Colony boys 2nd, girls 3rd at Region III swim championships

SOLDOTNA —The Colony boys and girls swimming and diving squads each landed in the top 3 of the team standings at the Region III Championships Saturday in Soldotna.

Senior Zach Bloom won a pair of events to lead Colony to a runner-up finish in the boys’ standings. Bloom placed first in both the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle events to help the Knight finish with 68 points in the team standings. Bloom, who entered the finals as the defending region champion in both events, was dominant, particularly in the 500. Bloom finished with a time of 4 minutes, 58.66 seconds. The senior beat runner-up Jacob Hall of Soldotna by nearly 10 seconds. Bloom used a time of 1:47.27 to win the 200.

Bloom was one of three members of the Colony boys squad to capture first-place finishes. Junior Joseph Anderson was first in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:01.44. Freshman Jake Simmons with first in the 100 butterfly with a mark of 54.34. Both swimmers also scored top-3 finishes in the 200 individual medley. Simmons was second and Anderson finished third.

The Colony boys were also second in the 200 medley relay and third in the 400 freestyle relay.

Kodiak won the boys team title with 131 points.. Soldotna was third with 65 points.

Colony finished with 68 points to finish third in the girls’ team standings.

Senior Sierra Kinworthy posted a pair of runner-up finishes to lead the Knights. She was second in both the 200 and 500 freestyle races.

“I have also tapered Sierra and Zach for state,” Colony head coach Wil Fernandez said in a text to the Frontiersman following the meet in regard to the performance of Kinworthy and Bloom in the 500 freestyle events. “So the excitement has only begun for those two.”

Rachel Crosley finished fourth in both the 50 freestyle and 100 freestyle for the Knights.

Palmer’s Millie Snelders led the Moose girls to a second-place finish in the 100 breaststroke. She was also third in the 50 freestyle. Sarah Hanson finished third in the 200 freestyle for the Palmer girls.

Samantha Belliston led the Wasilla girls with a third-place finish in the 200 individual medley.

Max Snelders was fourth for the Palmer boys in the 100 backstroke.

Valley divers enjoyed a solid weekend at the championships. A combined seven Valley divers scored team points in the finals.

Wasilla’ Braydon Schachle won the boys 1 meter dive, with 407.85 points. He was one of four Valley boys to finish in the top 6. Colony’s Colby Lord was second with 372.35, while Palmer’s Gabe Waldhaus was fourth with 355.65. Colony’s Tanner Belliston was sixth with 330.80 points.

Colony’s Katelyn Foster finished as the runner-up in the girls dive event, with 300.90 points. Palmer’s Samantha Laselle (266.05) and Colony’s Eileen Cyr (256.20) finished fourth and fifth respectively.

Winners of each event at the Region III Championships earn an automatic bid to the state championships, which start Friday at the Bartlett Pool in Anchorage.

Following the meet, Fernandez, Colony’s first-year head coach, was named the Region III Coach of the Year.

Region III Championships

Friday-Saturday, Soldotna

Boys team results:

1. Kodiak 131; 2. Colony 68; 3. Soldonta 65; 4. Wasilla 15; 4. (tie) Valdez 15; 4. (tie) Homer 15; 7. Palmer 13; 8. Kenai 3; 9. Unalaska 1.

Girls team results:

1. Kodiak 107; 2. Soldonta 68; 3. Colony 50; 4. Valdez 28; 5. Kenai 25; 6. Palmer 22; 7. Homer 13; 8. Wasilla 12; 9. Seward 2.

Girls individual results:

200 medley relay — 1. Kodiak 1:52.66; 2. Soldonta 1:55.07; 3. Colony 1:59.15; 4. Valdez 1:59.95; 5. Palmer 2:00.27; 6. Homer 2:05.21.

200 freestyle — 1. M. Cummiskey, Kod 1:59.71; 2. B. Horne, Kod 2:06.85; 3. S. Hanson, Pal 2:07.19; 4. L. Kuhns, Hom 2:07.80; 5. C. Castro, Ken 2:08.68; 6. C. Dayton, Col 2:08.92.

200 IM — 1. T. Lindquist, Kod 2:04.61; 2. R. Kreigh, Kod 2:26.17; 3. S. Belliston, Was 2:30.62; 4. P. Padilla, Sol 2:32.32; 5. A. Phillips, Was 2:38.86; 6. E. Venema, Pal 2:40.83.

50 freestyle — 1. I. Hughes, Kod 23.58; 2. A. Weeks, Sol 24.03; 3. M. Snelders, Pal 25.77; 4. R. Crosley, Col 26.16; 5. H. Glover, Kod 26.88; 6. C. Smith, Hom 27.00; 6. (tie) A. Shadle, Hom 27.00.

1 meter dive — 1. T. Heiberg, Kod 358.00; 2. K. Foster, Col 300.90; 3. M. Pitsch, Ken 280.50; 4. S. Laselle, Pal 266.50; 5. E. Cyr, Col 256.20; 6. Z. Metz, Hom 233.65.

100 butterfly — 1. M. English, Sol 1:01.89; 2. R. McNelly, Val 1:02.48; 3. R. Kreigh, Kod 1:03.65; 4. C. Castro, Ken 1:05.48; 5. E. Doyel, Val 1:07.73.

100 freestyle — 1 I. Hughes, Kod 51.51; 2. A. Weeks, Sol 52.71; 3. M. Cumminsky, Kod 56.00; 4. R. Crosley, Col 57.01; 5. S. Hamner, Sew 58.36; 6. R. Davidson, Sol 59.04.

500 freestyle — 1. T. Lindquist, Kod 4:56.56; 2. S. Kinworthy, Col 5:13.28; 3. R. Henry, Sol 5:26.24; 4. B. Horne, Kod 5:40.44; 5. L. Kuhns, Hom 5:49.05; 6. S. Hanson, Pal 5:58.40.

200 freestyle relay — 1. Kodiak 1:44.82; 2. Colony 1:46.74; 3. Valdez 1:48.49; 4. Kenai 1:49.13; 5. Homer 1:49.28; 6. Soldonta 1:49.73.

100 backstroke — 1. M. English, Sol 1:01.01; 2. S. Kinworthy, Col 1:01.51; 3. P. Padilla, Sol 1:05.80; 4. R. Davidson, Sol 1:06.40; 5. C. Dayton, Col 1:08.66; 6. M. Maffe, Col 1:09.06.

100 breaststroke — 1. R. McNelly, Val 1:11.01; 2. M. Snelders, Pal 1:12.00; 3. R. Henry, Sol 1:12.22; 4. C. McElroy, Sol 1:14.55; 5. K. Nyquist, Ken 1:15.83; 6. A. Sullivan, Col 1:16.01.

400 freestyle relay — 1. Kodiak 3:44.02; 2. Soldotna 3:44.69; 3. Kenai 4:09.10; 4. Wasilla 4:09.88; 5. Colony 4:12.36.

Boys individual results:

200 medley relay — 1. Kodiak 1:37.68; 2. Colony 1:41.19; 3. Valdez 1:54.44; 4. Soldotna 1:56.27; 5. Wasilla 1:57.23; 6. Palmer 1:57.73.

200 freestyle — 1. Z. Bloom, Col 1:47.27; 2. B. James, Kod 1:49.57; 3. J. Hall, Sol 1:51.25; 4. D. Lambert, Kod 1:55.40; 5. J. Dye, Ken 1:58.78; 6. D. Smith, Kod 1:59.70.

200 IM — 1. T. Lindquist, Kod 1:54.46; 2. J. Simmons, Col 2:02.03; 3. J. Anderson, Col 2:03.16; 4. J. Creglow, Sol 2:05.66; 5. B. Anderson, Kod 2:09.65; 6. M. Linscheid, Kod 2:15.97.

50 freestyle — 1. D. Hall, Sol 22.23; 2. C. Watkins, Sol 22.33; 3. N. Schauff, Kod 22.95; 4. J. Anderson, Kod 22.96; 5. R. Nagle, Hom 23.50; 6. M. Mutch, Kod 23.72.

1 meter dive — 1. B. Schachle, Was 407.85; 2. C. Lord, Col 372.35; 3. R. Ulatan, Kod 361.85; 4. G. Waldhaus, Pal 355.65; 5. I. Hall, Hom 341.10; 6. T. Belliston, Col 330.80.

100 butterfly — 1. J. Simmons, Col 54.34; 2. C. Watkins, Sol 54.64; 3. J. Anderson, Kod 55.23; 4. R. Nagle, Hom 56.22; 5. B. Anderson, Kod 59.80; 6. C. Gossett, Col 1:03.20.

100 freestyle — 1. D. Schauff, Kod 48.13; 2. D. Hall, Sol 49.09; 3. N. Lincoln, Kod 49.32; 4. N. Schauff, Kod 50.29; 5. L. James, Kod 51.59; 6. J. Dye, Ken 51.71.

500 freestyle — 1. Z. Bloom, Col 4:58.66; 2. J. Hall, Sol 5:09.60; 3. D. Lambert, Kod 5:10.11; 4. D. Smith, Kod 5:14.99; 5. M. Linscheid, Kod 5:26.46; 6. C. Jim, Pal 5:37.17.

200 freestyle relay — 1. Kodiak 1:29.97; 2. Soldonta 1:31.13; 3. Homer 1:38.10; 4. Colony 1:41.20; 5. Palmer 1:41.88.

100 backstroke — 1. T. Lindquist, Kod 52.52; 2. N. Lincoln, Kod 53.52; 3. D. Schauff, Kod 54.21; 4. M. Snelders, Pal 1:00.28; 5. Z. Leithead, Kod 1:00.50; 6. C. Cummins, Val 1:01.62.

100 breaststoke — 1. J. Anderson, Col 1:01.44; 2. J. Creglow, Sol 1:01.55; 3. B. James, Kod 1:01.96; 4. L. James, Kod 1:04.86; 5. M. Mutch, Kod 1:07.67; 6. L. Howard, Una 1:09.28.

400 freestyle relay — 1. Kodiak 3:18.52; 2. Soldotna 3:19.78; 3. Colony 3:23.42; 4. Valdez 3:50.71; 5. Wasilla 4:00.03.