h/t LVHS Swimming for the photos and information shared below
LVHS athletes were a perfect 12-for-12 at the 3A West Conference Championship in Powell two weeks ago, winning each of the dozen contested swim and dive events on way to a team title.
A repeat performance at this Thursday and Friday’s state meet in Laramie isn’t out of the question. The Tigers are a heavy favorite to win a 24th consecutive championship, sporting a roster that is deep, versatile and talented. However, Shawna Morgan, Tim Hester and Faith Hamilton believe that the overall success of any season isn’t defined by medals and trophies. Growth is the main objective.
“Our number one goal as a program is for 100% best times/scores from our athletes,” Morgan said of the Tigers’ swims and dives at the state meet.
“My own goal is to have everyone of our athletes compete on day two,” added Morgan. Results from Thursday’s day one prelims determine who moves on to Friday’s finals. “They have to place in the top 12 to make that happen, so it is not easy to accomplish, but it would be really cool if it did.”
The LVHS diving contingent plans to set the tone for the team right from the start, kicking off the meet with prelim dives on Thursday. Coach Faith Hamilton believes that the trio of Tiger divers is ready for a strong showing. “The divers this year have really worked hard to get their best lists ready for state and to prepare mentally,” said Hamilton.
“Logan Wietzki has been a nice surprise to qualify and has a strong chance to make finals,” Hamilton said of the Lander freshman. Fellow frosh Noah Larson will make his state debut, as well, while Preston Plaisted — one of the team’s five seniors — aims to defend his 3A title from a year ago.
“Preston and Noah are very well prepared,” shared Hamilton, “and Preston especially has grown in how well he performs in competition.
“Diving is always the most unpredictable event at state, but we hope to perform at our best and see how things end up,” Hamilton added. “It will be especially exciting this year because the number of qualified divers is the most it’s been in a number of years, so there will be cuts for finals.”
As for the action between the lane lines, Morgan said there are just too many outstanding races to choose one to highlight. “I was recently asked which events I was looking forward to most this weekend. I started thinking about it and the truth is every event,” she said. “We have so many amazing things going for us this weekend that I really can’t narrow it down.”
Thursday’s preliminary action begins at 2:00 at Laramie High School, with championship finals following at 10:00 on Friday.