Submitted by Tamara ANderson
The Wyoming Girls 3A State Swim Meet was held November 6th and 7th in Laramie. The meet featured lots of exciting races with fierce competition and amazing diving. Lander’s team placed fifth with 153 points behind Green River, Cody, Powell, and Buffalo. The Lander team is coached by Shawna Morgan, Tim Hester, and Faith Hamilton.
Lander’s Ashlon Koch led Lander’s individual performances with second place finishes in both the 200 yard IM and the 100 yard butterfly. Subsequently, Koch was named to the Wyoming Coaches Association All-State team for her performance.
Another standout performance for Lander occurred in the breaststroke event. Lainy Duncan placed third in the 100 yard breaststroke, setting a new LVHS record of 1:08.61. Duncan also took fourth in the 200 yard IM.
At the state meet, the top 12 finishers in each event on the first day advance to the second day of competition, with the top six competing in a finals heat and places seven through twelve in consolation finals. The next two competitors are named as alternates. Also placing individually for Lander in the swimming events were: Lilly Hamilton (4th in the 100 yard freestyle), Asha Reid (4th in the 100 yard backstroke and 9th in the 100 yard butterfly), Kristen McPherson (6th in the 100 yard backstroke and 12th in 200 yard IM), and Emily Anderson (11th in the 200 yard freestyle and 10th in the 500 yard freestyle). Serving as alternates were: Jenny Bautz (100 yard breaststroke), and Katelyn Brinda (200 yard freestyle and 500 yard freestyle).
The diving competition was spectacular this year. The divers were completing very difficult dives with multiple twists and turns. Skyler Woodruff made the finals and placed twelfth to lead the Lander divers. Sophie Shearin was an alternate.
All three of Lander’s relay teams made finals. The 200 yard medley relay team of Kristen McPherson, Lainy Duncan, Ashlon Koch, and Lilly Hamilton placed third. Their preliminary round swim of 1:54.88 was fast enough to qualify as a sectional time. The 200 yard freestyle relay of Asha Reid, Lainy Duncan, Lilly Hamilton, and Emily Anderson placed fifth. The 400 yard freestyle relay of Lilly Hamilton, Katelyn Brinda, Emily Anderson, and Ashlon Koch placed sixth.
Head Coach Shawna Morgan had this to say about the meet. “I think the best part of state was that even though we had a smaller than usual team this year, we still had 17 girls qualify for the state meet. All four of our seniors qualified for state and competed very well. They led our very young team well, showing them that state is a place to learn a lot about yourself and your swimming/diving. At the end of the day I was super proud of each and every athlete and what they accomplished this season.”
The seniors, Skyler Woodruff, Kristen McPherson, Jenny Bautz, and Sierra Firth, may have competed in their last meet as Lander tigers, but they remain as part of the swimming and diving family. And the community will look forward to the remainder of the team returning next year.
Wyoming Girls 3A State Swim Meet 2020
November 6-7, 2020
Laramie, WY
Lander Results
200 Yard Medley Relay: 3. Lander 1:54.94
200 Yard Freestyle: 11. E Anderson 2:13.84, 13. K Brinda 2:13.89
200 Yard IM: 2. A Koch 2:18.44, 4. L Duncan 2:22.53, 12. K McPherson 2:35.72, 19. M Flint 2:35.75
50 Yard Freestyle: 15. S McMahon 27.31
Diving: 12. S Woodruff 247.60, 13. S Shearin 173.55, 17. D Forbis 110.25
100 Yard Butterfly: 2. A Koch 1:01.36, 9. A Reid 1:07.67, 14. S McMahon 1:11.66
100 Yard Freestyle: 4. L Hamilton 57.57, 25. J Johnson 1:04.13
500 Yard Freestyle: 10. E Anderson 6:02.65, 14. K Brinda 6:11.24, 24. S Firth 6:24.12
200 Yard Freestyle Relay: 5. Lander 1:46.42
100 Yard Backstroke: 4. A Reid 1:01.90, 6. K McPherson 1:05.21, 18. M Flint 1:10.82, 20. J Johnson 1:12.82
100 Yard Breaststroke: 3. L Duncan 1:08.61, 13. J Bautz 1:17.43, 19. T Bautz 1:21.55
400 Yard Freestyle Relay: 6. Lander 3:56.17