TheDallesChronicle.com
Wednesday, February 19, 2020   A9
The Dalles Chronicle
SPORTS
TD makes a statement at IMC district swim meet
Pendleton, Redmond and
Ridgeview, and they posted
season-highs in point totals
as the girls placed third over-
all (210 points) and the boys
secured fourth place (132).
•••
DiGennaro, a freshman,
edged out her Hood River
competitor with a district-re-
cord final mark of 25.71 in the
The Dalles swim team has 50-yard freestyle and smoked
the 100-yard freestyle field
dealt with injuries and ill-
nesses, and have had to split and set a new IMC mark in
56.53.
their practice time between
“My performance,
two community facilities, but
honestly, really shocked
somehow they made it all
myself,” DiGennaro said.
work this winter season.
“I didn’t think I had the
Through it all, they never
chance to win the 100-yard
made any excuses.
freestyle because it was
They just worked and
my first time swimming in
worked, and in the process
that event since this past
made school history.
summer, but then when the
Lydia DiGennaro quali-
music started playing as we
fied for state in the 50-and
were walking out, I realized
100-yard freestyle, Kendall
Webber also made it to state that I had unstoppable mo-
in the 500-yard freestyle,
tivation and determination
and both the boys and girls to win, and then I knew I
200-yard freestyle relay
could do it.”
squads picked up wild
Earlier in the meet,
card berths at Saturday’s
Webber, a second-year swim-
Intermountain Conference mer, had a major heartbreak
District Championships in
in the 200-yard freestyle,
Madras.
where she miscounted her
This is the first time TD has laps and posted a 2:14.19 to
had a state qualifier since
secure third place, missing
Natalie Varland and the girls out on first place and a pos-
200-yard freestyle relay team sible district record by 1.52
earned their spots back in
seconds.
2017, and the most athletes
Although devastated by
to make a state trip since
her misstep, Webber rallied.
2010, when there were eight
She notched a winning effort
total swimmers because both in her 500-yard freestyle with
boys and girls relay groups
a time of 6:00.00, a 7.27 romp
qualified.
over her next competitor,
“We are very proud of our Pendleton’s Kyndra Nelson
swimmers,” TD head coach
(6:07.27)
Derek Shortt said. “They are
“I had one really rough
helping to take our program race on Saturday, and then I
to the next level. This is the
got one win, and both times
biggest group we have taken the best feeling was looking
to state in a very long time. I
up at the deck and seeing my
don’t know the last time we
team cheer for me,” Webber
sent a group of boys, but we
said. “We have built a strong
are just excited to see their
bond this season that has
hard work pay off.”
made it the best yet. I am very
The Riverhawks took 23
excited to go on to state.”
swimmers on the road to
The girls 200-yard freestyle
battle it out against league
relay race was a fight to the
foes Hood River Valley,
finish with less than a second
Program has its
most athletes
qualify for state
since 2010
Rodriguez
■ Ray
The Dalles Chronicle
separating Hood River Valley,
the Dalles and Pendleton.
Kendall Webber, Kennedy
Abbas, Bree Webber and
Lydia DiGennaro nearly add-
ed another big victory to their
record, but were narrowly
defeated by HRV (1:48.97),
taking runner-up honors
in 1:49.72, and Pendleton
clinched third place at
1:49.73, which gave them
state wild card spots.
For Bree Webber, a senior,
she makes a long-awaited
return to state after joining
Hannah Weeks, Molly Nelson
and Varland in the 200-yard
freestyle relay, also as a wild
card.
“Getting a chance to go
back to state in my senior
year is an amazing opportu-
nity,” Bree Webber said. “The
Dalles has not sent a swim-
mer to state since I went in
the same relay as a freshman,
and to be able to go with my
sister, and the freshmen girls
I have come to love dearly, it
is so exciting. I can’t wait to
go out with a bang and show
everyone where our hard
work has gotten us.”
While the boys had sev-
eral solid times in multiple
events, the 200-yard relay
group comprised of Bryce
Harris, Xander Kirby,
Michael Cole, and Will Evans
put up a 1:38.72, which
placed them third behind
HRV (1:31.11) and Pendleton
(1:36.54).
“I was so excited to find
out that my relay team is
going to state,” Kirby said.
“We have all worked really
hard and we make a great
team. It’s the best way to end
the season.”
The OSAA OnPoint
Community Credit Union
5A Swimming State
Championships take place
at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic
Center in Beaverton and
begin at 9 a.m. Friday, with
12 swimmers in the prelimi-
naries. The top 6 advance to
Saturday’s final round.
The Dalles girls swim team scored two individual state berths at Saturday’s Intermountain Conference
Meet, and then added a 200-yard freestyle relay wild card after a second-place finish behind Hood
River Valley. In the photo are, from left to right, Lydia DiGennaro, Bree Webber, Kennedy Abbas and
Kendall Webber. In addition to the relay clincher, DiGennaro claimed district titles in the 50-and 100-
yard freestyle, and Kendall Webber put up a district championship effort in the 500-yard freestyle.
Didi Abbas/Contributed photo
The Riverhawk boys posted season-highs in point totals, as the boys secured fifth place. In the photo
are, from left to right, Xander Kirby, Michael Cole, Bryce Harris and Will Evans. The 200-yard relay
group put up a 1:38.72, which placed them third behind HRV (1:31.11) and Pendleton (1:36.54). That
time gave TD a wild card berth at state, where preliminaries begin Friday at the Tualatin Hills Aquatic
Center in Beaverton.
Amy Webber/Contributed photo
While the times TD put up
in Madras were impressive,
DiGennaro said that the state
qualifiers will have to push
themselves even harder if
they want some higher plac-
ings at state.
She is not worried about
the motivation, however,
as coach Shortt and his
assistants Pat Shortt and Nate
Timmons will be conducting
some rigorous workouts
ahead of this weekend.
Both coaches have been
to state before, as Timmons
swam on the 200-yard
medley relay in 2009, and
in 2010 Derek Shortt was a
key member of the 200-yard
freestyle relay.
They will impart knowl-
edge of what to expect down
to their swimming standouts.
“The coaches have just
been amazing this season,”
DiGennaro said. “Derek,
Timmons and Pat just have
as much energy as all of the
swimmers and they are so
proud of how our season has
gone.
"I know they are going
to be expecting a big step
up from the group, and our
performances.”
The Dalles cheerleaders pick up second place at state
we all know that we did the
very best possible. This entire
season, we never performed
better than we did today, so
it definitely wasn’t a wasted
season.”
Teams were judged on
building skills, tumbling and
jumps and overall routine to
get their point totals.
Westview put up 59.50
points in building skills, had a
PORTLAND – Every year,
57.20 in tumbling and jumps,
there are high expectations
and scored 52 in overall
put on The Dalles cheer
routine.
squad.
The Dalles tallied 56.30 in
The cheer members and
coaches spend nine months building skills, 57.20 in tum-
together and put in hundreds bling and jumps and finished
of hours of work in prepa-
tied for first in overall routine
with 52 points, so it came
ration for a two-minute and
down to small details.
30-second state routine.
“We had a clean routine
The Dalles was second in
and it hit,” Sugg-Wallace said.
two categories, and tied for
“We upped our tumbling dif-
first in overall routine with
one deduction and totaled
ficulty, which was the highest
161.50 points to lock in a
it had been all year. We tied
second-place outcome, 5.2
with Westview in our overall
points behind Westview
score and the only thing that
(166.70), at the OSAA
we were missing was our
OnPoint Community Credit
stunt difficulty.”
Union small coed cheer
Crescent Valley (152.90),
championships Saturday at
Beaverton (140.40),
Veterans Memorial Coliseum Redmond (136.50), Summit
in Portland.
(135.00), Roseburg (124.60),
“There was a lot of emotion Milwaukie (123.80), Hood
from me and the kids,” Td
River Valley (121.50) and
head coach Kelsey Sugg-
North Bend (120.90) were
Wallace said. “I think it was
the next eight in the team
just the emotions of feeling
standings.
like they gave their best, and
Of the top-10 finishers,
sometimes it’s a hard lesson
six were from the 5A clas-
to learn when your best isn’t
sification, and Westview,
good enough. But, I had to tell Beaverton, Summit
them all to keep their heads
and Roseburg are all 6A
up and be proud of what
programs.
they put on that mat today
“It doesn’t seem like we
because they did everything I are getting better because we
asked them to do and more.” keep getting second place, but
Historically speaking, The we have moved from 5A to
Dalles dance, and now cheer, small coed, which now means
has been one of the more
that we compete against
successful programs, with 12 more than double the teams,”
state championships.
Schwartz said. “Compared to
Over the past five seasons the best 5A teams, we are still
in two different divisions,
outscoring them, so that just
under Sugg-Wallace, the
shows how much we have
Riverhawks have four
grown. From now and in the
seconds and a sixth to their
future, this program is only
credit, which shows that
going to get better.”
there is a consistent level to
The Dalles had a mix of
attain and an expectation to
youth and experience on the
meet or exceed every time
roster, led by seniors Alexa
they perform.
Baldy, Schwartz, Sophia
“I am really proud of our
Pullen, Stephanie Flores and
team,” senior captain Giselle Karla Hernandez.
Schwartz said. “We literally
Schwartz and Hernandez
left everything we could on
were voted as team captains
the mat. There is not one
and there were a lot of lead-
thing in our routine that we
ership responsibilities placed
could have done better, so no on their shoulders, as they
matter the outcome, we are
worked diligently in bringing
proud of ourselves because
together Amy Hernandez,
Team scores season-
high 161.5 points,
finishing 5.2 points
behind 6A Westview
Rodriguez
■ Ray
The Dalles Chronicle
The Dalles cheer squad scored 161.50 points to secure second place in the small coed division, 5.2 points behind state champion 6A
Westview (166.70), at the OSAA OnPoint Community Credit Union State Cheer Championships in Portland. In the photo are, from left to
right, Amy Hernandez, Leslie Morales, Ellie Cardosi, Caleb Parsons, Gabbe Haskins, Emily Adams, and Meggan Erland (assistant coach).
In the middle row are, Alli Miles (assistant coach), Kelsey Sugg-Wallace (head coach), Ari Acevedo, Mikiyle Brantner, Meli Avila, Giselle
Ortega, Brooke Abrams, and Jessica Rodda (assistant coach). In the front row are, from left, Sophia Pullen, Stephanie Flores, Giselle
Schwartz, Karla Hernandez, and Alexa Baldy.
Ray Rodriguez photo
Leslie Morales, Ellie Cardosi,
Caleb Parsons, Gabbe
Haskins, Emily Adams, Ari
Acevedo, Mikiyle Brantner,
Meli Avila, Giselle Ortega,
and Brooke Abrams.
“When I was voted captain
by my teammates, I was
surprised because early on
in the season, nobody really
knew me,” Hernandez said. “I
mean, the returners did, but
there were so many freshmen
and they still stuck by me, so
it showed that my leadership
skills were showing on other
people. It’s a really good feel-
ing to be one of the leaders
on the team, and when you
see them get to a higher level,
it is rewarding for all of us.”
In three competitions, the
Riverhawks averaged 158.2
points per event and claimed
two seconds and a first, but
they had a 5.2-point aver-
age increase in those three
routines and wrapped up
the year with a season-high
161.50 points Saturday in
Portland.
“It was basically all of us
working together,” Flores
said. “There’s been times
where we have really bad
practices, but I try my best to
keep it to myself and try to
lift others up by saying, ‘ok,
we’ve got this and we know
we can hit this and it was just
a bad night, let’s just keep
doing what we have always
been doing. We can hit this.’
It is just working together.
As long as we believe in our-
selves that we can hit these
stunts and work together as a
team, we can get really far.”
Sugg-Wallace wants her
team to treat cheer like a job,
so being on time, being ready
and staying focused are the
important elements expected
to follow.
More than half the people
on this team have part-time
jobs, take honors or have AP
classes, so a lot to put into
the sport and their daily lives,
so reward is in knowing the
tough times build up to the
good times.
“Honestly, the biggest part
of this is time management,”
Hernandez said. “Every sin-
gle thing in your life takes a
little bit of time and dedica-
tion. I just feel like cheer itself
has been a really big stress
relief for me. If I am really
frustrated one day, I will go
to practice and do whatever I
can to make myself feel bet-
ter. That’s what this program
has done for me. It has really
been my safe space and my
happy spot, where I can just
be free.”
Now that her high school
cheer career is over, Schwartz
said that she wants her
teammates to have faith in
knowing that the hours of
practice they put into their
craft will pay off one day.
“It is bittersweet because
this is my fourth and final
year as a varsity member,
and so it’s sad, but I am really
proud of myself for sticking
with this for four years,”
Schwartz said. “We put a lot
into this and there is an in-
finite amount of pressure put
on us, so getting so much out
of it and the amount of first
places we’ve won at competi-
tions in general and how high
we are scoring, I am so proud
of myself and the team and
I can’t wait to see what the
future holds.”
Dr. Cullen’s
Student of the week
Rose Miller for English:
Rose Miller is an outstanding student.
She is here early every day, has
outstanding quality of work, is reliable,
and thoughtful in her writing. She has
moved from English 9A into Honors
English 9B and is doing fantastic!
Congratulations
Rose Miller, TDHS
Columbia View Dental
1915 E. 19th Street | The Dalles
Victor Cullen, DDS
541-296-5677 | Se habla español