in 50.34 — in Bend. Redmond’s girls team is bolstered by frosh Willow Messner and Molly Konop, who will figure prominently in the Panthers’ district meet hopes in February.