Pirate Swimmers Compete With Virgin Valley

By GABRIELLE SHIOZAWA

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School Swim Team battled it out against the Virgin Valley Bulldogs on Saturday in their last preliminary race of the season. The event, held at the Heritage Pool in Henderson, was sparsely attended because of proms held across the county. But despite the lack in numbers, competing swimmers gave the competition their all, finishing out their season with gusto.

The team of Brylee Watkins, Camille Hardy, Jaci Holmes, and Emma Walker started out the meet with the Women 200 Yard Medley Relay. They took second place with their time of 2:35.72.
Next, Skylar Farnsworth placed second in the Women 200 Yard Freestyle at 3:30.14.
In the Men 200 Yard Freestyle, Mitchell Lyon’s time of 2:31.29 earned him first place. Isaac Bradshaw was close behind, taking second place at 2:35.18.
Jaci Holmes placed second in the Women 50 Yard Freestyle with a time of 31.41.
Samuel Jolley’s time of 27.63 placed him second in the Men 50 Yard Freestyle.

In the Women 100 Yard Freestyle, Emma Walker took second place with her time of 1:15.61. Abby Rose finished in third place at 1:18.34.
Isaac Bradshaw placed third in the Men 100 Yard Freestyle when he finished his race at 1:07.70.
In the Women 200 Yard Relay, the team of Emma Walker, Anna Stratton, Abby Rose, and Jaci Holmes placed first at 2:20.12. In second place, with a time of 2:58.81, was the team of Michelle Duong, Camille Hardy, Gabrielle Shiozawa, and Payten Peluaga.
Brylee Watkins placed third in the Women 100 Yard Backstroke when she finished her race at 1:34.01.
In the Men 100 Yard Backstroke, Samuel Jolley took first place at 1:17.72.
Camille Hardy’s time of 1:36.97 earned her third place in the Women 100 Yard Breaststroke.

The results of the 400 Yard Relays brought an exciting conclusion to the day’s events. In the Women’s race, Emma Walker, Anna Stratton, Abby Rose, and Jaci Holmes placed first with a time of 5:13.55. In the Men’s event, the team of Isaac Bradshaw, Milo Farnsworth, Ryan McMurray, and Mitchell Lyon took first place as well when they finished their race at 4:58.75.

Despite their individual successes, the MVHS swimmers were ultimately overtaken by their Virgin Valley competitors. The boys lost 76-62, while the girls fell by a score of 116-79.
Although the season ends here for most of the Pirates, sixteen qualifying competitors from the team will have the opportunity to advance to Regionals on May 8 and 12.

Samuel Jolley, who is completing his first year in swimming, is one of those qualifiers. Reflecting on the season, Jolley said, “I’m excited not only for this year but for the next year. Swim team is very hard. It works your body, it works your mind, and it’s a really cool sport.”