Seven years ago Emery High started a swim team when the brand new Emery Aquatic Center was finished. Emery started out that first year with qualifying a couple of competitors for the 3-A state tournament and everyone was happy. And now just seven short years later Emery High returned from BYU and the Richards P.E. Building with not one but two state championships as both the Emery High girls team and the Emery High boys team was dominant on the day.
The Lady Spartans scored 268.5 points to easily outdistance runner-up Grand High with 211.5 points. In third place was North Summit, last year’s winner, with 199 points and they were followed by Rowland Hall, Summit Academy, South Summit, American Leadership Academy, Delta Intermountain Christian and Wasatch Academy.
The boys team scored 266 points to keep right up with their counterparts. North Summit was second with 241 points and Rowland Hall was third with 140.5 points. South Summit was next and they were followed by Summit Academy, Delta, Grand County, ALA, Millard and Oakley High.
Everyone thought that the girls had a legitimate shot at winning the title several weeks before the final meet was held due to a couple of things. The ladies had several dominant racers plus a whole lot of talent and depth that would assist Emery in putting points on the score board. In winning the title Emery won three individual championships and two relay races plus they had three second place finishes and a third and a whole lot more. Unfortunately for Emery, the very first race of the day, the 200-yard medley, Emery was disqualified from for a racer leaving early but this setback did not set them back for the day. Emery won the race in the water by almost a half of the pool length so leaving early was probably just nerves.
On the other hand, the boys were good but nobody knew just how good. They ended up scoring just two and half points less than the girls and they did it with winning just one race, the second event of the day which was the 200-yard medley relay. Not only did the foursome win, Devin Willson, Kelven Childs, Daryl Guymon and Nate Gilbert set a new 2-A state record in doing so. The time was 1:51.76.
The Emery girls had 15 different swimmers place while the boys had 13 different swimmers score points for the team. The ladies were led by Laryssa Guymon, Madi Allinson and Chyanne Carter, each of whom won an individual race that day plus they swam on both relay teams they placed first in the water.
The guys had two second-place finishes, seven third-place finishes and a pair of fourth place finishes that led their team in addition to the one win in the first relay. Devin Willson was second in the 200-yard IM and Nate Gilbert was second in the 50-yard freestyle.
Third place finishes were swam by Alex Stilson in the 200-yard freestyle and the 500-yard freestyle, Levi Jensen in the 200-yard IM, Kelven Childs in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard breaststroke, the 200-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Daryl Guymon, Kayden Parkins, Levi Jensen and Devin Willson, and the 400-yard freestyle relay team consisting of Jensen, Stilson, Stilson and Gilbert.
Also scoring for the guys were Garrett Stilson and Travis Fehlberg in the 200-yard free, Dakota Wright and Zac Fauver in the 200-yard IM, Tyeray Migliori in the 50-yard free, Guymon in the 100-yard butterfly, Wright, Parkins and Gilbert in the 100-yard free, G Stilson, Fehlberg and Jensen in the 500-yard free, Wilson, and Taigon Pulli in the 100-yard backstroke and Guymon in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Also swimming on that relay team that got dq’ed was Kaitlyn Sailing and swimming on the other relay team that won was Kaitlyn Carter. Second-place finishes were had by the 200-yard relay team consisting of K Carter, Vivian Koo, Laci Hulse and Paytn Jeffs along with Allinson in the 100-yard backstroke and Guymon in the 100-yard breaststroke. Others that placed were Valerie Chynoweth and Krista Wright in the 200-yard free, Hulse, Tarryn Parkins and K Sailing in the 200-yard IM, Jeffs, K Carter and Jacie Huntington in the 50-yard free, K Carter in the 100-yard butterfly, Chyanne Carter, Jeffs, Koo and Shaylynn Rowley in the 100-yard free, Wright, Chynoweth, Erin Oliverson and Kaitlyn Gilson in the 500-yard free, Hulse, Parkins and Rowley in the 100-yard backstroke and Sailing and Koo in the 100-yard breaststroke.
The following were named to the 2-A All State Academic team. For the girls Valerie Chynoweth, Kaitlyn Gilson, Laryssa Guymon and Kaitlyn Sailing were named and for the boys’ team Kelven Childs, Ethan Lemon, Tyeray Migliori, Kayden Parkins and Alex Stilson were named. This consisted of approximately half of those named.
More swimming in next week’s Emery County Progress.
Spartan swim teams first in state tourney
"The Emery swim team celebrates their state championship. They came home with a police and fire truck escort through the towns on the northern end of the county."