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After nearly a month without competition due to Covid precautions, the holidays and inclement weather, the Canby girls and boys swim team picked up largely where they left off in their return to the water Thursday.
The Canby girls defeated visiting Lakeridge 107-63 for their second victory after last month’s dominant debut against Tigard, while the boys fell 97-73 to pick up their first team loss of the season.
Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Avery Keinonen and Kali Mull finished first in the 200-yard medley relay to stay undefeated in that event, while Halaina Crispin, Karina Sawatsky, Katie Ball and Ashley Peterson took third.
Mull also paced the field in the 200 freestyle by a whopping 17 seconds; Mikayla Knowles finished third. In the 200 individual medley, Keinonen and Amanda Yancey finished first and second, respectively.
Kennedy Hester swam to second place in the 50-yard freestyle. Allison Yancey capture first in the 100 butterfly, finishing six seconds ahead of second place, while Sawatsky placed a strong third. Hester had a great second race with a first in the 100 freestyle and teammate Ali Parsons finished in third.
In the 500 free, Mull finished in first place, while Kathryn Taggart placed third in the first 500-yard race of her career — only one second out of the silver. In the 200 freestyle relay, Canby’s Hester, Sawatsky, Mikayla Knowles and Ali Parsons grabbed second and Crispin, Amy Smith, Megan Slater and Faith Mason took third.
Canby finished one-two in the 100-yard backstroke with Allison Yancey and Keinonen, and two-three in the 100 breaststroke with Amanda Yancey and Sawatsky.
The girls finished the meet the same way they started with Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Keinonen and Mull cruising to victory in the 400 freestyle relay and Hester, Knowles, Ball and Taggart claiming third.
The Cougar boys swim team started the meet strong with Jack Hayhurst, Kai Laitinen, Connor DeRisio and Hunter DeRisio pulling out the victory in a very close race in the 200 medley relay. Hunter DeRisio followed that up with a win in the 200 free, with Canby’s Alyk House taking third.
In the 200 individual medley, Hayhurst finished in second place just off his best time, while Connor DeRisio captured second in the 50 free before winning the very next event (the 100-yard fly).
Brandon Slater’s new season-best time was good for third in the 100 fly, while Hunter DeRisio finished first in the 100 free. Kai Laitinen won the 500 free, dropping 14 seconds, while House finished 3rd.
The Cougs’ Slater, Matthew Solem, Zack Peck and Kai Laitinen were barely edged out of second place in the 200 free relay, finishing in third by a couple tenths. Hayhurst came away with a win in the 100 backstroke, outpacing the competition by eight seconds.
Kai Laitinen swam to second place in the 100 breaststroke, registering a new personal best time by three seconds. In the 400 free relay, Canby swimmers Connor DeRisio, Hayhurst, Slater and Hunter DeRisio finished in second place.
“It was great to get back to racing again,” Coach Eric Laitinen said. “Next week, if all goes well, Canby will swim at Tualatin Thursday, January 13.”
