Congratulations to both our men's and women's swim teams for earning state titles this past weekend!
The following highlights are from Rene Ferran for the Oregonian. Click here to read the full article.
Women's Swimming: Crusaders back on top
After getting edged by Sunset each of the past two years – a four-point margin in 2017 and 1.5 points in 2018 – Jesuit earned its ninth title by once again showcasing its depth, with multiple finalists in four events and scoring points in 10 of 11 events.
"The last two years, they were so close," Butcher said. "They were hungry for it this year."
In the 200 medley relay, they were in third place after the second leg before junior Isabella Wallace swam a sizzling third leg and senior Elise Kreutzer sealed it with a 23.41 freestyle leg to win in 1:45.84.
Wallace led a 1-2 finish with Kreutzer in the 100 freestyle, earning All-America consideration with her winning time of 50.54. "I wanted to be able to race with Elise," Wallace said. "We're really good friends and encouraging of one another. It was fun to swim with her."
Senior Sofia Nosack, who finished sixth, third and second in the 500 free in her previous state meets, finally came up golden in her final high school race. She was fourth after one lap but moved up to second by the 100-yard mark before steadily pulling away to win by more than six seconds in 4:59.00.
"To see Sophia as a senior finally win the 500 free and get her best time in it was great to see," Butcher said.
He also praised Kreutzer, who will swim at Brown University next winter and was the reigning 200 free champion but switched to the 50 and 100 free this season, placing second in both.
"We were strategic with Elise," Butcher said. "We wanted to be stronger in those races, and it worked out for the team. And she supported the team in doing what she did."
Men's Swimming: One for the thumb
The Crusaders earned their fifth consecutive team championship with a combination of winning performances – two individual titles and two relay wins – and depth, scoring points in 10 of 11 finals.
Jesuit didn't win an individual race until toward the end of the meet, when freshman Nick Simons won the 100-yard backstroke to announce himself as the next in the long line of champions at the school. He also led off Jesuit's victorious 200 medley relay, which edged Central Catholic by .18 of a second.
"This has been a great season," said sophomore Marco Nosack, who won the 100 breaststroke four years after older brother Anthony (now at the University of Denver) won the same event. "And we're looking forward to another great year next year."
Senior leader and USC commit Trent Martinez swam a career-best 1:37.71 in the 200 free, which also broke the previous record of 1:38.43 set in 2008, and earned All-America status, then came back with a 4:31.16 in the 500 free.
Martinez could have picked different events and perhaps been favored to win another two individual titles, "but it's all about the competition," he reasoned. "We knew we could have avoided it, but that would have been the easy way out. We didn't want to cheat ourselves."
Martinez earned what might be considered his cosmic reward in the day's final event. He swam the leadoff leg of the Crusaders' 400 freestyle relay with a 45.93 split – a time that would have won the 100 freestyle final – and Jesuit went on to break the state record, winning in 3:07.67.
Martinez was followed by junior Noah Duyck, freshman Matthias Kreutzer and Nosack in setting the record.
Martinez twice swam on relays that came within a second of Sunset's 3:08.01 from 2013 – Jesuit went 3:08.96 in 2016 and 3:08.41 in 2017.
"It's been a struggle all four years," he said. "We'd been scratching at it, but we were unable to clinch it, so to finally get it in my last attempt, at the end of the meet after my longest events are done, I'm really happy about that."
Crusaders coach Bryan Butcher expected nothing less from his senior leader.
"Trent swims the 500 free, then not even five minutes later, he has to swim the anchor for the 200 free relay," Butcher said. "In the 400 relay, he puts up a 45, and that sets the tone for everyone. That's just what he does. It's been a blessing having him on the team."