REACHING FOR STATE

PALMER — When it comes to measuring the swimming ability of Alaska’s high school animal kingdom, Kodiak Bears are at the top of the food chain.

The bears dominated at this weekend’s Region III Swimming and Diving Championships at Palmer High School, along the way feasting on Kenai Kardinals, Seward Seahawks, Palmer Moose and even a few Cordova Wolverines for dessert.

Kodiak placed 23 of its 24 swimmers into the finals, swimming 35 individual events and six relays en route to winning boy the boys and girls divisions. The Kodiak boys were dominant, scoring 131 points, 90 more than second-place Homer. The girls, with 97 points ,held off a scrappy Homer team, which scored 92.

In fact, Kodiak equaled the finalists of the Valley’s three schools combined. Wasilla, Palmer and Colony also made good showings at regionals, qualifying in 35 individual events and seven relays.

Leading the way for Valley girls was Palmer, which placed sixth with 26 points with a young, but talented, group.

Noelle Graham was the highest placer for the Moose, finishing second in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:03.20. Teammate Katie Stark also had a strong meet, medaling in the 50 freestyle with a third-place finish in 25.55 and placing fourth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 56.39.

Overall, Palmer got a lot of good experience for a stable of swimmers who are expected to bolster a strong run for the Moose over the next couple of years, coach Chris Morgan said.

“We have a lot more swimmers in the finals this year, and all of our boys relays made it, along with two of our girls relays,” she said. “The sophomores are doing great, cutting a lot of time and continuing to improve.”

With a limited number of qualifying spots for the state meet — individual event winners advance, along with the top 12 times posted in the state’s four regional meets — Morgan said the goal “is trying to get them to state, score as high as you can.”

That leaves some on the bubble until all the regional results are in, like the Palmer girls 200 freestyle relay team of Willow Schlenker, Sarah Hanson, Noelle Graham and Stark, which placed fourth overall Saturday in the finals. The same team went on to medal in the 400 freestyle relay, placing third with a time of 4:03.86.

For a mature Wasilla team that features several seniors who are swimming for the first time this year, this weekend’s region meet was a rousing success, coach Matt Hanley said. Although Wasilla didn’t have any medalists, Hanley said he was pleased that most posted personal-best times.

“I’m very happy, very pleased with how the kids are doing,” he said. “They’re dropping time, they’re racing better than before. They’re getting it, with a lot of personal bests. Out of the 18 kids we brought, 17 are either swimming (in the finals) or alternates. We’re pretty happy about that.”

He was also impressed with the performance of Brittany Shattuck, a 2009 state qualifier. Shattuck led Valley swimmers in the 200 freestyle, placing seventh, and was sixth in the 100 breaststroke.

This season has been “pretty good,” and she’s had a lot of fun with the team, said Shattuck after winning her heat in the 200 free consolation finals.

“It’s a season best (time), not a personal best,” she said. “I hope it gets me to state. I went my sophomore year, and it’s pretty fun and exciting. It would be awesome to go back.”

While Palmer led the way for Valley girls at the meet, the Palmer boys did the same, finishing fourth overall with 31 points. Highlighting Saturday’s finals was the performance of senior Spencer Bloom, who smashed his personal best time in the 50 freestyle with a fourth-place finish in 23.12. He also posted a state-qualifying 56.81 in the 100 backstroke, placing second to Sward’s Josh Eavis.

Although he missed out on medaling in the 50 free, Bloom was all smiles after the swim.

“It felt good, really good,” he said. “I mean, I have to be happy about that. I went 23.6 yesterday and my PR (personal record) was a 23.4, and today — those guys swam 22s, there’s no shame in losing to that. I’m hoping it will be enough (to qualify for state). Hitting a 22 at state would make me feel good, that would be a good way to end the year.”

He had to feel good about his best event, the 100 backstroke, as well. Bloom qualified for state in the event last year and posted a personal-best 58 seconds flat in the preliminaries at the region meet. He blasted that time out of the water Saturday.

In addition to his individual events, Bloom also anchored Palmer’s third-place 400 freestyle relay team.

Bloom will be joined at state by rival Alex Kessler of Colony, who finished the 100 back in third place behind him. Longtime Colony head coach Dawn Brettrager, who is retiring at the end of the season, learned late Saturday that Kessler qualified for state.

“He did awesome,” she said of his performance. “His 200 free and his backstroke, well, he finaled in both, so that was nice.”

It was the highlight of a rough meet for the Knights, she said. The Knights battled injuries and illness that kept some of the team’s best swimmers out of the pool.

“Overall, that was a little disappointing, but some of that we didn’t have any control over,” she said. “I did have 12 kids in the finals, so considering all the unfortunate things that took place, I was pleased with the outcome.”

A final list of state qualifiers was not available by press time. See Tuesday’s Frontiersman for a list of local swimmers making the trip to the state meet.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

2011 Region III Swimming

and Diving Championships

Oct. 27-29, Palmer High School

Girls Team Scores

1. Kodiak, 131; 2. Homer, 41; 3. Kenai Central, 40; 4. Seward, 38; 5. Soldotna, 33; 6. Palmer, 26; 7. Valdez, 15; 8. Colony High School, 4; 9. Cordova, 2.

Boys Team Scores

1. Kodiak, 97; 2. Homer, 92; 3. Soldotna, 58; 4. Palmer, 31; 5. Seward, 24; 6. Colony, 11; 7. Skyview, 4; 8. Kenai Central, 2; 9. Cordova, 1.

Coach of the Year

John Lindquist, Kodiak

Athletes of the Year

Girls — Tahna Lindquist, Kodiak

Boys — Richard Ginter, Homer

Girls Events

200-Yard Medley Relay

1. Kodiak (Tahna Lindquist, Sammye Jones, Celeste Beck-Goodell, Megan Jester), 1:53.55; 2. Seward (Isabel Barnwell, Eileen Audette, Olivia Beckham, Rachel Tougas), 1:59.78; 3. Kenai Central (Zoya Hanson, Chelsea Chess, Kaitlyn Louthan, Olivia Pfeifer), 2:01.18; 4. Homer (Marie Schmidt, Katie Schmidt, Dana Olesch, Cheyanne Smith), 2:01.81; 5. Soldotna (Serena Lee, Rachel Henry, Kaitlyn Groleske, Alex Weeks), 2:02.39; 6 Valdez (Bridget Irish, Hannah Norris, Colleen Murphy, Morgan Johnson), 2:06.37.

200 Freestyle

1. Jori Lindquist, Kodiak, 1:57.38; 2. Olivia Pfeifer, Kenai, 1:59.51; 3. Marie Schmidt, Homer, 2:01.74; 4. Kaitlyn Groleske, Soldotna, 2:01.91; 5. Megan Jester, Kodiak, 2:03.32; 6. Isabel Barnwell, Seward, 2:06.21; 7. Brittany Shattuck, Wasilla, 2:14.87; 8. Celestina Castro, Kenai, 2:16.41; 9. Sarah Hanson, Palmer, 2:17.11; 10. Eliza Zugg, Colony, 2:18.74; 11. Colleen Murphy, Valdez, 2:19.28; 12. Caitlin Steinbeck, Kenai, 2:26.50.

200 Individual Medley

1. Tahna Lindquist, Kodiak, 2:11.50; 2. Celeste Beck-Goodell, Kodiak, 2:15.27; 3. Sammye Jones, Kodiak, 2:16.83; 4. Hannah Norris, Valdez, 2:17.10; 5. Illa Macinko, Kodiak, 2:27.48; 6. Cheyanne Smith, Homer, 2:33.24; 8. Emily Schmidt, Homer, 2:34.29; 9. Willow Schlenker, Palmer, 2:36.30; 10. Katie Schmidt, Homer, 2:40.03. 11. Joy Wannamaker, Kenai, 2:40.33; 12. Kearney Newman, Palmer, 2:55.86; 7. Kayla Anderson, Colony, 2:34.21.

50 Freestyle

1. Ila Hughes, Kodiak, 23.80; 2. Alex Weeks, Soldotna, 24.68; 3. Katie Stark, Palmer, 25.55; 4. Eileen Audette, Seward, 25.75; 5. Kaitlyn Louthan, Kenai, 26.26; 6. Olivia Beckham, Seward, 26.45; 7. Noelle Graham, Palmer, 27.18; 8. Bridget Irish, Valdez, 27.44; 9. Elaina Allen, Cordova, 27.75; 10. Molly Silta, Soldotna, 28.16; 11. Savanna Burke, Wasilla, 28.19; 12. Serena Lee, Soldotna, 28.66.

1-Meter Diving

1. Sophie Hogen, Kodiak, 352.90; 2. Lindsey Seneff, Homer, 321.80; 3. Jasmine Lewis, Homer, 296.20; 4. Andy Wall, Kodiak, 273.30; 5. Jessa Fortaliza, Kodiak, 268.10; 6. Sophie Ogle, Homer, 243.40; 7. Austin Daly, Kenai, 228.10; 8. Katherine Dolma, Homer, 225.40.

100 Butterfly

1. Dana Olesch, Homer, 1:01.69; 2. Noelle Graham, Palmer, 1:03.20; 3. Kaitlyn Groleske, Soldotna, 1:05.45; 4. Kaitlyn Louthan, Kenai, 1:05.79; 5. Megan English, Soldotna, 1:08.27; 6. Celestina Castro, Kenai, 1:09.16; 7. Shelby Dresdow, Kodiak, 1:09.99; 8. Mika Morton, Skyview, 1:16.19; 9. Colleen Murphy, Valdez, 1:16.79; 10. Makenzi Magiera, Kenai, 1:17.11; 11. Lydia Arndt, Homer, 1:17.12; 12. Saige Stefanski, Colony, 1:18.39.

100 Freestyle

1. Ila Hughes, Kodiak, 52.13; 2. Alex Weeks, Soldotna, 55.08; 3. Hannah Norris, Valdez, 55.09; 4. Katie Stark, Palmer, 56.39; 5. Megan Jester, Kodiak, 56.72; 6. Elaina Allen, Cordova, 1:00.81; 7. Rachel Crosley, Colony, 1:01.53; 8. Zoya Hanson, Kenai, 1:02.19; 9. Eliza Zugg, Colony, 1:02.41; 10. Molly Silta, Soldotna, 1:05.22; 11. Asia Vernon, Unalaska, 1:05.64; 12. Eve Ferguson, Kenai, 1:06.66.

500 Freestyle

1. Tahna Lindquist, Kodiak, 5:09.50; 2. Celeste Beck-Goodell, Kodiak, 5:18.40. 3, Olivia Pfeifer, Kenai, 5:23.27; 4. Marie Schmidt, Homer, 5:23.73; 5. 2-5 Isabel Barnwell, Seward, 5:38.69; 6. Rachel Henry, Soldotna, 6:09.47; 7. Hannah Vogt, Kodiak, 6:09.69; 8. Kayla Anderson, Colony, 6:11.17; 9. Sarah Hanson, Palmer, 6:12.57; 10. Caitlin Steinbeck, Kenai-AK, 6:32.85; 11. Maryna Darminio, Kodiak, 6:37.09; 12. Ashley Eby, Soldotna, 6:41.00.

200 Freestyle Relay

1. Kodiak (Jori Lindquist, Megan Jester, Sammye Jones, Ila Hughes), 1:40.10; 2. Soldotna (Kaitlyn Groleske, Megan English, Molly Silta, Alex Weeks), 1:47.06; 3. Kenai Central (Kaitlyn Louthan, Makenzi Magiera, Celestina Castro, Olivia Pfeifer), 1:48.19; 4. Palmer (Willow Schlenker, Sarah Hanson, Noelle Graham, Katie Stark), 1:51.92; 5. Valdez (Bridget Irish, Timi Miner, Colleen Murphy, Hannah Norris), 1:52.58; 6. Colony (Kayla Anderson, Alta Dean, Rachel Crosley, Eliza Zugg), 1:53.97.

100 Backstroke

1. Jori Lindquist, Kodiak, 59.53; 2. Olivia Beckham, Seward, 1:04.21; 3. Illa Macinko, Kodiak, 1:06.33; 4, Dana Olesch, Homer, 1:06.80; 5. Bridget Irish, Valdez, 1:07.32; 6. Zoya Hanson, Kenai, 1:08.27; 7. Willow Schlenker, Palmer, 1:10.73; 8. Austin Daly, Kenai, 1:10.88; 9. Joy Wannamaker, Kenai, 1:11.86; 10. Cheyanne Smith, Homer, 1:12.25; 11. Megan English, Soldotna, 1:13.36; 12. Taylor Iredale, Homer, 1:13.49.

100 Breaststroke

1. Eileen Audette, Seward, 1:10.00; 2. Sammye Jones, Kodiak, 1:10.36; 3. Shelby Dresdow, Kodiak, 1:15.79; 4. Chelsea Chess, Kenai, 1:18.41; 5. Emily Schmidt, Homer, 1:20.15; 6. Brittany Shattuck, Wasilla, 1:20.74; 7. Eva Colberg, Colony, 1:21.16; 8. Rachel Henry, Soldotna, 1:22.84; 9. Kearney Newman, Palmer, 1:23.44; 10. Robin Mc Knight, Seward, 1:23.68; 11. Kelsey Cost, Palmer, 1:23.82; 12. Josephine Braun, Seward, 1:25.41.

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Kodiak (Jori Lindquist, Tahna Lindquist, Celeste Beck-Goodell, Ila Hughes), 3:36.93; 2. Seward (Olivia Beckham, Rachel Tougas, Eileen Audette, Isabel Barnwell), 3:55.06; 3. Palmer (Willow Schlenker, Sarah Hanson, Noelle Graham, Katie Stark), 4:03.86; 4. Homer (Katie Schmidt, Emily Schmidt, Dana Olesch, Marie Schmidt), 4:06.89; 5. Kenai Central (Zoya Hanson, Makenzi Magiera, Austin Daly, Celestina Castro), 4:13.13; 6. Soldotna (Molly Silta, Ashley Eby, Serena Lee, Megan English), 4:23.15.

Boys Events

200-Yard Medley Relay

1. Homer (Kyle Wentz, James Reid, Richard Ginter, Nathanael Hardy), 1:40.84; 2. Soldotna (Ehren Rickman, Christian Carrico, Dustin Hunter, Sawyer Rickman), 1:41.26; 3. Kodiak (Dyton Schauff, Blake James, Jonas Anderson, Max Mutch), 1:47.36; 4. Seward (Joshua Eavis, Jerry Swanson, Noah Hamlin, Jayna O’Leary), 1:56.10; 5. Palmer (Zachary Bloom, Sam Haney, Zach Milbradt, Daniel Jackson), 2:00.68.

200 Freestyle

1. Michael Smith, Kodiak, 1:49.14; 2. Joshua Eavis, Seward, 1:53.09; 3. Brandon Schauff, Kodiak, 1:55.35; 4. Ehren Rickman, Soldotna, 1:58.17; 5. Mark Nagle, Homer, 1:59.83; 6. Axl Levan, Kodiak, 2:00.05; 7. Alex Kessler, Colony, 2:01.28; 8. River Hanson, Kodiak, 2:03.88; 9. Zachary Bloom, Palmer, 2:07.05; 10. Josh Hanson, Palmer, 2:07.13; 11. Mike Foy, Wasilla, 2:10.58; 12. Jake Douthit, Soldotna, 2:14.03.

200 Individual Medley

1. Carlton Burnside, Kodiak, 2:05.41; 2. Blake James, Kodiak, 2:10.84; 3. James Reid, Homer, 2:12.61; 4. Dustin Hunter, Soldotna, 2:13.38; 5. Joseph Rife, Soldotna, 2:29.54; 6. Zach Milbradt, Palmer, 2:30.26; 7. 2-6 Mica Linscheid, Kodiak, 2:33.12; 8. Jang Kim, Soldotna, 2:33.52; 9. Sam Haney, Palmer, 2:38.76; 10. Douglas Krukoff, Unalaska, 2:39.24; 11. Lucio Howard, Unalaska, 3:07.91.

50 Freestyle

1. Richard Ginter, Homer, 22.21; 2. Nathanael Hardy, Homer, 22.89; 3. 2-3 Sawyer Rickman, Soldotna, 22.96; 4. Spencer Bloom, Palmer, 23.12; 5. Daniel McElroy, Soldotna, 23.37; 6. Joshua Hamberger, Cordova, 23.69; 7. Connor Minder, Wasilla, 24.01; 8. John Snelders, Valdez, 24.44; 9. Ben Kirk, Kodiak, 24.69; 10. Stephan Werner, Seward, 24.79; 11. Jayna O’Leary, Seward, 25.05; 12. Evan McHenry, Palmer, 25.36.

1-Meter Diving

1. Garrett Hall, Homer, 361.70; 2. Brian Rowe, Homer, 342.25; 3. Kaec Brinster, Homer, 333.70; 4. Joe Provo, Palmer, 323.05; 5. Luke Rohl, Soldotna, 303.75; 7. Cole Gross, Kenai, 303.55; 6. Gaeden Ames, Soldotna, J283.00; 8. Ben Westphal, Homer, 278.35.

100 Butterfly

1. Richard Ginter, Homer, 51.98; 2. Jonas Anderson, Kodiak, 59.41; 3. James Nagle, Homer, 59.98; 4. Dyton Schauff, Kodiak, 1:01.26; 5. Chase Corona-Cain, Soldotna, 1:03.08; 6. Noah Hamlin, Seward, 1:05.26; 7. Kei Kawada, Unalaska, 1:06.71; 8. Jacob Gilman, Kenai, 1:08.45; 9. Joseph Rife, Soldotna, 1:09.37; 10. Mike Foy, Wasilla, 1:09.67; 11. Jang Kim, Soldotna, 1:09.76.

100 Freestyle

1. Carlton Burnside, Kodiak, 49.85; 2. Christian Carrico, Soldotna, 50.16; 3. Kyle Wentz, Homer, 50.24; 4. Sawyer Rickman, Soldotna, 50.60; 5. Ben Kirk, Kodiak, 54.06; 6. Joshua Hamberger, Cordova, 54.26; 7. Max Mutch, Kodiak, 55.09; 8. Jacob Balowski, Valdez, 55.59; 9. John Snelders, Valdez, 56.01; 10. Evan McHenry, Palmer, 56.21; 11. Stephan Werner, Seward, 56.35; 12. Daniel Jackson, Palmer, 57.54.

500 Freestyle

1. Michael Smith, Kodiak, 4:53.25; 2. Brandon Schauff, Kodiak, 5:13.64; 3. James Nagle, Homer, 5:25.00; 4. River Hanson, Kodiak, 5:26.49; 5. Mark Nagle, Homer, 5:26.85; 6. Axl Levan, Kodiak, 5:30.93; 7. Josh Hanson, Palmer, 5:43.05; 8. Jake Douthit, Soldotna, 6:09.79; 9. Kei Kawada, Unalaska, 6:14.25; 10. Tristan Denny, Colony, 6:26.05; 11. Matt Adamson, Valdez, 6:38.55; 12. Dezmond Ticknor, Kenai-AK, 6:40.03.

200 Freestyle Relay

1.Homer (Richard Ginter, James Reid, Nathanael Hardy, Kyle Wentz), 1:33.20; 2. Kodiak (Carlton Burnside, Brandon Schauff, Dyton Schauff, Michael Smith), 1:44.46; 3. Palmer (Joe Provo, Tobin Sworts, Evan McHenry, Spencer Bloom), 1:51.01; 4. Seward (Jayna O’Leary, Jerry Swanson, Noah Hamlin, Stephan Werner), 1:53.54.

100 Backstroke

1. Joshua Eavis, Seward, 56.62; 2. Spencer Bloom, Palmer, 56.81; 3. Alex Kessler, Colony, 58.29; 4. Dyton Schauff, Kodiak, 59.20; 5. Kyle Wentz, Homer, 59.78; 6. Ehren Rickman, Soldotna, 1:01.60; 7. Chase Corona-Cain, Soldotna, 1:05.10; 8. Jonas Anderson, Kodiak, 1:05.74; 9. Zachary Bloom, Palmer, 1:07.95; 10. 1-4 Cole Gross, Kenai, 1:09.13; 11. Mica Linscheid, Kodiak, 1:10.51; 12. Samuel Winters, Unalaska, 1:11.52.

100 Breaststroke

1. Christian Carrico, Soldotna, 1:02.51; 2. Nathanael Hardy, Homer, 1:02.97; 3. James Reid, Homer, 1:03.60; 4. Daniel McElroy, Soldotna, 1:10.29; 5 Max Mutch, Kodiak, 1:10.66; 6. Jacob Balowski, Valdez, 1:13.45; 7. Douglas Krukoff, Unalaska, 1:13.70; 8. Bill Ashwell, Kenai, 1:14.55; 9. Danny McIntosh, Skyview, 1:19.79; 10. Sam Haney, Palmer, 1:20.09; 11. Kyle Simmons, Wasilla, 1:20.18.

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Kodiak (Michael Smith, Brandon Schauff, Blake James, Carlton Burnside), 3:27.11; 2. Soldotna Swimming (Dustin Hunter, Chase Corona-Cain, Ehren Rickman, Daniel McElroy), 3:31.03; 3. Palmer (Evan McHenry, Josh Hanson, Daniel Jackson, Spencer Bloom), 3:41.78; 4. Colony (Alex Kessler, Tristan Denny, Isaiah Tira, Larkin Udomporn), 3:57.53; 5. Skyview (Danny McIntosh, Trace Braxling, Isha Oftedal, Justin Reekie), 4:09.14; 6. Kenai Central (Riley Wik, Dezmond Ticknor, Joe Schwenke, Danny Schaeffer), 4:09.21.