Winter prep preview / Oak Harbor swim and dive

Amy Merkley returns as the Oak Harbor High School swim and dive coach this season after taking the past five years off and hopes to return the team to its earlier glory.

The Wildcats finished 10th in the state in 2011 and won the Wesco North title in 2012 under Merkley’s guidance.

“I missed coaching high school swimming,” she said. “I started joining way too many committees at work and need something more exciting than sitting in meetings all the time.

“I’m really excited to be back at the pool and to be working with some of the most energetic and fun student athletes I’ve ever had the pleasure to work with.”

Merkley’s goal is to reestablish the Oak Harbor swim team as a “strong and successful program.”

The Wildcats finished with only a dozen swimmers last year, and only one letterman, Garrett Karney, returns.

Numbers are up to 18 this year.

“I want to honor and maintain the strong camaraderie this team already has in place,” she said. “My goal for the program is to do my part to get the student athletes of Oak Harbor into the pool and increase our numbers.”

She would like to see middle school include a “competitive swim elective, swim as part of the PE curriculum or, even better, a middle school swim team — even if it’s only intramurals.”

An added bonus of Karney returning is that his mother arranges the team’s pasta feeds, Merkley said.

Key newcomers, according to Merkley, are Enrique Perez, Kenneth Morrow, Andrew Franssen, Jose Cabigting, Bruce Vagt and Micah Franklin.

Perez is an exchange student from Spain.

Seniors Kenneth Morrow, who moved back to Oak Harbor from Florida where he swam at the state level, Andrew Franssen, who swam for the Wildcats as a freshman, and Jose Cabigting, who lettered two years ago and is one of the team captains, have returned to the team.

Vagt, the latest in a line of family members who have competed for the Wildcats, and Franklin are freshmen.

Wildcats split home meet

So far this year, Oak Harbor has won one of three meets. Monday, Dec. 12, the Wildcats split a close double dual meet at home, beating Snohomish 93-89 and losing to Glacier Peak 93-85.

Oak Harbor was hurt by not having any divers, yielding all that event’s points to the Panthers and Grizzlies.

The Wildcats won three individual events. Perez captured the 50-meter free (27.38), Vagt won the 400 free (4:43.87) and Cabigting took the 100 breaststroke (1:21.07).

Vagt, Morrow, Perez and Franssen teamed up to win the 200 medley relay (2:04.65).

Oak Harbor is now off until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 4, when it hosts Everett.

Other results from Monday:

Second: Vagt, 200 free, 2:16.76; Franklin, 200 IM, 2:46.27; 100 back, 1:18.6; Perez, 100 butterfly, 1:09.9; 200 free relay (Perez, Vagt, Franssen, Cabigting), 1:53.77.

Third: Franssen, 50 free, 28.29; 100 free, 1:08.03.

Fourth: Cabigting, 200 IM, 2:47.99; Matt Kolden, 100 back, 1:35.23; 400 free relay (Franklin, Karney, Pablo Closson, Cabigting), 6:00.54.

Fifth: Morrow, 200 free, 2:29.76; 50 free, 28.98; Alex Hartley, 100 free, 1:20.82; 200 medley relay (Kurtis Zylstra, Eric Closson, Hartley, Cameron See), 2:37.46; 200 free relay (Franklin, Karney, Aaron Martinez, Hartley), 2:07.87; 400 free relay (Martinez, Hartley, Kelly Holt, Zylstra), 6:10.31.

Sixth: Karney, 200 IM, 3:06.94; 100 back, 1:40.71; Zylstra, 100 free, 1:22.32; Eric Closson, 100 breast, 1:45.7.