The Grand County High School (GCHS) swimming team had its final two home meets of the 2019-20 season over the weekend, competing with North Summit, South Summit and South Sevier on Friday, Dec. 13; and North Summit, South Summit and Carbon on Saturday, Dec. 14.
On Friday, GCHS placed second in both the boys and girls divisions, and on Saturday both the boys and girls placed third.
“Both meets were great for the team,” GCHS swimming coach Brian Pierce said. “On Friday the team had 33 PRs, and 2 on Saturday. Camron Stotz had an amazing meet on Friday and that continued into Saturday. Both the boys and girls A relays moved up to the top 100 with their performances this weekend.”
On Friday, both the boys and girls 200-yard medley groups placed first, the boys at 1:51.33, and the girls at 2:19.36. The girls also won their 400-yard freestyle relay at 4:51.80.
The boys had several individual first-place finishes as Stryder Young took first in the 200-yard freestyle (2:18.32), Pat Pakkarato placed first in the 100-yard butterfly (1:00.65), Stotz placed first in the 500-yard freestyle (6:15.76) and Arthur Hawks placed first in the 100-yard backstroke (1:05.20). Hawks was followed by Dallin Stucki in second at 1:06.77. Hawks also placed second in the 100-yard butterfly at 1:07.88, and Stucki also placed third in the 200-yard individual medley at 2:36.13. In the 100-yard freestyle, Ricky Shumway placed third at 1:03.66, and in the 50-yard freestyle, Stotz placed fifth at 26.63.
For the girls, Zoe Warren placed first in the 100-yard backstroke at 1:16.31, and Josie Wakefield placed first in the 50-yard freestyle at 30.14. Aly Bertoch placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:43.08, followed by Zoe Campbell in third at 2:46.48. Neelie and Mekker Relph placed third and fifth in the 50-yard freestyle (32.60 and 33.77) and Kyla Jackman placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle at 1:13.48.
North Summit won both divisions, scoring 327 points in the girls division and 330 in the boys division. GCHS’s girls scored 300 and its boys scored 301. South Summit was third in each division at 162 and 286, while South Sevier had 29 girls points and 79 boys points.
On Saturday, Pierce said he had the swimmers mix up their events hoping to give them more options at the state meet. Pakkarato placed first in both the 200-yard individual medley at 2:15.34 and the 100-yard backstroke at 1:09.06. He, Hawks, Stotz and Stucki teamed up for a dominant first in the 200-yard freestyle relay as well, clocking in at 1:44.51. Stotz placed second in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:15.34, and third in the 100-yard freestyle at 1:00.82. Hawks placed second in the 500-yard freestyle at 6:32.73, and sixth in the 50-yard freestyle at 26.96.
The girls division saw Wakefield place first in the 100-yard backstroke at 1:13.41 and third in the 200-yard freestyle at 2:36.10, behind Warren in second at 2:27.69. Warren also placed second in the 100-yard freestyle at 1:07.14, followed by Neelie Relph in third at 1:13.85. In the 50-yard freestyle, Bertoch placed sixth at 32.69.
“The kids have really been working hard at practice,” Pierce said. “We have some great Team Captains that keep the kids moving when the sets get hard. It’s fun to see them support each other and encourage each other.”
The GCHS swimming team is next scheduled to compete at the Tooele Invitational on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 20 and 21.
