Colony girls win region swimming and diving team title

A pair of Colony swimmers enjoyed a perfect day in the water and helped the Knights earn a team title during the Region III Championships swimming and diving meet Saturday at the Palmer Pool.

Junior Jasmine Anderson and sophomore Merica Miller accounted for four wins each during the finals and helped the Knights win the girls team title with 106 total points.

Miller, Anderson, Lori Houghton and Kylie Benner combined for a first-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Miller, Anderson, Benner and Hannah Cooper won the 200-yard freestyle for the Knights.

Anderson and Miller also won a pair of individual events each. Anderson was first in the 100 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke. Miller was first in the 100 and 200 freestyle races.

Anderson and Homer’s Carley Nelson were named co-athletes of the year in the girls class.

Anderson and Miller are among five Valley swimmers to win a region title Saturday. Colony’s Kristofer Vangorder struck gold twice, winning both the 50 and 100 boys freestyle races. Wasilla swept the diving events with Audrey Dietz and Deshawn Campbell winning the girls and boys titles.

The Colony girls had 10 different swimmers place in at least one individual event. Houghton was the runner-up in the 200 individual medley and 200 breaststroke. Benner was second in the 200 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Cooper also finished second in the 500 freestyle. Cooper (200 freestyle) and Asha Gerteisen (diving) were third, Amaretto Settle (100 backstroke) placed fourth, Charlize McManus (diving) was fifth, and Kendyle Ligman (100 freestyle) and Makenzie Edgar (100 backstroke) placed sixth.

Seward edged Colony by only two points in the boys team standings. The Seahawks finished with 66 points and Colony was the runner-up with 64.

Vangorder, with his two wins, was one of seven Knights to place in the finals. Isaiah Hulien was second in the 500 freestyle and third in the 100 butterfly. Thomas Smith was third in the 100 backstroke and sixth in the 200 individual medley. Kellan DenBleyker was fourth in the 200 and 500 freestyle races. Reven Settle placed fourth in the 100 backstroke, and Landeyn Halstead (200 IM) and Grady Dhondt (50 freestyle) were both fifth for the Knights.

Palmer finished fourth in both the girls and boys team standings.

Ally Hrncir led the Palmer girls with a runner-up in the diving event. Addie Charton was fourth in the 100 freestyle and sixth in the 50 freestyle. Nina Adams placed fourth in the 100 breaststroke and fifth in the 50 freestyle. Emily Stocker placed fifth in the 50 freestyle and sixth in the 200 IM.

Jackson Charton led the Palmer boys with a third-place finish in the 50 freestyle, and was also fifth in the 100 butterfly. Aidan Houser was fifth in both the 100 and 200 freestyle races. London Lee finished fifth in the 500 freestyle and sixth in the 200 freestyle. Benjamin Doland (50 freestyle) and Craig Elledge (diving) both finished fifth for the Moose.

Kaylin Klotunowitch enjoyed a record-breaking afternoon for the Wasilla girls. Klotunowitch finished third in the 100 backstroke, and broke a 17-year-old school record set by Melissa Windell in 2005. Emily Bowman also finished fifth for the Warriors in that event.

The Wasilla boys swept the top three spots in the diving event. Campbell was first, and Travis Thorton and Calvin Musgrave followed in second and third.