Tigers Swamp Spartans

Taking advantage of its match-up with Pacific Conference newcomer Hillsboro, Newberg shuffled its lineup and swept the Spartans in a dual meet Thursday at the Chehalem Aquatic Center.


The girls won 10 of 11 events for an easy 122-48 victory, while the boys won just five but placed three swimmers in the top four nine times to win 105-65.
“We gave them the opportunity to swim some fun events instead of the standard roster,” head coach Rich Tobergte said. “We should probably be able to do that the next couple of meets before going to districts, then reel it back in for the last meet of the season against Tigard. That will give them the opportunity to swim what they are going to swim at the district championships.”
Normally the team’s best freestyler, Alysha Bush won the 200 individual medley (2:18.40) and the 100 breaststroke (1:11.33) and swam legs on the winning 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.
Joining Bush on the 200 medley relay (1:57.14) were Cassie Beecher, Catherine Mays and Anna Dolyniuk, with Meghan O’Halloran teaming with Bush, Beecher and Mays in the 400 free relay (3:51.95).
O’Halloran and Dolyniuk also swam legs on the winning 200 free relay (1:48.65) along with Schmidt and Peterson. Mays also won two individual events, the 200 free in 2:07.29 and the 500 free in 5:48.21, as did O’Halloran, who was first in the 100 butterfly (1:06.84) and the 100 backstroke (1:07.92).
Beecher added runner-up finishes in the 200 IM (2:27.49) and the 100 fly (1:09.71) and Dolyniuk was second in both the 200 free (2:07.38) and the 100 back (1:10.47).
Clara Pugsley took second-place in the 100 breast (1:22.20) and Mekala Gassner was runner-up in the 100 free to round out the effort for the girls.
The Tigers host Glencoe on Jan. 27 and the district meet is now just three weeks away.
“We’re coming into the finish,” Tobergte said. “I think we’re swimming well. We’re starting to work on some specialty stuff in practice, like turns, trying to get down to the nitty gritty there. In the next couple of weeks we’ll start resting them, rebuilding that muscle tissue and getting them ready to swim fast.”