JDHS swim and dive team sweep Friday meet

Crimson Bears will honor their seniors on Saturday

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Taylor Mesdag warms up for her dive competition during the JDHS Swim & Dive Invitational at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025. The JDHS seniors will be honored on Saturday following the meet. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

By Klas Stolpe

Juneau Independent

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé swim and dive team won day one of their two-day invitational meet Friday at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center with the boys earning 173 points and the girls 310.

Ketchikan placed second in the boys action with 146, Sitka 141.5, Craig 31.5, Petersburg 18 and Wrangell four. Petersburg placed second for the girls with 66 points, Sitka 61, Ketchikan 37, Craig 27 and Wrangell 14.

On Saturday JDHS will honor seniors Vincent Hayes, Clive Mateo, Taylor Mesdag, Deedee Mills and Valerie Peimann following the action which begins at 3:15 p.m. and is scheduled to finish at 6:20 p.m.

JDHS coach Carole Triem said the two-day meets in Southeast are, “To minimize the travel that we have to do. We have more time to rest in between rather than trying to travel every weekend.”

Opponents in Anchorage have meets every weekend, which could be an advantage, but those schools just have to drive across town, not overnight as Region V teams do.

“We do get more rest in between meets,” Triem said. “It is less time off from school…It is also nice because you get to do more events on a weekend…our swimmers can do two events each day for four a weekend…It lets us see our swimmers across four events instead of having to wait two weekends. It is helpful. It is not a big advantage, it is just different.”

Petersburg's Bella Miller and Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Valerie Peimann start the girls 200 medley relay on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025, during the JDHS Swim & Dive Invitational at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center. The JDHS seniors will be honored on Saturday following the meet. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)

The JDHS girls won the opening 200-yard medley relay in 1:49.75 with Peimann opening on backstroke, Kennedy Miller breaststroke, Amy Liddle butterfly and Lily Francis closing freestyle.

The Crimson Bears boys followed with a 200 medley relay win in 1:40.63 behind Liam Kiessling, Josh Edwards, Levi Phelps and Kaden Aldrich.

Sitka’s Taryn Fleming won the 200 free in 2:04.28 with JDHS’ Cora Soboleff second in 2:04.89 and JDHS’ Annabell Woodruff rounding out the podium in 2:08.98. Petersburg’s Logan Tow won the boys 200 free in 1:51.96 with Kayhi’s JP Robbins second in 1:55.26.

JDHS’ Amy Liddle won the girls 200 IM in 2:10.28 with Sitka’s Mia Turner going 2:29.19 and JDHS’ Katya Foy 2:29.86. JDHS’ Edwards won the boys 200 IM in 2:02.68 with Kiessling second in 2:03.75.

Petersburg’s Lexie Tow won the girls 50 free in 25.70 with JDHS’ Bailey Fisher second in 26.22 and Miller third with 26.32. Sitka’s Tommy McCarthy won the boys 50 free in 22.92 with teammate Corin Colliver second in 23.04 and JDHS’ Phelps third in 23.73.

JDHS’ Taylor Mesdeg won the girls diving with 156.80 points and teammates Moira Bahn and Adeline Williams followed on the podium with 150.40 and 131.05, respectively. Kayhi’s Liam Woodward won the boys diving with 208.15. JDHS’ Easton Berger was third with 131.45 and teammate Alex Davis fourth with 95.80.

JDHS’ Francis won the girls 100 fly in 1:02.33, Miller was second in 1:02.93 and Woodruff third in 1:03.05. Kayhi’s Evan Dash won the boys 100 fly in 52.77 with JDHS’ Kiessling second in 56.68.

JDHS’ Peimann won the girls 100 free in 54.36 with classmate Deedee Mills second in 57.60 and teammate Fisher third in 57.77. Sitka’s Zach Martens won the boys 100 free in 50.56.

JDHS’ Liddle won the 500 free in 5:16.59 with Soboleff second in 5:39.39. Petersburg’s Logan Tow won the boys 500 free in 5:08.59, Kayhi’s Robbins was second in 5:14.06 and JDHS’ Gabe Aldrich third in 5:47.67.

JDHS’ B girls team (Fisher, Maddie Manlulu, Foy, A. Woodruff) won the 200 free relay in 1:46.24 and JDHS’ A team (Mills, Avery Smith, Kaelyn Szefler, Miller) placed second in 1:47.15. JDHS’ boys 200 free relay team (K. Aldrich, Edwards, Phelps, Kiessling) won in 1:32.04 over Sitka’s 1:32.42.

JDHS’ Peimann won the girls 100 back in 59.45 and Kayhi’s Gavin Harold won the boys 100 back in 57.55.

Petersburg’s Lexie Tow won the girls 100 breast in 1:09.65 and Kayhi’s Evan Dash won the boys 100 breast in 1:00.72.

JDHS girls Liddle, Mills, Francis and Peimann won the 400 free relay in 3:46.77 and Sitka won the boys 400 free relay in 3:22.86.

Complete meet scoring and placings will be updated at a later date.

Saturday’s meet begins at 3:15 p.m. and senior appreciation for the Crimson Bears is scheduled at the end of the competition.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.