PAGE A26, KEIZERTIMES, DECEMBER 24, 2021
Celts win fi rst dual against West Salem
BY MATT RAWLINGS
Of the Keizertimes
The McNary boys' swim team started
their season on the right foot in their
opening dual meet against West Salem,
defeating the Titans 85-80 on Thursday,
Dec. 16.
“It was huge. We have had some suc-
cess on the boys side against west for
the past three or four years now, so it was
good to continue that. We had a lot of
great swims,” McNary head coach Casey
Lewin said.
Junior Zach Kilby led the way for
the Celtics in the sprints, winning the
50-yard freestyle with a time of 25.95.
Kilby also won the 100-free and was
the only competitor to fi nish the race in
under a minute (57.81). McNary swept
both races as Caleb Skipper and Zach
Harrington fi nished in second and third
in the 50-free, while Ben Standley and
Hayden Wampler did the same in the
100-free.
“The core group has been showing
up for us,” Lewin said. “They really came
together and competed well.”
Kilby said that even though he's not
as fast as he was hoping to be at this
point in the season, he is pleased with the
steady improvement that he is showing.
“I like the way I'm progressing. It is
looking promising,” Kilby said.
McNary's other individual winner
was Skipper, who was victorious in the
100-backstroke with a time of 1:05.40.
IN THE
Pool
Caleb Skipper finished first in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:05.40.
Last year, Skipper said he was about
six seconds slower in the backstroke
than he is now, which is why he was so
encouraged with his time.
“I was feeling really good about my
backstroke. I have been focusing more
on my freestyle, but I was ready to get
back into the backstroke because it's one
of my favorite races,” Skipper said. “It
felt good to do well in that race.”
Skipper and Kilby were also domi-
nant in their relay races, which helped
put McNary over the edge on the score-
board. Both swimmers helped the Celtics
win the 200-medley relay, along with
Zander Rhoades and Tyshin Nguyen.
Skipper, Kilby, Harrington and Standley
also placed fi rst in the 200-free relay.
“My teammates made it easy for me
as an anchor. They did all the work to get
FILE PHOTO, Keizertimes
the lead, I was just there to fi nish it off ,”
Kilby said.
“I really love the relays because of the
team spirit. Everyone contributes. It's a
great atmosphere,” Skipper added.
The Celtics return to the pool after
the holiday break to take on Sprague at
7 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 6 at the Kroc
Center in Salem.
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