For all the state team championships Jesuit swimming has won – 10 in boys and 12 in girls – perhaps none was more unusual than last season.
The Crusaders did not win a single event in boys or girls, yet somehow they swept the 6A team titles for the second year a row. The boys edged rnnner-up Sunset by 1.5 points and the girls topped second-place Lakeridge by 10 points.
If Jesuit is going to extend its reign this season, it probably will need its returning state placers to score more points, possibly bringing home an individual title or two.
“I think the girls will be closer,” Jesuit coach Bryan Butcher said. “Some of the other teams had freshmen and sophomores that were pretty good coming up. I feel like the girls should be in the mix. I'm confident they'll be in the top three.”
The boys' margin of error appears to be slim.
“We lost three state point-makers, and I don't know if we gained any,” Butcher said. “We're really looking at the kids that were on the outskirts last year that didn't make it to state, or didn't make finals, that those swimmers can step up and get into those spots, to give us that depth.”
Jesuit's girls won with a young team last season. The Crusaders returning state placers are juniors Lisette Soto (second in 200 freestyle, fourth in 500 freestyle), Stela Sufuentes (third in both 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle) and Addy Farley (sixth in 200 freestyle) and sophomore Malia McKeen (second in 100 backstroke, fifth in 100 butterfly).
Sufuentes is a four-time individual state placer, taking third in the 500 freestyle and fifth in the 200 freestyle as a freshman.
The Crusaders have a strong nucleus in the relays. Soto, Sufuentes and McKeen swam on the runner-up 400 freestyle relay. McKeen and sophomore Ayah Atay were part of the second-place 200 medley relay.
Soto, a member of Tualatin Hills Swim Club, personifies the Crusaders' team-first philosophy.
“The last two seasons, she didn't miss any of our dual meets,” Butcher said. “She had a breakout state performance last year. She's a real quiet, humble person, so she leads by her actions. Her teammates are really important to her.”
Senior Tenmy Wangpo, a three-time state placer in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, leads the boys team. He had his highest state finishes as a sophomore, taking second in the 100 backstroke and third in the 100 butterfly.
Jesuit's other top returners are senior Sean Neirynck (sixth in 100 freestyle and 200 freestyle) and junior Julien Lee (fourth in 100 breaststroke).
Butcher likes how the boys have approached the season.
“When schools started in August, they were already coming to me and talking to me,” Butcher said. “They're really motivated and excited to get it going.”
The Crusaders have much work to do in sorting out their lineups before the Metro League district meet. As always, the Metro promises to have one of the state's deepest district meets.
“In the Metro League, because it's so competitive, sometimes we tend to go faster at districts, and then we don't go as fast at state,” Butcher said. “This year's focus is managing that emotion, and not focusing on the big rivals, but just getting people to qualify and then hitting our peak at state.”
Scots loaded
Behind sophomore Ariya Abdullah, the reigning 6A champion in the 50 freestyle, the David Douglas girls team is shaping up to contend for a state trophy.
The Scots, who have won 16 of the last 17 Mt. Hood Conference titles, return all of their top swimmers from last season, when they finished fifth at the state meet.
Abdullah is coming off an outstanding freshman season. She not only won the 50 freestyle, but she took fourth in the 100 freestyle and swam the anchor on the runner-up 200 freestyle relay.
The other members of that relay team – seniors Alyssa Siripatrapa and Kim Nguyen and junior Ja'lan Abdullah – are back. The fifth-place 400 freestyle relay team (Siripatrapa, Nguyen, junior Elliott Swanson, Ariya Abdullah) also has returned intact.
“We should qualify three relays in the finals for state,” coach James Bowe said.
Siripatrapa (100 butterfly) and Nguyen (50 freestyle, 100 breaststroke) were individual state qualifiers last season. The Scots also have added a talented freshman in Tierney King, who can swim the 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
“She will give us a solid 500 freestyler and help in the 400 free and 200 medley relay,” Bowe said.
David Douglas owns a state-record 14 state team championships, all of them coming between 1967 and 1981.
Foxes in hunt
Coming off a 10-place finish in the 5A meet, Silverton appears ready to make a step forward this season.
“I think this might be the best boys team that I have coached,” said Lucky Rogers, the Foxes' coach for the last 10 years. “We could have an amazing year. Hoping to get a few more individuals to state along with the four that made it last year.”
Junior Nolan Horner set school records in the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle last season, finishing fifth in both events at state.
The other individual state qualifiers that have returned are seniors Carter Daniel (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle) and Joey Walker (200 freestyle, 100 backstroke) and junior Brody Hollis (100 butterfly, 500 freestyle).
Horner, Daniel, Walker and sophomore Hunter Sewell comprised the fifth-place 400 freestyle relay, which set a school record of 3:26.22.
The Foxes expect to get a boost from freshman Colin Ross. He will contend for a state berth in the breaststroke and can take over the breaststroke leg of the 200 medley relay, which returns the other three swimmers.
“He immediately makes that relay two to three seconds faster,” Rogers said.
jerryu@osaa.org
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