Photos by Jeff Barrett
Screams filled the Desert Wave Pool on Thursday afternoon as Carbon competed in the Region 14 compeititon. Carbon’s girls team took first with 520 points and were named region champions while the boys took third place with 311 points.
Carbon went head-to-head with Millard High School, American Leadership Academy, Delta High School, Maeser Prep High School, Union High School, Beaver High School and Telos Academy at the meet, hosting nearly 150 swimmers in all.
The meet started off strong in the girls’ and boys’ 200 medley relay. Emily Jespersen, Nicole Swasey, Sofia Crompton and Ashlin Baker swam a time of 2:12.59 to bring home a win for the Dinos. Tyson Swasey, Kinnon Lyman, Rylan Chamberlain and Jerron Stead teamed up for the boys and swam a 2:01.96, earning a third place finish.
Stellar swims were again recorded in the girls’ 200 IM. Kacee Barrett took first place with 2:40.48. Nicole Swasey also swam the event, taking third place with a time of 2:53.71, followed by senior Taycie Davis in fifth place and a time of 3:16.72. Carbon’s Matthew Torres and Hunter Heath represented the boys in the event, Torres, with a time of 2:59.47, taking fourth place and Heath, a time of 3:02.55, earning sixth place.
Carbon girls kept the wins coming in the 50 free, taking first, second and third. Megan Swasey swam in first with a time of 27.33 followed by Shannon Baker in second with a 28.17 and Jacee Richards in third with a 29.84. Carbon’s Rylan Chamberlain swam a 25.79 for the boys, coming in fourth place.
Barrett again took first place, this time in the girls’ 100 butterfly, swimming a time of 1:11.59. Crompton followed ensuit in second place with a time of 1:12.70. Senior Abby Layton swam a 1:30.44, coming in sixth place. Chamberlain and Torres represented the boys in the 100 butterfly with Chamberlain coming in second place with a time of 1:05.26 and Torres swimming a 1:19.17 for a sixth place finish.
Carbon’s Tyson Swasey dominated in the boys’ 100 freestyle, taking first place with a time of 53.71. Lyman followed Swasey for fifth place and a time of 57.01. Megan Swasey, Jacee Richards and Alhehli Pendleton swam the 100 free for the girls, taking the third, fourth and fifth place spots for the Dinos.
The crowd went wild during the girls’ 200 freestyle relay as Carbon’s girls broke a school record and took first place. Shannon Baker, Sofia Crompton, Kacee Barrett and Megan Swasey swam a 1:51.18 to break a school record held since 2013. Paula Gibson, Lauren Engar, Brittney Willson and Lonnie Meineche previously held the record from the 2013 season.
Shannon Baker again impressed the crowd in the girls’ 100 backstroke, swimming a 1:13.62 to take second place. Layton swam a 1:30.49, earning seventh place.
Nicole Swasey and Sofia Crompton were well off in the girls’ 100 breaststroke, Swasey taking first place with a time of 1:22.35 and Crompton swimming a 1:24.46 for second.
Carbon senior Tyson Swasey was stellar in the boys’ 100 breastroke, breaking another school record for the Dinos. Swasey broke the record with a time of 1:08.56, breaking the record previously held by Todd Klarich in 1995. The 1:08.56 swim also earned Swasey a second place finish.
The hype in the crowd was upheld through the girls’ and boys’ 400 freestyle relay. Emily Jespersen, Shannon Baker, Kacee Barrett and Megan Swasey swam a final time to receive a first place win for the Lady Dinos, receiving a 4:16.43. Carbon’s boys came through in fourth place in the event with Matthew Torres, Gavin Black, Jerron Stead and Dallen Tweddell teaming up to swim a 4:29.06.
Head coach Kamra Davis was pleased about the team’s performance at region.
“I am so proud of the team. We had countless best times and the atmosphere was so intense and fun,” she said. ” I love the swimming world where everyone cheers and supports each other, even if they are not teammates.” Davis is also looking forward to seeing how the team performs at the state competition on February 8th in Heber. “It’s definitely going to be a tough, yet fun, competition, but there are a lot of good swimmers.”
