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Friday, May 18, 2012
Covering Dallas, Monmouth, Independence, Falls City and surrounding areas since 1868
Dallas’ Deaven Vessel shaved 2 seconds off her best time to take a team-best fifth place in the 100-yard breaststroke Saturday at the Class 5A State Swimming Championships.
February 22, 2012
GRESHAM -- When Deaven Vessell -- seeded second in the event -- finished fourth in the Feb. 11 Mid-Willamette Conference girls 100-yard breaststroke championship final, she was disappointed, to say the least.
What a difference a week makes.
After learning her time had qualified her for last weekend's Class 5A State Swimming Championships, the Dallas junior made the most of her first trip to the big stage with a huge personal record - 2 seconds off her best time -- to capture a team-best fifth-place finish in Saturday's 100 breaststroke final at the Mt. Hood Community College Aquatic Center.
"It was amazing," Vessell, who swam a 1:11.39, said. "I hadn't really PR'd all year -- I don't know where I pulled it out from -- but I PR'd by 2 1/2 seconds at state. I don't know how to describe it."
Dallas coach Jeff Bemrose said Vessell -- who was the lone state qualifier (in the same event) for the Dragons last season but opted not to compete due to a schedule conflict with her club volleyball team -- is the first swimmer from Dallas to qualify for finals in any event since he's been on the coaching staff.
"Deaven had a great performance," Bemrose said, noting that she edged out two swimmers that had placed ahead of her at districts. "It was great for us."
Vessell is just glad she picked swimming this year - she chose to skip a Las Vegas tournament with her volleyball squad, Salem's Capital City Elite, in order to test her chances in the pool.
She had to make that decision before knowing if she would again qualify for state, however.
Dallas’ Jerusha Dressel, bottom, kicks off the wall during the 200-yard individual medley in Friday’s preliminaries at the Class 5A State Swimming Championships at Mt. Hood Aquatic Center. Dressel finished eighth in the prelims with a time of 2:19.71.
"Last year I didn't go to state because I chose my (volleyball) teammates over myself," Vessell said. "This year I was like, `I wouldn't mind missing a volleyball tournament.'
"When I found out I was going to state, I was happy I chose the right decision.
"It was just really cool representing my team."
The girls 200 medley relay team of Vessell, Jerusha Dressel, Melissa Biery and Hannah Fawcett broke another school record on Friday in the prelims (2:03.29) to finish ninth, but did not qualify for Saturday's finals.
Dressell finished eighth in the 200 individual medley (2:19.71) and 10th in the 100 freestyle (57.61) in Friday's prelims, and Joey Orton was 11th in both the boys 50 freestyle (23.77) and 100 freestyle (52.56).
For the two-sport Vessell, her success at the state level might have put swimming a little bit higher on the totem pole when it comes to future plans.
"This year I kind of decided to do swimming because I didn't go to state my freshman or sophomore year," she said. "It was just kind of a tool to stay in shape for volleyball. But I don't know, I think if maybe I did summer training I could get farther in it -- if you pursue something and really get after it, then you can get it."
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