During a pause in Philomath High’s final home swim meet of the season on Wednesday, eight seniors received recognition for their participation in the program, celebrating with family members and posing for photos.
Sandwiched in between the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly, the emotion of the moment was palpable — not just for the departing athletes, but for a program that has cultivated a culture of encouragement and camaraderie.
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“These were my first freshmen as a head coach … I just kind of tear up at the thought that they’re not going to be here next year,” Philomath coach Iliana Kaiser said. “Last year, I loved and appreciated them but my first year (with them) was as an assistant and I feel like they weren’t my kids and I would just be there for them. But now, these ones are my babies and they’re all growing up and going to go do amazing things.”
The seniors recognized were Hollie Barton and Allison Burnett for the girls, along with Ike Avery, Blake Hauck, Evan Hernandez, Cameron McLennan and Mason Stevens for the boys. Sophomore Nico Mayo Carrasco was included in the recognition as a foreign-exchange student. A third senior girl in the program, Syd Clark, was not able to be at the meet.
Freshman Adelina Kowalewski, who has made an immediate impact in her first varsity season, felt the weight of the moment.
“It was nice to see all the seniors so happy,” Kowalewski said. “It’s kind of sad to see them go.”
The tight-knit atmosphere didn’t happen by accident. Kaiser credits the seniors with actively building the program’s roster and spirit.
“They have wanted it to be a good team — they’ve always dragged their soccer friends, their track friends to come join swim and then they love it and they come back,” Kaiser said.
The nature of swimming makes those connections even more meaningful.
“I think it’s just because practice is so individual that they are reaching out to their teammates to build that connection,” Kaiser said. “Like in soccer, you can chit-chat while you’re running and they can only talk at a wall so I think that it shows the effort that they put in to have good relationships with their teammates.”
That support system has been crucial for junior Emma Mecham, who has battled through a challenging season.
“I have really good friends and they always push me because I have been struggling a lot this year,” Mecham said. “I’ve always done more because they’ve pushed me and I’ve improved. Especially with our coaches — they say ‘you can do hard things’ and it’s really put me into a good mindset that I can do hard things.”
Mecham put that mindset to the test Wednesday in the tri-meet against Marist Catholic and Junction City, competing in the 500 freestyle for the first time in her career.
“It was the first time I ever did the 500 and I thought I did pretty OK,” Mecham said. “I’m hoping to do it again soon.”
Mecham touched first in 7:25.06 and her participation in the event earned her “ironman” recognition, which goes to swimmers who compete in every event.
“It was a little bit of a struggle but as I wanted to get it, I’m very happy with myself to accomplish all of the events,” Mecham said.
Despite dealing with illness this season, Mecham said she’s seen progress in her technique.
“I feel like I have seen improvement but it’s just been hard this year because I’ve been sick and weaker and it’s just been harder,” she said. “But I have seen more improvement in getting my techniques more solid and better and that’s helping a lot.”
Kowalewski has been a revelation in her first high school season, winning two individual events Wednesday while also swimming on the winning 200 medley relay. She has hopes of getting her name up in the future on the school records board that overlooks Clemens Community Pool.
“It’s really different to be on a high school team than on a club team and I really like that this team embodies this spirit,” Kowalewski said. “Everyone’s really supportive and everyone gets along.”
The freshman captured the 50 freestyle in 28.37 and the 100 backstroke in 1:14.32. She teamed with sophomores Alyssa Weeber and Emmylou Cook, and junior Kate Burriel in the 200 medley relay (2:16.41).
She’s still determining which events she’ll swim at the upcoming district meet.
“I might be doing the 100 backstroke, maybe the 2(00) free (re)lay and maybe the 2(00) medley,” she said. “Possibly the 50 free.”
Asked for a highlight from her first varsity season, Kowalewski revealed her sense of humor: “I fell asleep like two minutes before my event and then I swam with a bleacher mark imprinted on my face.”
Kaiser is excited about Kowalewski’s potential at districts.
“There are some meets when she doesn’t have the competition to pace herself, especially in the backstroke, so you only have so much to look at to get a gauge of where you are time wise,” Kaiser said. “So I think when she’s racing with people who are faster around her, it will push her and have that last click to push herself further.”
Burriel also had a strong showing Wednesday, sweeping her individual events with victories in the 200 individual medley (2:56.78) and the 100 butterfly (1:19.56). She anchored the winning 200 freestyle relay alongside Cook, junior Charlotte Storch and sophomore Hailey Smith (2:11.50).
Mecham also placed second in the 50 freestyle (30.56).
The Warriors girls scored 85 points to finish second behind Marist Catholic’s 96 and ahead of Junction City’s 57. The boys edged Marist Catholic 112-109, with Junction City scoring 24 points.
Junior Lucas Brandt and McLennan paced the boys with both winning two individual events. Brandt captured the 200-yard freestyle in 1:51.44 and the 200 individual medley in 2:10.03. McLennan took first place in the 100 butterfly in 1:00.66 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.15.
Avery won the 50 freestyle in 25.61. Stevens placed second in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.87.
Philomath opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay with Stevens, Brandt, McLennan and junior Wyatt Coen swimming the event in 1:53.13. Later in the 200 freestyle relay, Hauck, Coen, McLennan and Brandt won in 1:41.84.
As the district meet approaches, Kaiser believes her team is peaking at the right time.
“They performed really well today and they had a really hard practice yesterday,” she said. “So I think they are at a point when they’re a bit more rested, those times are going to be dropping even more, which I’m excited for.”
Kaiser’s approach heading into districts is straightforward.
“We’ll just do the same things that we have and not try to do anything crazy or funky — staying consistent and decreasing the amount of yardage but still doing the same intensity,” Kaiser said.
Determining the district lineup requires careful analysis.
“I go back and forth because so many of them have swam multiple events and looking at past districts and how they might have placed if it was last year or the year before,” Kaiser said. “There’s so many things that I consider and put into that.”
Philomath’s next competition is set for 11 a.m. Saturday in a tri-meet at Sweet Home with Junction City. The Special District 4 meet is scheduled for Feb. 13-14 at Albany Community Pool on the campus of South Albany High School.
PHS Senior Night Tri-Meet
Wednesday, Jan. 28, at Clemens Community Pool, Philomath HS
BOYS
Team scoring — 1, Philomath 112; 2, Marist Catholic 109; 3, Junction City 24.
PHS results — 200 medley relay, 1, Philomath (Stevens, Brandt, McLennan, Coen), 1:53.13; 3, Philomath B (Gaskey, Boynton, Mosbrucker, Hauck), 2:14.03. 200 freestyle, 1, Lucas Brandt, 1:51.44; 5, Nico Mayo Carrasco, 2:31.63; 6, Evan Bennett, 2:38.72; 7, Quinn Wood, 3:01.97. 200 IM, 1, Lucas Brandt, 2:10.03; 3, Wyatt Coen, 2:40.69; 4, Mason Stevens, 2:45.66. 50 freestyle, 1, Ike Avery, 25.61; 3, Blake Hauck, 26.43; 7, Cedric Gaskey, 28.69; 8, Deaglan Pindell, 31.16; 9, Kayden Boynton, 31.53; 10, Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas, 33.02; 12, Quinn Wood, 33.85; 14, Samuel Holroyd, 37.84; 15, Michael Melara, 38.13. 100 butterfly, 1, Cameron McLennan, 1:00.66; 3, Milo Morrison, 1:23.16. 100 freestyle, 3, Blake Hauck, 1:01.16; 4, Nico Mayo Carrasco, 1:02.06; 8, Cedric Gaskey, 1:06.32; 10, Deaglan Pindell, 1:11.46; 11, Evan Bennett, 1:14.16; 13, Michael Melara, 1:25.94. 500 freestyle, 3, Wyatt Coen, 6:19.94; 5, Milo Morrison, 7:06.47; 6, Mika Laukkanen Raskauskas, 7:33.60. 200 freestyle relay, 1, Philomath (Hauck, Coen, McLennan, Brandt), 1:41.84; 3, Philomath B (Avery, Laukkanen Raskauskas, Stevens, Mayo Carrasco), 1:57.34; 4, Philomath C (Pindell, Hernandez, Morrison, Gaskey), 1:59.72; 6, Philomath D (Melara, Bennett, Wood, Boynton), 2:13.53. 100 backstroke, 2, Mason Stevens, 1:10.87; 3, Evan Hernandez, 1:15.53. 100 breaststroke, 1, Cameron McLennan, 1:13.15; 6, Ike Avery, 1:23.50; 8, Evan Hernandez, 1:39.34. 400 freestyle relay, 4, Philomath (Wood, Bennett, Mayo Carrasco, Hernandez), 4:50.09.
GIRLS
Team scoring — 1, Marist Catholic 96; 2, Philomath 85; 3, Junction City 57.
PHS results — 200 medley relay, 1, Philomath (Kowalewski, Weeber, Burriel, Mecham), 2:16.41. 200 IM, 1, Kate Burriel, 2:56.78. 50 freestyle, 1, Adelina Kowalewski, 28.37; 2, Emma Mecham, 30.56; 4, Charlotte Storch, 32.19; 6, Alyssa Weeber, 33.04; 7, Hailey Smith, 33.37; 8, Megan Ward, 33.38; 9, Emmylou Cook, 33.81; 11, Hollie Barton, 36.19; 15, Kalei Rynearson, 39.00. 100 butterfly, 1, Kate Burriel, 1:19.56. 100 freestyle, 5, Hailey Smith, 1:14.53; 6, Charlotte Storch, 1:15.94. 500 freestyle, 1, Emma Mecham, 7:25.06; 3, Megan Ward, 8:23.28. 200 freestyle relay, 1, Philomath (Cook, Storch, Smith, Burriel), 2:11.50; 3, Philomath B (Rynearson, Barton, Ward, Weeber), 2:22.00. 100 backstroke, 1, Adelina Kowalewski, 1:14.32. 100 breaststroke, 3, Alyssa Weeber, 1:30.81; 4, Emmylou Cook, 1:32.75; 8, Kalei Rynearson, 1:57.75. 400 freestyle relay, 3, Philomath (Storch, Ward, Smith, Cook), 5:14.84.
For complete meet results, click here