By GANNON HANEVOLD
Moapa Valley Progress
Following a week off for Spring break, Moapa Valley’s boys and girls swim teams were back in the pool last week. The Pirates took on Rancho in a meet on Saturday in Las Vegas.
For the boys, it was an up and down overall meet. The team grabbed first place finishes in the 100 and 200 meter freestyle courtesy of senior, Tyler Holmes. Zane Lamping also outraced the Rams in the 200 meter individual medley and 100 meter breaststroke. The Pirates’ 400 meter relay team of Zane Lamping, Sam Jolley, Dillon Jones, and Tyler Holmes claimed the top spot as well.
However, with a number of swimmers unable to make the meet, their absence was felt. Ultimately, the Rams would take home a 146.50-89.50 victory.
“We had huge drops in our times,” said Tyler Holmes. “Even with missing a lot of swimmers, we were able to make a lot of individual improvements. It was just good to see that our swimmers are getting better every week.”
As the season progresses for the boys, Holmes pointed out what he sees as the team’s greatest progression.
“The biggest improvement has been our newcomers,” he said. “Everybody is doing their part to drop time and help the team but we’ve seen new swimmers go from barely completing workouts to placing high at events.”
Meanwhile, the girls team left the meet with an exciting victory over the Rams. The Pirates would overwhelm their opponent with a 131-83 final tally on the scoresheet. This was thanks to eight total first place finishes, and the Pirates racked up second place numbers as well.
In the 400 meter relay and both 200 meter relays, the Pirates would finish at the top. The Pirates’ 400 relay team of Jaci Holmes, Hannah Schulthies, Elizabeth Williams, and Alexis Sawyer finished with a 5:00.56 time. The 200 relay team featuring the same four girls would have a time of 2:13.47.
In the 200 meter mixed relay of Schulthies, Holmes, Sawyer, and Brylee Watkins, the time would come in at 2:32.02.
Watkins, who was a part of the second place teams in the 400 meter and 200 meter relays, and contributed to a first place finish in the 200 meter mixed relay, said the bond between the girls contributes to their success.
“We all really have to work together for relays,” Watkins said. “We are all relying on each other. My relay team always hypes each other up right before we get on the block. I think the fact that we are so close helps us do better during the race.”
Individually, the Pirates’ team of girls swimmers was dominant, too. Watkins took home a first place finish in the 100 meter backstroke. Senior Alexis Sawyer would finish first in the 200 meter freestyle, Emma Walker would take first in the 100 meter freestyle. And Camille Hardy would take first in the 100 meter breaststroke. Also among the Pirate swimmers with a first place spot last week was Abby Rose, who finished with a 34.06 second time in the 50 meter freestyle.
“I think our girls’ team has a ton of skill,” Rose said. “The season isn’t even halfway over yet and we’ve made so much progress. I’m really optimistic for the competitions to come and think we’re a team to watch.”
Jaci Holmes also finished with a notable time in the 500 meter freestyle, coming in under seven minutes with a 6:54.59 finish. While that performance would take second place in this meet, Moapa head coach Erinn Thompson called it a “fantastic performance”.
As Moapa Valley’s times continue to fall, the swimmers’ confidence levels continue to rise with the season approaching its halfway point.
