Cheney a refuge for swimming

CHENEY -- With the luxury of having a top-notch facility in town at Eastern Washington University, Cheney High School offers swimming as a varsity sport when no others in the immediate area have.

It has afforded not only Cheney students, but others from area schools the opportunity to compete.

Coach Jennifer Hochwalt's roster has 13 swimmers from Cheney, but the team's numbers swell to about 20 when co-op athletes from other area schools are added.

Attending Mead High School, Hochwalt never had the opportunity to swim in high school, but club competition allowed her to earn a scholarship at the University of Wyoming.

They are one of the rare Greater Spokane League schools offering the sport, Cheney competes in the Mid-Columbia Conference. Clarkston and Pullman also provide swimming in the GSL.

Cheney competitors this season include Lauren Howe who recently won a pair of events, the 50-meter freestyle and 100-meter breaststroke. Howe is also the anchor in team relay races and is a previous individual state qualifier.

Senior Kate Kissell and junior Sophie Schaefer swim individually as well as on relays.

"We have a couple of freshmen I think that the that have a shot at making state, Madison Bauman and Jezelle Schmidt," Hochwalt said.

Hochwalt thinks Cheney will field "a pretty strong team."

"I think just about everybody has a shot of making it to the district meet," she said.

Cheney will likely add to its district and state presence with that talented group of co-op swimmers. Athletes from Medical Lake, Lewis and Clark, East Valley and St. John-Endicott compete with Cheney.

Savannah Evans (100 butterfly and 100 backstroke) and Jessica Richards (200 and 500 freestyle) are working a lot on form, Hochwalt has said.

"They should place at the 2A district meet," she said.

Ava Swigart from Lewis and Clark made the 4A state cut in the 200 freestyle and East Valley's Brigid Dinnen reached the 2A state cut in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle.

Dinnen is a returning sophomore; she won 2A districts and state in the 100 backstroke and the 200 freestyle last year.

"She looks good this year," Hochwalt said. "She has qualified for state in seven of eight swimming events."

Swigart specializes in freestyle, but is also solid in other events such as the breaststroke.

Tiger swimmers include three freshmen – Morgan Herr (freestyle and backstroke), Anya Atkinson (butterfly, freestyle and individual medley) and Michaela Richards (freestyler).

"These swimmers should all place and make an impact on the 4A district meet in Walla Walla in three weeks," Hochwalt said.

A swimmer showing more than just skills in the pool, but added dedication to the sport, is Kate Hergert from St. John-Endicott.

Hergert commutes about 40 minutes to practices.

"She is newer to the sport of swimming, but she is well-rounded and has great sprint freestyle events," Hochwalt said, suggesting Hergert should place at districts for the 2A schools.

The addition of swimmers should pay another dividend for Cheney, Hochwalt said.

"Faster training partners makes faster swimmers," she said.