Lc Girls To Defend State Crown 37 Teams Head To Moscow Seeking Swimming Titles
State swimming
The Lake City High girls swim team will be out to defend its state championship and the Coeur d’Alene boys will be seeking their first state title this weekend.
The state swim meets involving 37 teams will be held Saturday at the University of Idaho pool in Moscow. Events begin at 9:30 a.m.
The Viking boys are coming off a narrow victory in the District I meet last weekend that also was held in Moscow. CdA edged Sandpoint by a point.
“I knew it would be close,” said CdA coach Rich Swoboda.
CdA’s biggest strength at state should be in the relays.
“For the boys, it’s going to be a three-way race between Boise, Centennial and us,” Swoboda predicted.
CdA will rely on juniors Brad Kleinjans and Dan Taylor, sophomore Tom Allen and freshman James Peterson. All took first place in their relay at district, while Allen and Kleinjans won their individual events.
At state, Kleinjans will swim the 100 backstroke and the 200 freestyle; Taylor, the 100 back and the 200 individual medley; Allen, the 100 fly and the 100 breast stroke; and Peterson, the 100 free and the 100 back.
For the girls, Ashley Kleinjans will swim the 100 fly and 50 free. She took third place in both during district. Casey Anderson will enter the 100 and 50 freestyles.
Lake City’s girls took second at district.
“We’re fine tuning our strokes and our turns and our starts and everything we need to do to try and take it at state,” said LC coach Steve Reed.
The Timberwolves are missing two swimmers who won at state last year. Lindsay Taggart graduated and Brooke Sprague moved.
However, Taggart’s younger sister, Megan, a junior, will compete at state. Megan was the district champion in the 200 IM. She’ll also swim the 100 backstroke.
Sophomore teammate Sarah Thilo, who took first in the 500 freestyle at district, will swim that event and the 200 free.
For the boys, LC will rely on senior Ian Wood and junior freestyler Ben Siegler.
Siegler will take on the 200 and 500 freestyles while Wood swims the 500 free and the 100 breast.
The Sandpoint Bulldogs are hoping for better luck at state than they experienced during district.
The boys, who went undefeated during the season, finished one point out of first. The girls got third place, five points out of first.
“We didn’t do as well as we wanted but we did pretty well,” said Bulldogs coach Mike Brosnahan. “It came down to the very last race, the very last heat, basically the very last everything. But we don’t have any excuses. (CdA) just out swam us.”
Brosnahan will count on senior Josh Burt to help defeat CdA. Burt will compete in the 200 IM and the 100 breast, while teammate Ben Palmer, a junior, competes in the 50 freestyle and the 100 fly.
Brothers Wil and Chas James will go to state for the Bulldogs. Junior Chas, in the 100 breast and 200 IM, and Wil, a freshman, in the 100 back and 200 free.
For the girls, freshman Erika Parsons will swim the 100 free and 200 IM. Freestyler Briana Staglund goes in the 500 and 200.
Post Falls, the newest swim team in the state, will take nine girls and five boys to Moscow after placing fourth and fifth at district.
“If I had another month with them, I’d be sending more to state,” Post Falls coach Cindy Clutter said.
Despite the new team, PF has some talent and experience.
For the girls, freshmen Desiree Johnson and Jessica Isenberg and junior Janelle Ruen all have club experience.
Johnson, Ruen, Isenberg, and freshman Bernadette Detar will come together for the 200 medley relay, in which they took first at district. They will also swim the 200 freestyle relay.
Individually, Johnson will compete in the 50 free and the 100 back and Ruen will enter the 50 free and the 100 breast. Isenberg will swim the 100 breast and the 100 fly. Freestyler Detar goes in the 50 and 100.
, DataTimes