Cougars girls claim fifth straight crown

Coronado's fifth straight Sunrise Region girls swimming and diving championship had a not-so-familiar look to it.

Cruising to the championship with 486 points Saturday -- more than 180 ahead of No. 2 finisher Green Valley (307.5) -- the Cougars did not quite have the individual success that has become their trademark.

Alix Mertel's victories in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100 backstroke were Coronado's only two championships -- but numerous second- and third-place finishes gave the team the clear-cut edge.

"This year, just the fact that we don't have those No. 1 girls made the girls feel wary about this championship," Cougars coach Brenda Tomtan-Brayman said. "The schools that do have the top girls definitely scare me, and scare the girls. But having those girls who aren't No. 1 but score points is a huge part of this sport."

Added Silverado coach John Cress, whose Skyhawks finished in third place, ahead of Foothill (281 points) and Boulder City (204): "Coronado is dominant, and that has everything to do with their coaches. I admire those guys -- as far as swimming goes, they know everything. But also with that comes the stock, and they just have a lot of club swimmers."

Sisters Addie and Carlee Oswald led the Skyhawks, with Addie Oswald winning the 200 freestyle (1:54.33) and the 500 freestyle (5:03.36) and Carlee Oswald notching two top-three finishes.

"Anything Addie does, she does well," said Silverado coach John Cress, whose team finished ahead of Foothill (281 points) and Boulder City (204). "At her age, she's just way beyond her years. And guess who gets to emulate that? Carlee. Carlee at all times gets to see her older sister and how smooth she is in the water and driven."

On the boys side, Thursday's diving performance tipped the scales for Green Valley. The Gators scored 420 points, defeating Boulder City (336), Coronado (318.5), Tech (215) and Foothill (194), among others.

"First- and second-place in the diving was really big for us," Green Valley coach Bob Swift said. "All three of the top teams have kids who swim year-round. The kids get used to swimming, and they learn the skills that they really need."