It won’t be easy for the girls and boys swim teams from Newport High School to match the businesslike effort the Cubs used last Friday and Saturday to propel themselves to a sweep of the 4A/3A/2A/1A-SD 3 team titles at the Newport Aquatic Center. Yet, that’s exactly what Newport faces at the OSAA 4A/3A/2A/1A state championships, scheduled for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 16-17, at Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton.
Following an undefeated regular season, the Newport girls’ district championship came as a surprise to no one. With a battle tested trio of savvy, senior veterans in Layla Bretz, Claire Hurty and Pia Lihou, as well as an infusion of standout freshmen in Hana Parker, Ruby Perucci and Gwynn Postlewait, the NHS girls won a team championship for the 11th time in as many outings this season.
The Cubs topped the girls’ team standings with 291 points, and were followed by Valley Catholic with 246, Astoria at 150, St. Helens with 110, and Taft in fifth of 10 teams competing with 97 points.
What may have been a surprise to some, but most certainly not the athletes themselves, was the dominant display posted by the Newport boys, who fell short of Taft’s point total when the teams met the last two times this regular season. Anchored by senior Sam Postlewait and junior Ben Hurty, the Newport boys dominated in scoring 314 points, 119 more than second-place Taft.
Taft senior Noah Serrato posted the top individual effort for the Tiger boys, swimming to second in the 200-yard freestyle, and swimming the final legs during Taft’s matching third-place finishes in the 200- and 400-freestyle relays.
Bretz won both the girls 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, and anchored Newport wins in the 200-and 400-freestyle relays, and Gwynn Postlewait added individual wins in the 500 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, while swimming on victorious Cubs 200-medley and 400-freestyle relay teams.
Lihou won the girls 200-individual medley, and finished second in the 100 backstroke to Perucci, who swam legs for the 200-medley and 200-frestyle relay teams. Lihou also contributed to wins in the 200-medley and 400-freestyle relays. Claire Hurty, who was unavailable for last Friday’s day of preliminary competition while interviewing for an academic college scholarship elsewhere in the state, came home Saturday with three first-place relay medals around her neck.
Taft senior Allison Lua, junior Sierra Sanders and freshmen Allysa Moore and Ellie Nightingale combined to swim to fourth in the 400-freestyle relay.
Sam Postlewait posted matching wins in the boys 50 and 100 freestyle, and finished off Cubs wins in the 200- and 400-freerstyle relay events. Ben Hurty swam the first legs for Newport wins in the 200-medley and 400-freestyle relays, and added individual golds in the boys 200-individual medley and 100 backstroke. Newport rising freshman star Jahan Eibner struck gold in the 500 freestyle, and helped the Cubs take the 200-medley and 400-freerstyle relays.
Also for the Newport boys, senior Braylon Belloni and junior Ivan Farias helped earn wins in the 200-medley and 200-frestyle relays.
For the Tiger boys, junior Brenden Wilson took third in the boys 200-individual medley, .and fourth in the 100 freestyle, and Serrato added a fifth in the 100 freestyle.
4A/3A/2A/1A-SD-3 Swimming Championships
Feb. 9-10 at the Newport Aquatic Center
Girls team scores: Newport 291, Valley Catholic 246, Astoria 150, St. Helens 110, Taft 97, Scappoose 89, Seaside 82, Tillamook 47, Banks 23, Rainier 10.
Boys team scores: Newport 314, Taft 195, Tillamook 181, Astoria 158, Scappoose 113, Seaside 94.5, Valley Catholic 93, St. Helens 21.5, Rainier 14.
Results: http://tinyurl.com/5t4wdxm7.
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