PROVO — Region 9 swimmers enter this weekend’s Class 3A state meet with some of the best times in the state. They hope they’ll be able to exceed those marks and bring home some state championships.
Competition is at BYU’s Richards Building pool on Friday and Saturday. Champions in the first four events will be decided beginning at 2 p.m. Friday. The remaining events will begin on Saturday at 10 a.m.
“This year swimming in 3A has gotten faster,” noted coach Dick Coston of Region 9 champion Cedar City. “Our region is one of the best in the whole state for swimming.”
Among the female athletes who will take top times into the state meet are Cedar City’s Kristen Gross in the 50-yard freestyle, her sister Katelyn in the 100-yard butterfly and the Lady Reds 200-yard freestyle relay team.
For the boys, Canyon View’s Nathan Wallace has the best times in the 200-yard freestyle, 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle and Felix Weingartner of Cedar City has the best mark in the 100-yard backstroke.
Some other girls whose times are in the top five in their events include Megan Draney and Molly McCoy of Desert Hills in the 200-freestyle, Katelyn Gross of Cedar in the 200-individual medley with Snow Canyon’s Stepanie Dansie fourth; and Draney in the 500-freestyle with Snow Canyon’s Nicole Christensen fourth and Tina Crum fifth.
Hurricane’s Ryan Bunn and Cedar’s Alex Knight are ranked in the top five in the 200-free and 200 individual medley, respectively. Canyon View’s Alan Anderson joins Wallace in the 50-free and 100-free rankings. And the Redmen’s Garrett Dotson is among the best in the 100-backstroke.
“These kids have worked hard all year to improve,” Coston noted. “It all comes down to this weekend.”
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