CHS swimmers sweep titles in Hobbs meet

HOBBS — Clovis High’s swimmers posted team sweeps on Saturday in Hobbs’ 14-team Tori Invite.

The Wildcats finished with 125 points to 108 for Hobbs on the boys’ side, while the Lady Wildcats scored 129 points and ran away with girls competition, 53 points ahead of runnerup Las Cruces.

“I didn’t ease up on them as far as training goes this past week, so the fact that we were able to win on both sides was a huge surprise,” CHS co-coach Gordy Westerberg said. “Our young swimmers are getting better every week.”

CHS squads are back in action for the Clovis Invite on Saturday at Clovis Aquatic Center, starting at 11 a.m. Other teams participating in the event are Carlsbad, Rio Rancho and Rio Rancho Cleveland.

The Cats and Lady Cats have another home meet coming up, hosting the Wildcat Invite at CAC on Dec. 4.

At Hobbs, the boys posted four state-qualifying marks, while the girls had three.

For the boys, the Cats were first in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. They didn’t win any individual events, but juniors Thomas Palla and Klayton Hogan and sophomores Porter Kidd and David Reeb each earned a second-place finish.

Meantime, senior exchange student Chloe Lee won a pair of events for the girls — the 100 butterfly and 100 breaststroke. She also swam the second leg of the Lady Cats’ first-place 200 medley relay.

The South Korean, who came to Clovis at the semester last year, qualified for state in the fly and on the relay on Saturday, but she won’t get to go to state in February. She’ll be heading back home at the end of the semester.

“Chloe continues to have a great season,” Westerberg said. “We are going to miss her when she returns to South Korea.”

Freshman Brynn Longley posted a win in the 500 freestyle, while eighth-grader JuJu Fernandez led a 2-3-4 finish for the Lady Cats in the 100 freestyle. Clovis swept to victory in all three relay events.