The small size of the Incline High School swim team once again hampered the Highlanders Saturday against Wooster High School as a barrage of first-place finishes couldn’t lift the team to a win.

The five-member Incline boys recorded eight top-spot finishes and the seven Highlander girls notched two first place finishes.

Leading the way for the boys was senior Chris Dewey and junior Kevin Donovan, each finishing first twice as individuals and combining efforts on two top place relay finishes.

Dewey won the 100 yard butterfly and 100 yard breast stroke with times of 1 minute, 3 seconds and a 1:09.6, respectively. He was also on the 200 medley relay team with Donovan, juniors Riley Warren and Nels Hansen, which took first with a 2:01.53. The same set of swimmers won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:48.22, besting Wooster by nearly 13 seconds.

In addition to his performance on the relay teams, Donovan took first in the 500 yard freestyle with a 6:43.41 and the 100 yard backstroke, finishing in 1:15.75.

Joining their individual teammates in the winner’s circle were junior Orlando Quiroz, who won the 200 freestyle in 2:41.19, and Hansen, who took first in the 100 freestyle with a 1:01.48.

“I think the 200 freestyle is probably one of our better relays,” coach Stefin Von Hartitzsch said. “The same four guys will definitely swim that at zones, though I haven’t decided in what order yet.”

Before the May 10 zone swimming competition, though, Von Hartitzsch and his team will be in Carson City at 2 p.m. Saturday for the Sierra League Championship at Carson City High School.

“Basically we’re going to be fine-tuning everything, our turns and dives, to get ready for zones and then state,” Von Hartitzsch said.

He pointed to the performance of Hansen as a pleasant surprise, saying the junior has continued improving late into the season.

“Nels has come through in the last few weeks and did extremely well lately, better than where I thought he’d be at,” Von Hartitzsch said.

On the girls side, freshman Autumn Burnett took the lone individual first place finish for the team, winning the 100 backstroke with a 1:31.75.

She joined junior Jitana Alba, sophomore Michaela Tonking and freshman Alexis Dewey in grabbing the top spot of the girls 200 freestyle relay in a time of 2:07.

Von Hartitzsch said Alexis Dewey and fellow freshman Jordan Petrilla have already qualified for zones and said Alba and Tonking have the best shot to join their teammates at the competition.

He said Alexis Dewey qualified in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle, and Petrilla in the 100 butterfly, 50 and 100 freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke.

On the boys side Von Hartitzsch said Chris Dewey, Hansen, Donovan and Warren already qualified for zones. Chris Dewey should compete in the 50 and 100 yard freestyle, Von Hartitzsch said, with Warren and Hansen joining him in both events and Donovan competing in the 200 freestyle and 100 yard backstroke. All of the boys, Von Hartitzsch said, will compete in the 200 yard freestyle and 200 medley relay at zones.

The small size of Incline’s roster shouldn’t take the toll it has in past meets, Von Hartitzsch said, because only the top eight place finishers earn points.

“The way the Sierra Championships are set up rewards quality a little more than quality, and we can definitely hold our own,” Von Hartitzsch said. “It will help to lessen the advantage the big schools have because you have to have quality swimmers, numbers don’t really help you.”