THE DALLES - The Dalles High Riverhawks boys and girls swim teams opened their OSAA Class 4A/3A/2A/1A Special District 1 schedule by competing in their first event Dec. 4 at the Hood River Aquatic Center and then back-to-back meets Dec. 12 and 13.
The Riverhawks had a number of athletes who had strong performances in the 10-team River City Invitational Dec. 12 at the Tillamook County YMCA. Each team recorded nine top-five finishes. The Dalles senior Everest Lenardson and junior Rhett Loughmiller each notched four top-five finishes. Juniors Kaiya Doty and Lillen Vaught each recorded four top-five girls event finishes. Lenardson and Doty are returning state qualifiers for the Riverhawks.
The girls took fourth place with 187 points and the boys took fourth with 176 points.
Lenardson was third in both the 100-yard breaststroke (1 minute, 15.98 seconds) and was fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:02.51). Lenardson combined with teammates Rhett Loughmiller, Maverick Varland and Sawyer Dray to place fifth in the 200 medley relay. The quartet also took second place in the 200 free relay (1:40.42).
Varland, a senior, took third place in the 500 free (6:14.64) for his third top-five finish at Tillamook. Dray was fifth in the 50 free (26.04), and The Dalles sophomore Jack Dewey was fifth in the 200 free (2:30.80).
Doty won the 100 breaststroke (1:17.65) and she took second in the 200 free (2:19.15). Doty combined with teammates Vaught, Laura Black and Katelynn Benjamin to place second in the 200 medley relay (2:13.14). The quartet also took third place in the 200 free relay (1:54.33). Vaught won the 200 IM (2:44.07) and was third in the 100 free (1.00.80).
The Riverhawks also competed in the 10-team Ridgeview High School Ravens Classic meet at Redmond on Dec. 13. The girls squad notched one win and a total of five top-five finishes to take fourth place in team scores with 191 points. The boys squad recorded five top-five’s and they took sixth place with 184 points.
The highlight event for the Riverhawks’ girls squad: Vaught, Benjamin, Black and Doty swimming to first place finish in the 400 free relay (4:57.96). The top event for the boys was a third-place finish by Loughmiller, Varland, Lenardson and Cruz Peral in the 200 medley relay (2:14.79). Lenardson, Dewey, Varland and Loughmiller also swam to fourth place in the 400 free relay (4:32.29).
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