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Juneau to host region swim and dive championships
Top Southeast high school aquatic athletes strive for state qualifications
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The tapering may continue, but Southeast Alaska’s high school swim and dive athletes will be striving to post top state qualifying times at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center this weekend as the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears host the Southeast Conference Swim and Dive Championships. The preliminary races start at 5:15 p.m. Friday, with finals starting at 3 p.m. Saturday.
“We approach regions one day at a time,” JDHS head coach Amber Kelly said. “Friday is about putting ourselves in the best position possible to make it back for finals. Once we accomplish that, we shift our focus to Saturday. That is when we want our athletes to give everything they have, compete to the best of their abilities, and hopefully earn opportunities to compete at state. We do not want them getting ahead of themselves or putting unnecessary pressure on their performances. It is about focusing on what they can control, racing with confidence, and supporting one another.”
The Southeast Conference tournament will include participants from Ketchikan, Petersburg, Sitka, Wrangell and the host Crimson Bears.
“I am expecting a lot of fast swims and smiling faces,” JDHS assistant coach Dakota Hubert said. “Our team has put in so much work these last 13 weeks, and I really think they are going to surprise themselves. I am also expecting a lot of confidence, cheering, support and fun. This is always the best part of each high school season.”
The JDHS girls and boys swept the Region V team titles last season in Ketchikan. Most of their talented team returns. Sitka also returns most of their roster that placed just three team points behind the JDHS boys, while the JDHS girls had a large margin of victory.
The first-place finisher from each individual swim event across the state’s four conference tournaments (Southeast, Cook Inlet, Mid Alaska, Northern Lights) qualifies for the state championships along with the next 12 best times, to total 16 swimmers in each event.
JDHS returns senior region and state champion Amy Liddle (200 IM, 100 fly), sophomore region champion Cora Soboleff (200 free, 500 free), and junior region champion Liam Kiessling (100 back). Plus multiple top placers, including sophomore Annabelle Woodruff (200 free, 100 fly), senior Maddox Rasmussen (200 free, 500 free), senior Bailey Fisher (50 free), sophomore Katya Foy (100 back, 50 free), senior Kennedy Miller (100 breast), senior Kaden Aldrich (100 free), sophomore Levi Phelps (200 free) and senior Josh Edwards (100 breast).
Sitka region champion seniors Taryn Fleming (100 back) and Zach Martens (500 free) return as well as top-placing Martens (200 IM), junior Tommy McCarthy (100 fly) and senior Corin Colliver (100 free). Ketchikan top-placing junior Parker Hagan (100 free), sophomore Hunter Eckert (relay) and senior Max Meredith (relay) return along with talented Petersburg juniors Bella Miller (500 free) and Lexie Tow (100 breast). Petersburg freshmen Cyrus Hulebak and Hakon Eddy and Sitka freshman Ben Lihou have been making waves across multiple events and will factor in the team scoring.
Top seeds in Friday’s prelims are Petersburg’s Tow in the girls 200 free (2. JDHS Soboleff, 3. JDHS Woodruff), Sitka’s Lihou in the boys 200 free (2. JDHS Aldrich), JDHS’ Liddle girls 200 IM (2. JDHS sr Avery Smith), Sitka’s Martens in boys 200 IM (2. PSG Hulebak, 3. PSG Eddy), JDHS’ Fisher 50 free (2. SIT so Aela McCarthy, 3. PSG Miller), Sitka’s Colliver boys 500 free (2. SIT sr James Nellis), JDHS’ Liddle in the girls 100 fly (2. JDHS Miller, 3. JDHS Woodruff), JDHS’ Kiessling the boys 100 fly (2. JDHS Edwards, 3. PSG Eddy), JDHS’ Foy in the girls 100 free (2. JDHS Fisher, 3. JDHS sr Kaelyn Szefler), Sitka’s McCarthy in boys 100 free (2. SIT Colliver, 3. SIT Nellis), JDHS’ Soboleff in the girls 500 free (2. PSG Miller, 3. JDHS Rasmussen), Sitka’s Martens the boys 500 free (2. SIT Lihou, 3. JDHS Edwards), Sitka’s Fleming in girls 100 back (2. JDHS Foy, 3. SIT fr Olivia Jarvill), JDHS’ Kiessling in the boys 100 back (2. KTN so Hunter Eckert, 3. JDHS sr Sam Pallenberg), JDHS’ Miller in the girls 100 breast (2. PSG Tow, 3. SIT McCarthy) and JDHS’ Edwards in the boys 100 breast (2. PSG Hulebak, 3. JDHS Aldrich).
For relays, the first-place team from each conference championship meet and the next four best times earn state, for a total of eight relay teams in each relay event.
Relays, in regions and state, are key as they provide momentum (200 medley starts the meet), ignite and establish passions past the halfway point of competition (200 freestyle relay), and can decide the final team placings (400 free relay ends the meet).
The JDHS girls have the fastest 400 relay time in the state this season (3:54.27), the second fastest 200 relay (1:46.89) and third fastest 200 medley relay (1:55.55). JDHS set the state medley relay record last season (1:46.03) and two of the four members return, seniors Kennedy Miller and Amy Liddle. Eagle River set the second-fastest time last season at state (1:46.40) and two of their members return, senior Lelaina Trembath and junior Keira Gust. The JDHS girls swept the region relays last season.
The JDHS boys won the region 200 medley relay last season (1:39.16) and return Kiessling, Edwards, Phelps and Aldrich to that event, if needed. Those four also placed third in the 400 free relay (3:59.12). JDHS was third in the 200 free relay (1:37.50). Sitka won the 200 free relay (1:30.82) and return three members — McCarthy, Martens and Colliver. They were part of the second-place 400 relay team and second-place 200 medley relay team as well.
Relays are also deceiving as they are the last roster additions coaches show. Team titles rely on relays and tapered swimmers are huge for individual placings as well.
“Our athletes have put in a tremendous amount of work this season, and I am really proud of how far they have come,” JDHS coach Kelly said. “Taper can be challenging both physically and mentally because athletes do not always feel their best as their bodies begin to recover from months of hard training. We have been reminding them to trust the process, trust their training, and recognize that improvement is not always reflected in the clock. We have seen tremendous growth in their strength, technique, starts, turns, and overall confidence. Now it is about allowing all that hard work to come together when it matters most.”
Tapering is huge for swimmers. Knowing when to be at their peak — not too soon and not too late — has been part of their growing process.
“Tapering is when we adjust training leading up to the biggest meets of the season so our bodies can recover,” Hubert said. “Tapering is all about getting our swimmers ready to race fast. Last week, we started adding in mobility and taking 15-30 minutes off of every practice. But our intensity has stayed the same. Sleep is key, so we have made sure our team is getting extra every morning.”
For dive events, the top two finishers from each conference tournament plus the next eight scores qualify for state, totaling 16 divers.
“The divers can choose to throw different dives at regions and state,” JDHS dive coach Savona Kiessling said. “There is a strategy to the dive order. At regions, the order is based more upon lead-ins but at state the order is based not only on lead-ins, but also making the semifinal and final cuts.”
Divers who are more focused on ensuring they make a cut will try to optimize points early on during the prelims and semifinals. Prelims include the five first dives of a diver’s lineup. The top 12 divers after prelims progress to semifinals, where they throw their next three dives. The top eight divers after semifinals throw their last three dives during the finals competition. Staying loose and relaxed leading into regions and state is key.
“The divers perform a yoga-based stretching routine before every practice to help prevent injury and gain flexibility,” Kiessling said. “They also perform core exercises and dryland exercises to help prepare them for board time.”
Across the state, Colony diver Claire Wallstrum returns. Wallstrum was runner-up by three points for the state title. State fourth-place finisher Esme Carter from Bartlett and fifth-place finisher Dannica Sharratt of Kodiak also return.
JDHS senior Moira Bahn won regions and earned eighth place at state last season. JDHS seniors Adeline Williams, Easton Berger and Alex Davis also competed at state, along with Ketchikan Kings sophomore Jett Miller and Lady Kings senior Lina Merrill and junior Ellie Johnson. Crimson Bears Bahn, Berger, Davis and JDHS senior Brady Newport have posted strong scores this season, as have Kayhi’s Merrill, Johnson, and sophomores Mia Calvin, Marshall Kufner and Malachi Thompson. Sitka freshman Ella Colliver is also steadily improving.
Bahn and Williams are the top girls’ dive seeds for Friday and Berger and Davis the top boys’ seeds.
“I believe a successful season is about more than just swimming best times and qualifying for state,” Hubert said. “It is about the growth the swimmers make, the support we give each other and how we come together as a team when it matters most. Of course, we want to compete well and reach our goals, but it is also about building team chemistry, working hard every day and being proud of what we end up accomplishing together.”
Following are some of the state’s fastest times and/or Southeast rankings in the top 15:
200 Medley Relay
Girls - 1. Eagle River 1:50.25; 2. Service 1:53.03; 3. Juneau-Douglas 1:55.55; 5. Sitka 1:59.14; 6. Colony 1:59.33; 11. Petersburg 2:04.40.
Boys - 1. Eagle River 1:39.57; 2. Juneau-Douglas 1:41.34; 3. Sitka 1:41.61; 4. Colony 1:43.09; 10. Ketchikan 1:52.33; 13. Petersburg 1:53.96.
200 Free
Girls - 1. ER sr Lelaina Trembath 1:57.02; 2. JDHS sr Amy Liddle 1:59.83; 3. PSG jr Lexie Tow 2:02.88; 4. SIT sr Taryn Fleming 2:03.50; 7. JDHS so Cora Soboleff 2:05.71; 14. PSG jr Bella Miller 2:09.64.
Boys - ER sr Nate Shockley 1:46.50; 2. ER so Colin Russian 1:47.96; 3. SIT sr Zach Martens 1:49.14; 6. SIT sr Corin Colliver 1:50.54; 7. SIT fr Ben Lihou 1:52.37; 9. JDHS sr Kaden Aldrich 1:553.33; 13. PSG fr Cyrus Hulebak 1:54.75; 14. JD sr Josh Edwards 1:55.57.
200 Individual Medley
Girls - 1. JDHS Liddle 2:13.73; 2. ER Anna Heaphy 2:14.75; 3. SER sr Anna Brooks 2:15.51; 5. SIT Fleming 2:22.43; 9. JDHS so Katya Foy 2:24.26; 12. JDHS sr Avery Smith 2:25.46.
Boys - 1. ER fr Evan Olson 2:02.78; 2. JDHS jr Liam Kiessling 2:03.01; 3. SIT Martens 2:03.69; 4. PSG Hulebak 2:04.84; 6. SIT Lihou 2:05.85; 7. JD Edwards 1:06.32; 12. JD Aldrich 2:08.36.
50 Free
Girls - 1. ER Trembath 25.16; 2. ER jr Keira Gust 25.44; 2. SER sr Natalie Hostetter 25.44; 4. JDHS Liddle 25.60; 8. JDHS sr Bailey Fisher 25.98; 9. PSG Tow 26.07; 11. SIT so Aela McCarthy
Boys - 1. COL jr Beck Laboucane 21.41; 2. ER sr Matthew Baker 21.58; 3. CHG jr Gavin Heath 22.10; 4. PSG Hulebak 22.23; 6. SIT Colliver 22.38; 7. JDHS Kiessling 22.48; 8. SIT jr Tommy McCarthy 22.82; 10. JDHS Aldrich 22.89.
100 Fly
Girls - 1. JDHS Liddle 59.44; 2. COL jr Jersey Lane 1:01.35; 3. North Pole so Katelynn Baxter 1:01.83; 4. JDHS so Annabelle Woodruff 1:03.03; 5. SIT Fleming 1:03.44; 7. JDHS Smith 1:04.12; 12. JDHS sr Kennedy Miller 1:05.20; 13. JDHS sr Kaelyn Szefler 1:05.52.
Boys - 1. JDHS Kiessling 52.75; 2. JDHS sr Josh Edwards 53.04; 4. JDHS Aldrich 54.64; 7. PSG fr Hakon Eddy 55.50; 9. SIT McCarthy 56.28; 14. SIT Colliver 57.22.
100 Free
Girls - 1. ER Trembath 54.71; 2. NP Baxter 55.65; 3. JDHS Foy 56.52; 4. SER Hostetter 56.91; 5. ER Gust 57.21; 6. PSG Tow 57.30;
Boys - 1. ER Baker 47.94; 2. COL Laboucane 48.02; 3. CHG Heath 48.84; 4. PSG Hulebak 49.09; 5. SIT Colliver 49.28; 6. SIT McCarthy 49.71; 7. JDHS Kiessling 49.73; 8. SIT Martens 49.86; 10. JDHS Aldrich 50.54; 11. JDHS Edwards 50.77; 12. SIT Lihou 51.27.
500 Free
Girls - 1. ER Trembath 5:11.94; 2. ER Heaphy 5:30.99; 5. JDHS Soboleff 5:36.67; 6. SIT Fleming 5:37.42; 8. PSG Miller 5:45.61.
Boys - 1. ER Shockley 4:52.07; 2. ER Russian 4:53.46; 5. SIT Martens 5:04.83; 9. SIT Lihou 5:12.20; 15. SIT fr Sawyer Bastian (33. JDHS so Henry Thatcher 5:39.85).
200 Free Relay
Girls - 1. SER 1:43.89; 4. JDHS 1:46.89; 12. SIT 1:51.94; 13. PSG 1:52.67.
Boys - 1. SIT 1:29.93; 2. ER 1:32.16; 3. JDHS 1:32.24; 4. COL 1:32.74; 5. Chugiak 1:32.89; 12. KTN 1:41.72.
100 Back
Girls - 1. ER jr Keira Gust 59.47; West Valley Addylyn Gore-Hall 1:02.52; 3. ER Trembath 1:03.38; 4. SIT Fleming 1:03.53; 5. SER Brooks 1:03.74; 6. JDHS Foy 1:04.28; 10. SIT fr Olivia Jarvill 1:05.92; 14. JDHS Smith 1:06.55.
Boys - 1. Monroe so Braxton Kelly 54.35; 2. JDHS Kiessling 54.70; 3. COL Leboucane 55.67; 4. ER so Noah Unks 55.89; 13. SIT Martens 58.56; 14. PSG Hulebak 58.66.
100 Breast
Girls - 1. SER Brooks 1:07.49; 2. ER Trembath 1:08.15; 3. JDHS Liddle 1:09.95; 4. PSG Tow 1:12.13; 7. JDHS Miller 1:13.82; 9. SIT McCarthy 1:14.94; 11. KTN so Josie Jackson 1:15.36; 15. JDHS Soboleff 1:16.20.
Boys - 1. ER fr Evan Olson 1:00.21; 2. Kenai jr Fletcher Darr 1:01.82; 5. SIT Martens 1:03.98; 6. JDHS Edwards 1:04.06; 8. PSG Hulebak 1:04.63; 9. JDHS Aldrich 1:04.65; 13. SIT Bastian 1:06.50.
400 Free Relay
Girls - 1. JDHS 3:54.27; 2. Kenai 3:57.29; 3. Colony 4:01.77; 7. PSG 4:05.96; 15. SIT 4:24.48.
Boys - 1. SIT 3:19.38; 2. JDHS 3:22.59; 3. ER 3:23.66; 4. Chugiak 3:25.57; 13. PSG 3:52.24; 14. KTN 3:54.77.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at sports@juneauindependent.com
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