Swimming: Tigers shine at regionals

Without going into much hyperbole, the Douglas High girls' swimming and diving team's performances at the Northern 4A Regional Championships over the weekend may have solidified the group as the best to ever come through the school.

The Lady Tigers claimed five regional titles, four school records and qualified six athletes for state at the Carson Aquatic Center on Saturday.

The 2010 squad owns eight school records in 13 events and has broken records 11 times over the past two years.

"I don't think there is any doubt this is one of the best overall teams Douglas has ever had," Douglas coach Stephanie Murry said. "They did amazingly well. Aside from the school records, they were so close to a couple of regional records."

The Tiger girls repeated their runner-up finish as a team from last year, putting up 301 points which was second only to powerhouse Reno, which finished with 350. The Tiger boys took third with 245 points behind Reno (322) and Carson (282).

Girls 200 medley relay team of Taylor Killion, Michelle Forman, Haley VonSchottenstein and Mary Smithen defended their regional title with a time of 1:50.53, shattering their own school record by nearly two full seconds.

The time was just over the regional record (1:50.01, Reno, 2002) and not far off the state meet record of 1:48.69, set by the same Reno team in 2002.

VonSchottenstein continued her remarkable senior season, winning the regional title in both the 50 free (24.48) and the 100 breaststroke (1:05.71). VonSchottenstein broke her own school record in the 50 free. She was just over one-hundredth of a second off of a regional record there as well (24.39, Liza Engstrom, McQueen, 2007).

"It's ridiculous ... mind-blowing," VonSchottenstein said with a laugh. "The way I've been training, I didn't think it was a long shot to win the events I did, but I honestly didn't expect it to go that well."

VonSchottenstein's bid to defend her 100 breaststroke regional title was in serious question as she went head-to-head against Galena standout freshman Megan Lloyd, who had posted the top time in the region heading into the championship meet by more than two seconds.

"I threw up in my mouth a little," VonSchottenstein said. "I was so nervous. Having this little freshman next to me, I didn't know what to expect. We both wanted it so bad and I don't think I've ever been so driven before."

VonSchottenstein, who will swim for Whittier College next year, trailed Lloyd by nearly a full second after 50 yards but made a late charge to touch her out at the end, winning by a mere 0.15 seconds.

Forman won the regional title in the girls' 100 fly with a time of 58.26, breaking a 13-year-old school record previously held by Brittany Reichardt (59.17).

Smithen, Forman and VonSchottenstein teamed with Meagan Skilling to win the 200 free relay with a time of 1:41.37, again, breaking their own school record set at last year's regional championships. Again, Douglas was just over the regional record (1:41.23, Reno, 1999). Reno also owns the state record in the event (1:40.17, 2002), which VonSchottenstein said the team thinks they have a shot at.

"Our relays are so close to the records," VonSchottenstein said. "We missed it by just hundredths of seconds boths times. It was a little disappointing, to be pushing so hard for it and fall short of it.

"Our times are good, we'll go in confident and we're aiming for that state record."

Douglas will head to state at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas Natatorium this weekend with its largest contingent (12 athletes) in at least 10 years, thanks in large part to a strong showing from the boys' team at regionals.

The Douglas boys completed a 200 medley relay sweep, winning the title in a time of 1:45.49 with the team of Eric Vanbeuge, Kyle Johnston, Cameron Morefield and Colby Cain. That same group also won the regional title in the 400 free relay in 3:27.38 and qualified for state with a second-place finish in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:34.04.

It was the comeback win in the medley relay, though, that took the cake.

Douglas was third leading after the first leg but fell about two and a half seconds back of Galena after two legs. The Grizzlies stretched their lead to nearly five seconds heading into the final leg as Douglas looked to be falling into a battle for second with Manogue and Carson.

The Tigers, though, got a hard-charging freestyle leg from the senior Cain to pass the Grizzlies' Eric Anderson right before the wall, winning by 0.49 seconds.

"I thought the boys' medley relay was going to put me into labor," said an eight-months pregnant Murry. "It was an amazing finish, I had to sit down when it was over."

Also qualifying for state were the freshman Johnston (second in the boys' 200 free, 1:51.11), Forman (third in the girls' 200 IM, 2:13.07), Katherine Crowe (second in girls' diving, 353.45 points), Nolan Thew (second in boys' diving, 299.40), Michael Darby (third in boys' diving, 261.40), Vanbeuge (second in the boys' 100 free, 50.30) and Skilling (third in the girls' 100 back, 1:00.87).