<p>John Day Swim Team coach Laci Powell, top right, watches as local athlete Rhea Mead, in violet cap, starts off the block. Mead placed first in the finals for the Girls 8 and under 25-yard butterfly. </p>

JOHN DAY – It’s a wonder steam didn’t rise from Gleason Pool, as swimmers, hot from the blistery temperatures last weekend, dove into the competition of the Cascade East District Swim Meet in John Day.

Amidst sweltering temperatures, children and families filled the surrounding park, while events kept the athletes and their coaches, as well as the many people necessary to run the meet, busy from Friday through Sunday afternoon.

A total of 33 swimmers finished the swim season, bringing John Day Swim Team to a commendable fourth-place overall finish. The High Desert Swim Team of Burns took first place, followed by Prineville, second, and Lakeview, third.

John Day senior swimmer Jake Waldner, age 18, won the high-point award in the 15-18-year-old boys category.

In his final year on the team, the Willamette University-bound athlete took home first-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle; 100-yard breaststroke; 200-yard individual medley; 100-yard butterfly; and 50-yard freestyle. Although placing first in the preliminary heat, he grabbed a second-place in the 100-yard freestyle finals, in which he added 1.4 seconds to his time.

Waldner’s sister, 14-year-old Auna, paced the John Day girls. Competing in the 13-14 girls category, she sprinted to first-place finishes in the 200-yard freestyle; 200-yard individual medley; and second-place finishes in the 100-yard freestyle; and 50-yard freestyle, grabbing the most points by a girl for the John Day team.

“It (districts) was a great meet to end our season with. Our athletes did really good. A lot of them made it into at least one final event,” said head coach Laci Powell. Swimmers had to place fifth or higher in order to go on from preliminaries to finals.

The season, with an intense schedule that included a meet every weekend in July, kept Powell and assistant coach Cheyenne Valade, busy, to say the least. It was stressful and “crazy,” said Powell, but she enjoyed it. “We had a great group of kids. I’ll miss them,” she said.

Powell said she plans to apply for the swim team coach job again next year.

Cascade East District Swim Championships

July 29-31, 2011

Boys 15-18

Jake Waldner, 1st, 200-yard freestyle; 2nd, 100-yard freestyle; 1st, 100-yard breaststroke; 1st, 200-yard individual medley; 1st, 100-yard butterfly; 1st, 50-yard freestyle.

Omar Medina, 5th, 200-yard freestyle; 6th, 100-yard freestyle; 3rd, 200-yard IM; 3rd, 100-yard backstroke; 2nd, 100-yard butterfly; 7th, 50-yard freestyle.

Logan Delano, 6th, 200-yard freestyle; 3rd, 100-yard breaststroke; 4th, 200-yard individual medley; 7th, 100-yard butterfly; 8th, 50-yard freestyle.

Tanner Wilson, 5th, 100-yard freestyle; 4th, 50-yard freestyle.

Dylan Powell, 11th, 100-yard freestyle.

Girls 15-18

Lindsey Webb, 9th, 100-yard freestyle; 6th, 100-yard breaststroke; 10th, 50-yard freestyle.

Girls 13-14

Auna Waldner, 1st, 200-yard freestyle; 6th, 100-yard breaststroke; 1st, 200-yard IM; 3rd, 100-yard butterfly; 2nd, 50-yard freestyle.

Kenzie Wilson, 3rd, 100-yard freestyle; 4th, 200-yard freestyle; 4th, 100-yard freestyle; 4th, 100-yard breaststroke; 7th, 200-yard individual medley; 4th, 50-yard freestyle.

Sarah Wright, 5th, 200-yard freestyle; 3rd, 100-yard freestyle; 8th, 100-yard breaststroke; 8th, 200-yard individual medley; 6th, 100-yard backstroke; 2nd, 100-yard butterfly; 5th, 50-yard freestyle.

Charli Bowden, 10th, 200-yard freestyle; 13th, 100-yard freestyle; 11th, 100-yard breaststroke; 13th, 200-yard individual medley; 8th, 100-yard butterfly; 13th, 50-yard freestyle.

Girls 11-12

Railey Namitz, 8th, 200-yard freestyle; 6th, 100-yard freestyle; 12th, 50-yard breaststroke; 6th, 100-yard individual medley; 5th, 50-yard freestyle.

Mariah Wright, 9th, 100-yard freestyle; 13th, 50-yard breaststroke; 14th, 100-yard individual medley; 10th, 50-yard backstroke; 7th, 50-yard butterfly; 8th, 50-yard freestyle;

Matika Long, 12th, 100-yard freestyle; 14th, 50-yard breaststroke; 13th, 100-yard individual medley; 13th, 50-yard backstroke; 13th, 50-yard butterfly; 12th, 50-yard freestyle.

Boys 11-12

Ty McDaniel, 7th, 100-yard freestyle; 6th, 50-yard breaststroke; 8th, 100-yard individual medley; 8th, 50-yard butterfly; 7th, 50-yard freestyle.

Girls 9-10

Jen McCormick, 6th, 100-yard freestyle; 8th, 50-yard freestyle.

Alex Cook, 7th, 100-yard freestyle.

Sarah Chouinard Barker, 11th, 100-yard freestyle; 12th, 50-yard freestyle.

Chloe Bentz, 6th, 50-yard backstroke; 6th, 50-yard freestyle.

Jessica Reames, 10th, 50-yard freestyle.

Boys 9-10

Grant LeQuieu, 4th, 200-yard freestyle; 6th, 100-yard freestyle; 3rd, 50-yard backstroke; 2nd, 50-yard freestyle.

Russell Hodge, 10th, 100-yard freestyle; 13th, 50-yard backstroke; 9th, 50-yard freestyle.

Opie McDaniel, 11th, 100-yard freestyle; 13th, 50-yard freestyle.

Cody Bowden, 15th, 100-yard freestyle; 15th, 50-yard freestyle.

Luke Williamson, 19th, 100-yard freestyle; 17th, 50-yard backstroke.

Girls 8 & under

Rhea Mead: 4th, 50-yard freestyle; 3rd, 100-yard individual medley; 2nd, 25-yard backstroke; 1st, 25-yard butterfly; 4th, 25-yard freestyle.

Johna Long, 5th, 50-yard freestyle; 4th, 25-yard breaststroke; 6th, 25-yard backstroke; 4th, Johna Long, 25-yard butterfly; 7th, 25-yard freestyle.

Ashleigh Ostberg, 10th, 50-yard freestyle; 11th, 25-yard backstroke; 8th, 25-yard freestyle.

Harli Grove, 14th, 50-yard freestyle; 16th, 25-yard backstroke; 14th, 25-yard freestyle.

Boys 8 & under

Justin Hodge, 1st, 50-yard freestyle; 1st, 25-yard freestyle.

Thomas LeQuieu, 4th, 50-yard freestyle; 5th, 25-yard freestyle.

Logan Namitz, 5th, 50-yard freestyle; 2nd, 25-yard backstroke; 4th, 25-yard backstroke; 7th, 25-yard freestyle.

Lucas Wolf, 3rd, 25-yard backstroke; 6th, 25-yard freestyle.

Riley Reames, 12th, 25-yard freestyle.

Relays

Boys 18 & Under

200-medley: 2nd, Tanner Wilson, Jake Waldner, Omar Medina, Logan Delano.

4th, Grant LeQuieu, Dylan Powell, Ty McDaniel, Opie McDaniel.

200-yard freestyle relay: 2nd, Medina, Wilson, Delano, Waldner.

Girls 18 & Under

200-yard freestyle: 3rd, Sarah Wright, Charli Bowden, Lindsey Webb, Auna Waldner.

200-yard medley: 3rd, Sarah Wright, Lindsey Webb, Charli Bowden, Auna Waldner.

Girls 14 & Under

200-yard freestyle: 4th, Mariah Wright, Railey Namitz, Matika Long, Kenzie Wilson.

Girls 10 & Under

100-yard freestyle: 3rd, Sarah Chouinard Barker, Jen McCormick, Jessica Reames, Chloe Bentz.

100-yard medley: 2nd, Chloe Bentz, Alex Cook, Jessica Reames, Jen McCormick.

Boys 10 & Under

100-yard freestyle: 3rd, Cody Bowden, Opie McDaniel, Russell Hodge, Grant LeQuieu.

Girls 8 & Under

100-yard medley: 1st, Harli Grove, Johna Long, Rhea Mead, Ashleigh Ostberg.

100-yard freestyle: 1st, Johna Long, Ashleigh Ostberg, Harli Grove, Rhea Mead.

Boys 8 & Under

100-yard freestyle: 1st, Logan Namitz, Thomas LeQuieu, Lucas Wolf, Justin Hodge.