After each team staged a comeback, the Oak Harbor and Mount Vernon high school swim teams settled for an 85-85 tie at the Skagit Valley YMCA pool Thursday, Jan. 23.
Fittingly with the tie, the two teams evened their season records at 7-2-1.
The Wildcats wrap up the regular season by getting back into Wesco 3A North action when Everett visits at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 29. Oak Harbor, 3-0 in the division, can sew up first place in the 3A North with a win over the Seagulls (1-2, 2-10).
In the Mount Vernon meet, the Bulldogs led over the first six events, going up 52-42 heading into the 500-meter freestyle. The Wildcats swept the top three spots as Joe Gorman (5:31.51), Jake Nelson (6:13.57) and Ryan Cuajunco (6:19.18) went 1-2-3. Gorman also won the 200 free (2:06.26) earlier in the meet.
Mount Vernon finished fourth and fifth in the 500, which set the team score at 55-55.
Oak Harbor then nosed into the lead, 81-75, over the next three events thanks to wins by the 200 free relay team (Logan Clark, Eric Jensen, Michael Bukolt, Ben Danielson, 1:55.27) and Cedric Cabigting in the 100 backstroke (1:03.05).
The Wildcats’ top 200 free relay team, however, was disqualified, which kept Oak Harbor from going 1-2 in the event. Oak Harbor was also missing one of its leading swimmers, Caley Powers, who is sick and injured. Those two setbacks most likely cost the ‘Cats the opportunity to dump Mount Vernon.
The Bulldogs placed first and third in the final event, the 400 free relay, to catch Oak Harbor and knot the score.
Other Oak Harbor results:
Second: Cabigting, 200 IM, 2:18.47; Geist, 100 butterfly, 1:03.38; Dakota Powers, 100 free, 59.02; Nelson, 100 breast, 1:17.02; 200 medley relay (Cabigting, Powers, Geist, Gorman), 2:00.75; 400 free relay (Cuajunco, Bukolt, Volk, Gorman), 4:10.5.
Third: Geist, 200 IM, 2:19.01; Volk, 50 free, 26.78; Jensen, 100 fly, 1:08.74; Cuajunco, 100 back, 1:11.05; Powers, 100 breast, 1:17.05; 200 medley relay (Cuajunco, Nelson, Jensen, Danielson), 2:07.91.
Fourth: Clark, 200 free, 2:29.4; Jensen, 200 IM, 2:36.09; 200 free relay (Noel Pangilinan, Berry, Klein, Livermore), 2:07.06; 400 free relay (Clark, Nelson, Livermore, Danielson), 4:28.69.
Fifth: Danielson, 50 free, 29.52; Bukolt, 100 free, 1:05.2; Clayton Livermore, 100 back, 1:14.24; Dylan Klein, 100 breast, 1:20.6.
