CHS swimmers set nine school records at state

Staff report

ALBUQUERQUE — Clovis High’s swimming teams set nine school records and have 16 entries in 14 events in today’s finals of the state meet at Albuquerque Academy H.S.

The Lady Wildcats have nine entries in eight events in the championship finals (top eight) and seven more entries in the consolation finals (ninth through 16th), while the boys have seven championship-finals entries in six events and two more in the consolation finals.

“Today (Friday) was about times,” CHS coach Vincent de Maio said. “(Saturday) is about head-to-head swimming.

“The kids are excited. We’re looking forward to a great day tomorrow.”

The boys had two winning events on Friday, pulling off a surprise in the 200 medley relay with Case Schaap, Seiji Aponte, Brian Nordgren and James Skuse in a time of 1 minute, 38.14 seconds.

“It was a shock,” de Maio said. “I knew those guys had a lot of time in them, but 1:38 is a great time.”

Nordgren, who joined the team at the semester after his family moved in from Pennsylvania, also took first in the 100 breaststroke in 58.19 seconds.

Both were school marks, the former beating the school record by about four seconds set in last weekend’s district meet at Carlsbad. Aponte finished second in what would have been a school-record time of 58.72.

The third record for the boys came in the 200 freestyle relay, where Schaap, Nordgren, Aponte and Skuse swam 1:30.06.

Schaap was second in the 200 freestyle in 2:45.39.

All three girls relays set records — the 200 medley with Bailey Silveira, Olivia Reeb, Katie Kelley and Anya Hammond (fifth in 1:52.40), the 200 freestyle with Kelley, Maya Hammond, Nina Mead and Annie Smith (sixth in 1:44.21) and the 400 freestyle with Silveria, Reeb, Osburn and Anya Hammond (seventh in 3:40.87).

Other marks were by Silveira, third in the 100 backstroke (58.67) and fourth in the 200 freestyle (1:57.99), and Aspyn Osburn, fourth in the 500 freestyle (5:18.14).