Laramie, Green River expect to battle for 4A girls swimming state title
There will likely be a new Class 4A team champion at this weekend's Wyoming State High School Girls Swimming & Diving Championships in Cheyenne. And there will definitely be a new 3A champ.
Competition gets started Thursday at the Cheyenne East Aquatics Facility with the 3A preliminaries. With defending champ Green River now competing in 4A, Lander appears to be the team to beat.
The Tigers dominated the South Regional two weeks ago, winning all three relays and seven of nine individual events on their way to 492 points. Kemmerer was second with 198 points.
Lander senior Lara Robertson, the defending state champ in both the 200 free and 500 free, won the 200 free at the regional meet; and junior Katy Anderson, the defending state champ in the 100 back, won that event as well as the 100 fly.
Also winning regional titles for the Tigers were freshman Vayda Havens (50 free, 500 free), freshman Sara Kearns (100 free) and sophomore Cira Hampton (200 IM).
Cody won the Absaraka Conference meet as the Fillies finished first in all three relays and got individual titles from juniors Louella Cornell (100 fly) and Summer LaVigne (100 free).
Cody finished first with 330 points, with Buffalo and Douglas tying for second with 219 points.
Powell juniors Patricia Christensen (200 free, 100 back) and Kaitlin Diver (200 IM, 500 free) were the only two-event winners.
Class 3A finals are scheduled for Friday at 10 a.m.
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The 4A race features six athletes who won state titles last year.
Jackson juniors Maren Tattersall (200 free) and Amaya Olivieri (100 fly, 100 back) and Laramie senior Maggie Turpin (diving) all won 4A gold in 2023. Green River senior Tanith Smith (50 free, 100 free) and junior Tavia Arnell (200 IM, 100 fly) and Evanston junior Rachel Johnson (diving) were 3A state champs.
Kelly Walsh won the program's first state title last year, but the Trojans finished third at the West Regional two weeks ago.
That leaves the door open for West Regional champ Green River and East Regional winner Laramie, with Jackson and Cheyenne Central also expected to contend.
The Wolves got regional victories from Arnell (200 IM, 100 fly), Smith (50 free), senior Haley Clevenger (500 free) and sophomore Kaylin Uhrig (100 breast) as well as winning two of three relays.
Jackson's Olivieri (100 free, 100 back) was a two-event winner for the runner-up Broncs.
At the East Regional, Laramie won the 400 free relay and got individual victories from Turpin (diving), junior Libbie Roesler (100 free) and sophomore Addi Graves (200 free) in finishing with 277 points. Cheyenne Central was second with 260.5 points.
The Indians had one individual winner in junior Kayleigh Hood (100 back).
The 4A prelims are Friday evening, with the finals slated to begin at 10 a.m. Saturday.
PHOTOS: Casper Invite swim meet at KWSwim teams from around the state took to the pool at Kelly Walsh High School for the Casper Invite on Saturday, Oct. 5.
