LEWISTON — The Sandpoint Sharks swimming team made their presence known at the 2022 Fazzari’s Open Long Course Swim Meet in Lewiston last weekend, Friday, May 20-21.

The team had 19 swimmers representing Sandpoint across all age groups. The Sharks finished seventh overall with 86 and a half team points.

“We had a lot of strong swims for so early in the season,” Sandpoint Sharks swim coach Sara Zwink said. “Swimmer of the meet for the weekend was Ava Deleuw.”

Deleuw finished in third place during the 800-meter free event with a time of 10:54.78.

“She had a lot of challenging distance events,” Zwink said. “She managed to keep a positive attitude despite the cold and windy weather.”

Eight-year-old Julian Garrett made his competitive swimming debut at the Fazzari’s Open in Lewiston by competing in the 50-free event.

The youngster finished second overall in that event with a time of 47.28.

He also competed in the 50-back event where he finished third with a time of 56.47.

“He looked like a pro in the water,” Zwink said.. “You couldn’t even tell this was his first meet.”

The Sandpoint Sharks team continues to grow in numbers and in top finishes.

The boys 12 and under medley relay team made up of Lou Foust, Eli Norling, Bodi Demmons, and Oliver Leavitt had a strong second place finish with a time of 3:09.19. The girls 13 and over 200 free relay of Mia Driggs, Ayiana Prevost, Ava DeLeeuw, and Ryleigh Bamer placed sixth overall with a time of 2:12.42.

“It’s great to see our team swim so well,” Zwink said. “They work really hard in practice and it’s paying off.

The commodity from the team has also been a huge business for the team, according to Zwink.

“It’s also fun to see them out there cheering for each other and supporting one another,” Zwink said. “The kids are really coming together as a strong team, in and out of the water.”

Foust also posted a first place finish in the 100-free event with a time of 1:10.78.

Caleb Norting also grabbed a first place finish in the 200 freestyle event with a time of 2:12.56.