Hood River swim team competes in Bend meet

THE GORGE - The Hood River Valley Osprey swim team competed in its second USA Swimming/Oregon Swimming Inc. (OSI) summer swim meet June 19-21 at the Bend Sun Country Invitational.

The Hood River squad had some solid performances by their six athletes at the event: Alice Clark, Loula Clark, Izabella Mack, Felipe Mendez, Crystianna Pulido and Ender Wilson.

Alice Clark (age 8) recorded top-five finishes in all six of her events in the girls age 10-and-under class. The highlight for Clark was her wins in the 50-meter breaststroke (57.79 seconds) and the 50 freestyle (41.43).

Mack (age 7) competed in five events in the girls age 8-and-under class, and she recorded four top-five's, including wins in the 50 backstroke (51.11) and the 50 butterfly (51.38).

Mendez, a 2026 Hood River Valley High School graduate, competed in the boys age 15-and-over class and he had three top-five finishes. Mendez took third place in both the 200 breast (2:42.81) and the 100 breast (1:13.43), and he was fifth in the 50 free (27.97). In February, Mendez capped his HRV Eagle swimming career by competing in the OSAA Class 5A state championship swim meet in Beaverton.  

Loula Clark competed in six events in the girls age 11-12 class and she had her best swim in the 100 butterfly as she took second place with a time of 1:57.34. Pulido (age 12) competed in the girls age 11-12 class. She swam in five events and her best finish was 10th place in the 100 back (1:35.83).

Wilson swam in six events in the boys age 11-12 division and he recorded top-10 finishes in each event, with his best performance in the 50 fly (57.38, fifth).

The Hood River summer swim squad, guided by longtime (over 20 years) Coach Shelly Rawding and MJ Caswell has eight athletes who qualified for the USA Swimming/OSI 12U Long Course state championship meet July 10-12 at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. Those include Gracie Adams, Finn Blakeslee, Ryl Blakeslee, Otis Caldwell, Alice Clark, Loula Clark, Rowan Hogue and Izzie Mack.

The Dalles summer swim team, led by fifth-year Coach Ann Goodman, will compete in its third event on their USA Swimming/Oregon Swimming Inc. (OSI) schedule July 4-5 at Pendleton. The Dalles swim team has four boys athletes who have qualified for the OSI 12U Long Course State Championship. Those swimmers include Harlan and Holten Lawrence, Sebastian Powell and Elijah Bachman. Maili Doty (girls age 13 and over) has qualified for the OSI Age 13 and over state meet July 23-26 in Beaverton.