PREP SWIM: Sandpoint girls win Skyline Invite, second at ThunderRidge
IDAHO FALLS — Recently, the Sandpoint girls swim team won the Skyline Invitational held at the Wes Deist Aquatic Center in Idaho Falls. The very next day, the girls finished second at the ThunderRidge High School Invitational, also held at Wes Deist. The Bulldogs defeated teams such as Skyline, Hillcrest, Shelley, Madison, and more over the weekend.
At the Skyline Invite, which was held on the morning of Friday, Oct. 6, the girls picked up multiple individual and team victories. Bria Rocke, Mia Driggs, Terra Converse, and Reina Montecchi won the 200-yard medley relay in 2:07.22 to start things off. Sandpoint’s Ava de Leeuw, Ryleigh Bamer, Sara Hogue, Driggs and Montecchi also picked up individual victories of their own.
Bamer won the 100-yard butterfly (1:07.33) and the 50-yard freestyle (27.50). Driggs picked up two wins in the 100-yard freestyle (1:00.40) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:16.81). de Leeuw took first in the 200-yard freestyle (2:07.79) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:36.38). Lastly, Hogue won the 100-yard backstroke (1:08.68) and Montecchi, who is just a freshman, won the 200-yard IM (2:33.59).
The aforementioned girls also participated in two other relays and finished in first place. Hogue, Driggs, de Leeuw, and Bamer won the 400-yard freestyle in 4:08.26. Hogue, de Leeuw, Bamer, and Montecchi took first in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:49.73. The girls team scores were as follows: 1, Sandpoint 187; 2, Skyline 148; 3, Hillcrest 110; 4, Century, 69.
For the boys, Sandpoint wasn’t able to win any events, but did place second in the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:51.61) in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:40.88). Both relays consisted of Sandpoint swimmers Harrison Gedde, Kale Wright, Luc LeBlanc, and Lon LeBlanc. The boys team scores were as follows: 1, Skyline 243; 2, Hillcrest 99; 3, Century 65; 4, Sandpoint 63.
On the morning of Saturday, Oct. 7, Sandpoint hopped right back into the pool for the ThunderRidge Invitational. The girls and boys both captured individual and team victories against some new competition.
Bamer, Driggs, Montecchi and de Leeuw won the 200-yard medley (2:00.46), a seven second improvement from the day before. Hogue, de Leeuw, Driggs and Bamer won the 400-yard freestyle (4:04.61) as well. If that wasn’t impressive enough, Rocke, Hogue, Converse, and Montecchi won the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.93.
Individually, Hogue won the 200-yard IM (2:41.90), Driggs won the 50-yard freestyle (26.61), Bamer won the 100-yard freestyle (1:00.50) and de Leeuw won the 500-yard freestyle (5:39.53) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:08.81) by a full 12 seconds. The girls team scores were as follows: 1, ThunderRidge, 174; 2, Sandpoint, 160; 3, Madison 98; 4, Bonneville 70; 5, Shelley 16.
For the boys, Wright finished first out of 28 swimmers in the 50-yard freestyle (25.20). In the 400-yard freestyle relay, Gedde, Wright, Lon LeBlanc, and Benicio Reyes placed first with a time of 3:55.90, 14 seconds ahead of second place. Lon LeBlanc also took home first in the 100-yard freestyle (54.24). The boys team scores were as follows: 1, Madison 194; 2, ThunderRidge 111; 3, Bonneville 106; 4, Sandpoint 66; 5, Shelley 35.
The Sandpoint swim teams will be back in action for a meet at the Kroc Center this Saturday.