Colony girls expected to contend for Region III swim and dive team title

PALMER — For nearly a decade, the Kodiak Bears have owned the Region III girls swimming and diving team title. But Kodiak’s run of eight straight team titles may be in jeopardy this year.

The Colony Knights will aim to snap Kodiak’s steak when teams hit the pool for the Region III Championships swimming and diving meet Friday and Saturday in Valdez. Colony has enjoyed a fantastic regular season, winning team titles at the Homer, Kenai and Valley invitationals, and the Soldotna Pentathlon. Colony head coach Heather Milstead started to really see all of this potential during an early-season trip to Kodiak.

“We were in Kodiak and the girls were picking up all these personal bests. I started to realize we have a huge chance at reaching out there and taking the title from Kodiak,” Milstead said recently.

Milstead said she’s known throughout the season that winning a region title is an obtainable goal. Milstead said her athletes are excited about their potential, but have not let any added pressure weigh them down in the pool.

“They’re not letting it get to them. It’s helping drive them,” Milstead said. “They’re not letting it affect them in a negative matter.”

In addition to working for a top spot in the team standings, Milstead the Knights are also focused on qualifying athletes for the ASAA state championships. The Knights, who finished third in the Region III girls team standings last year, feature four individuals in the top 16 of their respective events. Sixteen athletes from across Alaska (the individual champion from each of the four region meets and swimmers with the next 12 best times during region championship weekend) advance to state for each event.

Camille Dayton is currently ranked third in the state in the 100-yard butterfly, fifth in the 200 individual medley and seventh in the 100 breaststroke. Yanne Toussant is seventh in the 100 freestyle and 10th in the 50 freestyle. Anne Sullivan is 12th in the 100 breaststroke.

Eileen Cyr is ranked fifth in girls diving for the Knights. The Colony girls 400 freestyle relay squad and 200 medley relay team are ranked fifth and seventh respectively.

Dayton, Sullivan and Cyr were among Knights were placed in regions last year.

Defending region champion Jake Simmons and defending region and state champion Joseph Anderson will lead the Colony boys into the region meet.

Anderson, who won region and state titles in the 100 breaststroke, is Alaska’s top-ranked swimmer in the event, with a season-best time of 1 minute, 57 seconds. Simmons, the defending region champion in the 100 butterfly, is ranked second in the state in both the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley. Simmons is also fourth in the 100 backstroke, and Anderson is ranked fourth in the 200 individual medley.

Colony also boasts three of the state’s top 10 divers. Tanner Belliston is ranked third, while Adam Belliston is eighth and Dominic Monaco is 10th.

Colony’s 200 medley boys relay team is ranked second in the state.

Palmer’s Max and Millie Snelders lead the Moose into the region meet. Max Snelders is state-ranked in three events — seventh in the 50 freestyle, 11th in the 100 backstroke and 13th in the 100 freestyle. Millie Snelders is 11th in the 100 breaststroke and 16th in the 100 freestyle.

Palmer’s Gabe Waldhaus is ranked second in the state in boys diving. Sydney Howe is ranked 11th in girls diving for the Moose.

Wasilla boasts the top boys diver in the state, defending region and state champion Brayden Schachle.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.