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The Canby Cougar girls swim team capped a masterful 2022 campaign by clinching the Three Rivers League title last week, while the boys swam to an impressive third-place finish. Both teams were awash in outstanding individual performances and will send a dozen swimmers to the state meet this weekend.
The girls came into Tuesday with a perfect 7-0 record on the season. Both the boys and girls teams have been impressive, with the boys holding a 5-1 record on the year. Facing a Tualatin team hungry to upset the Cougars, Canby made quick worth of both squads to pick up a final win of the regular season and showed strong at districts.
The girls dismantled Tualatin 110-60, while the boys picked up a 96-74 victory.
The Canby boys began the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay. Hunter DeRisio, Kai Laitinen, Connor DeRisio and Jack Hayhurst placed first in the event. In the 200 freestyle, Jack Hayhurst finished first, while the 200 IM had Isaac Beck in first.
Conor DeResio continued his dominant senior campaign with wins in both the 50 free and 100 free, while Jack Hayhurst took second in the 100 fly. In the 500 free, Kai Laitinen finished first, while Isaac Beck once again took first in the 100 free.
The Canby Girls team started the meet with a win the 200 medley relay with a team consisting of Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Avery Keinonen and Kali Mull.
As she has done all season, Kali Mull continued her streak of dominance with a victory in the 200 IM, as well as a season-best win in the 500 free — an event Mull has won so often this year, you might as well pencil her in for a victory.
The Yancey sisters also put together are strong performance. Amanda took home honors in the 50 free, while Allison took first in the 100 fly. Amanda finished second in a one-two-three finish in the 100 free, with Avery Keinonen winning and Kennedy Hester close behind in third.
The win against Tualatin gave way to an excellent showing at the District meet later in the week, a meet that impressed Cougars swim coach Eric Laitinen.
“The boys and girls teams really had a great season,” said Laitinen, ” and they topped it off at the district meet with the girls finishing first and the boys finishing third.”
The girls, who had captured the regular-season title, started things strong in the 200 medley relay. The team of Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Avery Keinonen and Kali Mull Finished second at the district meet earning an automatic state qualifying time with a 1:51.67.
The boys’ 200 medley relay of Hunter DeRisio, Kai Laitinen, Connor DeRisio and Jack Hayhurst finished in third place with a season-best time of 1:43.70. In the 200 free, all four girls finished in the top 16 with Kali Mull finishing in second with an automatic state time.
In the 100 fly, all four girls once again scored. Avery Keinonen finished 5th with and automatic state time, with Karina Sawatsky in twelfth, Mikayla Knowles in fourteenth and Katie Ball was sixteenth.
In the boys 100 fly, Connor DeRisio was third, while Kali Mull also took third in the 100 Free. The 100 Free had Kali Mull finish in third place and Kennedy Hester finish in 6th place.
The girls’ 100 breaststroke saw Allison Yancey swim to a new CHS school record, beating an old title set in 2008, with a third-place finish and a time of 1:07.77. In the final relay of the meet, the girls’ relay of Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Avery Keinonen and Kali Mull finished in third place with a season-best time of 3:45.35.
The boys’ relay of Connor DeRisio, Jack Hayhurst, Isaac Beck and Hunter DeRisio also placed third and recorded season-best, coming in with a time of 3:25.38.
After a successful season, the state qualifiers for the girls are as follows: The 200 medley and 400 free relay teams with Allison Yancey, Amanda Yancey, Avery Keinonen and Kali Mull, the 200 free for Mull, the 100 fly and 200 IM for Avery Keinonen, and the 200 IM and 100 breaststroke for Allison Yancey.
On the boys’ side, Hunter DeRisio qualified for the 100 free & 100 back, while Jack Hayhurst advanced in the 100 back and Isaac Beck will prepare for the 500 free. The 200 medley relay team of Hunter DeRisio, Kai Laitinen, Connor DeRisio and Jack Hayhurst qualified, as did the 400 free relay team of Connor DeRisio, Hunter DeRisio, Isaac Beck and Jack Hayhurst.
Karina Sawatsky, Kennedy Hester and Jamison Chard will make the state tourney as relay alternates.
After such a dominant 2022 campaign for the Cougar swimmers, they will hope to keep things rolling in the 2022 OSAA 6A State Swim Championships. The state tournament is scheduled for Saturday at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic Center in Beaverton. The meets are scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
