PASCO — The Sandpoint girls swim team impressed with an eighth-place finish at the massive Mid-Columbia Invite in Pasco this last weekend. 

The Bulldogs' eighth-place finish out of 42 attending schools was headlined by freshman Myelle Jensen, who won the 100-yard backstroke event with a 1:01.78 final time. Jensen had an impressive summer, winning her age group at the Long Bridge Swim and competing at the Western Zone Age Group Championships in Boise. 

"That's amazing considering we were up against teams pushing 50 swimmers or more," Sandpoint swim coach Greg Jackson said of his team's performance. "Out of those numbers, for Myelle Jensen to win an event when there are only 12, [that's] even bigger." 

While Jensen's victory was a major part of the team's strong performance, Jackson said the team's relays kept them in the points. Sandpoint posted a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay and a ninth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay. 

Jackson said he was most excited about the improvement from across the team, giving a shoutout to Athena de Leeuw and Claire Ballard. In their 500-yard freestyle, De Leeuw dropped her time by eight seconds over last week, while Ballard shaved 13 seconds off her time. 

"These girls are hungry, and it goes all the way to the newest swimmer," Jackson said. "This is exactly what we need to be competitive at the state level. I think we'll see quite a few unexpected state qualifiers from our team this year, which will be huge in picking up points we lost from our graduating seniors last year." 

On the boys side, the Bulldogs competed in the Vikings-Miners Triple Duals in Moscow over the weekend. Sandpoint posted impressive performances, going undefeated in their duals. 

The Bulldogs won the 200-yard freestyle relay thanks to strong outings from Bo Zeller, Phin Bricher, Atreyu Jones and Maximus Brown. Sandpoint had a pair of silver medals in the relay events, grabbing second in the 200-yard medley and the 400-yard freestyle relay. 

"As of late, I’ve been impressed by Atreyu Jones," Sandpoint coach Mikayla Schoening said. "At the start of the season, we noticed a shift in him. He has really been putting in the work this season, and I believe his personal records are reflecting that. I’m excited to watch what he does at districts in five weeks." 

On the individual side, Andrew Ford won the 100-yard breaststroke and was supported by impressive performances from Bodi Demmons, Lou Foust, Zeller and Brown. Schoening said Demmons and Foust will be the swimmers to watch for the Bulldogs as the season continues, adding that Demmons is an incredibly thoughtful but quick swimmer. 

The Sandpoint coach said Zeller had new personal bests in both of his individual events and still has more in the tank that he can unlock.  

"I appreciate how overall, these boys take their swims seriously," Schoening said. "It is fun to watch them come together and support each other as a team." 

Both swim teams are set to head down to Boise for the Brave Knight Invitational on Friday.