4A STATE SWIM: Sandpoint girls capture first title since 2019, boys finish fifth
The Sandpoint High girls swim team captured the state 4A championship at the Boise Aquatics Center/West Valley YMCA, the program's first team title since 2019. In the back row from left are Sadie Dignan-Omodt, Mia Driggs and Ava de Leeuw. In the front are Bria Rocke, Halle Wyman, Reina Montecchi, Ryleigh Bamer, Sara Hogue, Georgia Gedde, and Terra Converse.
(Courtesy Photo)
BOISE - After a third-place finish in 2022, and a second-place finish in 2021, the Sandpoint girls swim team was able to win the 4A State Championship this year, their first title since 2019.
Sandpoint scored 185 points, 12 more points than Bishop Kelly, and 65 more than Idaho Falls, in order to take the title on Saturday.
The Bulldog 200-yard medley relay team of senior Sara Hogue, sophomore Mia Driggs, junior Ryleigh Bamer and freshman Reina Montecchi led the way, taking home gold with a time of 1:55.61.
Sandpoint's 400 freestyle relay also impressed. Bamer, Hogue, Montecchi, and Ava de Leeuw swam to 3:52.43, a new district record, to grab second place.
Additionally, Bamer picked up two bronze medals in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. de Leeuw finished fourth in both the 200 and 500 freestyle.
For the boys, Sandpoint's 400 freestyle relay team of Lon LeBlanc, Ikaika Leavitt, Kale Wright, McCoy Jensen swam a 1:35.36 to take home bronze.
Wright and Jensen picked up some other crucial points for Sandpoint on the day. Wright finished third in the 100 freestyle; Jensen finished fourth in the 100 butterfly.
Overall, Sandpoint's boys finished a solid fifth with 118 points.
4A
# — meet record
BOYS
TEAM SCORES — 1, Bishop Kelly 226. 2, Lakeland 172. 3, Twin Falls 159. 4, Skyline 153. 5, Sandpoint 118. 6, Idaho Falls 66. 7, Canyon Ridge 59. 8, Kimberly 43. 9 (tie), Burley, Hillcrest 35. 11, Jerome 34. 12, Pocatello 28. 13, Ridgevue 26. 14, Moscow 25. 15, Minico 25. 16, Riverstone 21. 17, Columbia 16. 18 (tie), Nampa Christian, Wood River 11. 20, Bonneville 4. 21, Gooding 1.
Winner, Sandpoint
200-yard medley relay — 1, Bishop Kelly (Shae Stratton, Jack Rubocki, Cameron Schauer, Ben Rubocki), 1:37:76#; (previous, Bishop Kelly, 2022, 1:42.02).
200 freestyle — 1, Michael Mamola, Lakeland, 1:47.02.
200 individual medley — 1, Shae Stratton, Bishop Kelly, 1:54.63#, (previous, Nathan Moore, Middleton, 2019, 1:56.28.). 6, McCoy Jensen, Sandpoint, 2:07.80.
50 freestyle — 1, Jack Rubocki, Bishop Kelly, 22.07. 6, Ikaika Leavitt, Sandpoint, 24.35. 8, Harrison Gedde, Sandpoint, 24.12.
100 butterfly — 1, Cameron Schauer, Bishop Kelly, 53.26. 4, McCoy Jensen, Sandpoint, 57.33.
100 freestyle — 1, Alexander Schnitzeler, Twin Falls, 49.00. 3, Kale Wright, Sandpoint, 52.19. 5, Lon LeBlanc, Sandpoint, 52.49.
500 freestyle — 1, Michael Mamola, Lakeland, 4:47.40. 10, Ikaika Leavitt, Sandpoint, 5:37.23.
200 freestyle relay — 1, Bishop Kelly (Jack Rubocki, Jack Kartel, Ben Rubocki, Adam Hanson), 1:31.08#; (previous, Century, 2021, 1:33.10). 3, Sandpoint (Lon LeBlanc, Ikaika Leavitt, Kale Wright, McCoy Jensen), 1:35.36.
100 backstroke — 1, Shae Stratton, Bishop Kelly, 49.90#; (previous, Stratton, Bishop Kelly, 2022, 51.27).
100 breaststroke — 1, Carson Reis, Twin Falls, 1:01.54.
400 freestyle relay — 1, Bishop Kelly (Jack Rubocki, Cameron Schauer, Ben Rubocki, Shae Stratton), 3:13.74#; (previous, Bishop Kelly, 2019, 3:19.85). 4, Sandpoint (Lon LeBlanc, Harrison Gedde, Luc LeBlanc, McCoy Jensen), 3:34.06.
4A
GIRLS
TEAM SCORES — 1, Sandpoint 185. 2, Bishop Kelly 173. 3, Idaho Falls 120. 4, Minico 117. 5, Wood River 106. 6, Skyview 84. 7, Lakeland 76. 8, Twin Falls 62. 9, Pocatello 59. 10, Gooding 46. 11, Cole Valley Christian 41. 12, Skyline 36. 13, Moscow 33. 14, Mountain Home, Burley 19. 16 (tie), Hillcrest, Cascade 15. 18, Kimberly 13. 19, Declo 12. 20, Jerome 9. 21, Caldwell 7. 22, Century 6.5. 23, Parma 5.5. 24 (tie), Canyon Ridge, Columbia 3. 26, Oakley 1.
Winner, Sandpoint
200-yard medley relay — 1, Sandpoint (Sara Hogue, Mia Driggs, Ryleigh Bamer, Reina Montecchi), 1:55.61.
200 freestyle — 1, Makena Mamola, Lakeland, 1:56.17#; (previous, Gabriella Stanton, Bishop Kelly, 2022 1:57.59). 4, Ava de Leeuw, Sandpoint, 2:02.50.
200 individual medley — 1, Sadie Schaffer, Skyview, 2:12.14. 10, Bria Rocke, Sandpoint, 2:35.50.
50 freestyle — 1, Lucy Penna, Bishop Kelly, 24.95. 3, Ryleigh Bamer, Sandpoint, 26.03 5, Reina Montecchi, Sandpoint, 26.45.
100 butterfly — 1, Abigail Baismeier, Idaho Falls, 1:02.38. 3, Ryleigh Bamer, Sandpoint, 1:04.00.
100 freestyle — 1, Sadie Schaffer, Skyview, 53.45#; (previous, Gabriella Stanton, Bishop Kelly, 2022, 54.18). 4, Mia Driggs, Sandpoint, 58.75. 6, Reina Montecchi, Sandpoint, 59.43.
500 freestyle — 1, Makena Mamola, Lakeland, 5:07.60#; (previous, Mamola, Lakeland, 2023 prelims, 5:12.67). 4, Ava de Leeuw, Sandpoint, 5:30.59.
200 freestyle relay — 1, Minico (Kate Hansen, Callista Stevenson, Darah Thomson, Asha Thomson), 1:46.33. 3, Sandpoint (Bria Rocke, Sara Hogue, Mia Driggs, Ava de Leeuw), 1:47.39.
100 backstroke — 1, Katelyn Giffen, Bishop Kelly, 1:00.72. 3, Sara Hogue, Sandpoint, 1:05.79. 8, Bria Rocke, Sandpoint, 1:08.81.
100 breaststroke — 1, Isabella Tognoni, Wood River, 1:05.41#; (previous, Tognoni, Wood River, 2022, 1:05.41). 7, Mia Driggs, Sandpoint, 1:15.80.
400 freestyle — 1, Bishop Kelly (Lucy Penna, Anja Mueller, Ashlyn Christie, Katelyn Giffen), 3:50.61. 2, Sandpoint (Ryleigh Bamer, Sara Hogue, Reina Montecchi, Ava de Leeuw), 3:52.43.