Tigers Trump Wolves

Newberg ends 11-year drought versus Tualatin
Class 6A girls swimming — The Timberwolves win six of 11 events, but Tigers break through for a 90-77 victory Thursday at home
By: Seth Gordon Published: 1/8/2011 12:00:00 PM

Entering the season, Newberg head coach Rich Tobergte said he believed his team had an opportunity to go unbeaten in the Pacific Conference for the first time since he took over the program.


Considering the Tigers hadn’t beaten Tualatin in 11 years, their toughest obstacle may have been the league opener Thursday.

Sophomore Alysha Bush helped Newberg snap its skid versus the Timberwolves by winning two individual events and swimming in two victorious relays as the Tigers pulled out a 90-77 win at the Chehalem Aquatic Center.

“We talked about it at the beginning of the season, it’s one of our goals to beat Tualatin,” Tobergte said. “I’m extremely happy.”

  Bush won the 50 and 100 freestyle events in 24.87 and 54.97 seconds, respectively, and swam legs on Newberg’s winning 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays.

Joined by Cassie Beecher, Catherine Mays and Anna Dolyniuk, Bush helped the 200 medley relay to a 1:54.64 finish, with Beecher, Bush, Mays and senior Meghan O’Halloran winning the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43.42.

Tobergte was also pleased with the performance of Dolyniuk, who took second in the 200 IM (2:19.50), took third in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.31) and teamed with O’Halloran, Elizabeth Kaufman and Mekala Gassner on the runner-up 400 freestyle relay team (4:08.97).

“Anna Dolyniuk had a great swim in the 200 IM,” Tobergte said. “She started out the season at 2:29 and she has dropped time the last few times she has swam it. She was at 2:19, so that’s a great swim for her. I’m hoping she’ll be down to around 2:12 or 2:15 by the end of the season. That would be awesome and would put her really high up at the district championships.”

Mays picked up the Tigers’ last win by finishing the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.96; she was third in the 100 fly (1:05.54) to go along with her two relay wins.

O’Halloran added second-place finishes in the 200 free (2:06.36) and 100 backstroke (1:06.17), with Beecher taking third in 2:12.70 and 1:07.36, respectively.

“We had good solid swims from all of the kids, really,” Tobergte said. “Everybody steps up and plays a part.”

The two teams were tied through the first seven events before Newberg took first and second in the 200 freestyle relay to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point lead.

“There aren’t a lot of personal bests, but we didn’t expect that because we just came off Christmas training,” Tobergte said. “So we were going two times a day for 14 days, so they’re tired and beat up a little bit. But they stepped up and did what they had to do.”

The Tigers travel to Forest Grove Jan. 13 for their next dual meet.