Eagle swimmers start season with Pendleton sweep

Hood River’s girls team lost by one point to Pendleton at this past spring’s IMC district meet and each team returns a core group of swimmers this season. HRV’s boys won the 2021 IMC title, but the Eagles had a number of their district placing swimmers graduate in June.

Last week, Hood River’s girls team won two of three relays and was led in individual races by a core group of swimmers. Michelle Graves was first 100-meter breaststroke in one minute, 29.58 seconds, and second in the 50 freestyle (30.81). Maya Arndt won the 100 backstroke in 1:24.91 and was third in the 200 individual medley; Nora Sandoval won the 400 freestyle in 5:12.65, and she was second in the 200 freestyle (2:28.26); and Emma Titus won the 100 freestyle in 1:06.38, and she was third in the 200 free.

Senior Sarah Arpag was a double winner and also swam legs on both of HRV’s winning relays. Arpag won the 100 butterfly in 1:13.30 about an hour after winning the IM in 2:39.07.

Arndt, Graves, Arpag and Titus combined to win the meet’s first event, the 200-meter medley relay. The team’s time of 2 minutes, 19.86 seconds would have placed it fourth in last spring’s district meet.

Sandoval, Titus, Abby Tomlinson and Arpag teamed up to cap the girls meet with a win in the 400-meter free relay in 4:36.78.

A couple of races might later prove to have been previews of the 2022 district finals, if not for the competitors, then for their closeness. The 200-free result had Pendleton’s Melinda Cramp winning in 2:27.60, followed by Sandoval (2:28.26) and Titus (2:30.30). Titus is the defending district champ in the longer freestyle race. In a rematch of the 100 free district final, Cramp and Titus went head-to-head again later in the meet. This time, however, Titus beat the defending IMC champion 1:06.38 to 1:07.68.

Hood River boys were led by event winners Lucas Elliott (100 breast, 1:23.1); Gavin Hackett (100 back, 1:11.75); Jackson Bullock (400 free, 5:47.56; 200 free, 2:31.81); Elijah Adams (100 free, 1:05.14); and Zayd Ziada (50 free, 30.44).

Pendleton’s Cahill Robinson, the defending district champion in the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke, won the won the IM and butterfly in dual meet. In the latter race, he topped HRV’s defending district champion, Hackett, 1:07.62 to 1:10.43. Hackett had a busy day; in addition to his 100 back win, he swam the leadoff leg on HRV’s first place medley relay and the anchor leg on the Eagles’ winning 400 free relay.