Big things for Mid-Columbia swimmers
- November 20, 2011
By Katie Dorsey
Tri-City Herald
Moses Lake senior swimmer Courtney Schwiesow, fresh off a fifth-place state finish in the 4A 100-yard breaststroke, is set for the next four years. She will attend Cal State East Bay in Hayward, Calif., on a swimming scholarship. The program is up-and-coming, Moses Lake coach Tony St. Onge said, and Schwiesow will have a good chance to help the Pioneers build their profile.
Combine Schwiesow's big news with Othello senior Natilee Ruiz's scholarship at San Diego State and the possibility that Hanford's Melissa Merrill might get to compete at BYU, and it has been a very good fall for Mid-Columbia swimmers — even those who have graduated to bigger things.
The same weekend that Stephanie and Lisa Tixier helped Hanford win two state relay titles, sister Christine, a Biola University freshman, won three of five events at the Bulldog Pentathlon in Redlands, Calif. Christine Tixier won the 100 butterfly in a school-record time of 57.59 seconds, as well as the 100 breaststroke and 100 individual medley. She was on last year's state-winning 200 freestyle relay team with Stephanie.