Van Overbeke adds state qualifier; swim team claims victory in Skyline dual

    Holyoke High School swim team came out on top 111-65 in a dual competition against Skyline in Longmont on Dec. 12. HHS senior Regan Van Overbeke clocked a 3A state qualifying time in the 500-yard freestyle. She came in first with a time of 6:10.503 in the event.
    Of the 12 events in the Tuesday meet, Holyoke took first in every one. In a few events, HHS even swept the field with the first, second and third finishers, coach Aly Brinkema proudly added, describing the dual as a “confidence booster.”
    The 100-yard freestyle was one such event, with Demiah Hernandez finishing first, 1:07.6, followed by Anna Jelden, second, 1:08.5, and Jackie Valenzuela, third, 1:16.7.
    Also sweeping the 100-yard backstroke, Lali Marquez came in first, 1:16.9; Amy Mackay, second, 1:22.3; and Juli Hernandez, third, 1:28.8.
    In the 100-yard backstroke, Rylee Schneller finished first with a time of 1:16.403; Traeli Hutches, third, 1:33.4; and Julia Pagola, fifth, 1:49.9.
    Schneller also took first in the 200-yard individual medley, 2:28.003. Demiah Hernandez was third, 2:58.8.
    In addition to her state-qualifying 500-yard freestyle, Regan Van Overbeke cut time in the 200-yard freestyle, nearing the qualifying time in that event as well. She earned first place with a time of 2:17.4. Haley Van Overbeke came in second, 2:23.5; and Brenna Gatton, fifth, 3:03.7.
    Marquez also shaved some time off her 100-yard butterfly, nearing qualifying time with her first-place, 1:11.7 finish. Mackay finished in fourth, 1:34.2.
    Also close to qualifying was Haley Van Overbeke, who finished first in the 50-yard freestyle at 0:28.7, followed by Hutches, third, 0:30.3, and Jelden, fourth, 0:30.8.
    Scoring additional hard-earned points for the team, Gatton took fourth place in the 500-yard freestyle, with a time of 8:22.1.
    With two Holyoke relays having already qualified for state, swimmers did not disappoint in their team events against Skyline.
    In the 200-yard medley relay, Schneller, Regan Van Overbeke, Marquez and Hutches came in first, 2:09.403. Mackay, Jelden, Demiah Hernandez and Valenzuela finished third, 2:28.2.
    In the 200-yard freestyle relay, first place went to Marquez, Haley Van Overbeke, Demiah Hernandez and Schneller, 1:55.603. Finishing third were Juli Hernandez, Pagola, Gatton and Valenzuela, 2:24.2.
    The team of Haley Van Overbeke, Hutches, Jelden and Regan Van Overbeke took first in the 400-yard freestyle relay, 4:32.1.
    After the substantial victory in Skyline, Brinkema said, “We will encounter some very tough competition in the next month, and the team is ready for it.”

The full article is available in our e-Edition. Click here to subscribe.