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Inaugural Swim Team Ranked First in District
The inaugural swim team for Wood River High School ranked first in the district and placed in the top 4th and 6th teams for boys and girls in 4A schools, respectively. Coach Ben Parker wrote about the state swim meet, “This was a meet unlike any other. The best teams from around the State were present to compete, and Wood River certainly earned their place among the rest. Our boys were even able to pull off a team podium standings, bringing home the trophy for 4th place team of division 4A! Our girls also had a fantastic performance, and were able to score 6th place overall with the 4A standings!”
Highlights
The full Wood River roster qualified for state, whether in individual or relay events.
5 girls competed in individual events
2 boys competed in individual events
2 girls moved on to finals
2 boys moved on to finals
All but the Girls 200 Free Relay competed in finals
Boys 200 Free Relay made podium with 3rd place in 4A
Girls 400 Free Relay made podium with 3rd place in 4A
Zach Deal had a dual podium in his individual events with the 200 IM (3rd) and 100 Breast (1st), both breaking his previous school records, and only 1.63 seconds off the state record in his 100 Breast.
Other finalist were Kew Clayton (200 IM and 100 Fly), Maggie Deal (500 Free), and Owen Ruggeri (500 Free)
The boys team made podium and brought home the 4th place team trophy for 4A.
2 incredible time drops, Owen Ruggeri took over 13 seconds off his 500 free time and the girls 400 Free Relay took over 8 seconds off their best time.
Coach Parker went on to write, “This year has been one of the most exciting rides for swimmers, parents, spectators, and coaches. Being the first sanctioned year for the sport, we saw some amazing enthusiasm from all. Our Wolverines have showed their strength all year, and continued to do so during the final meet of the year. As expected, facing off against the larger opponents brought quite a few challenges, but it also helped take our swimmers to that next level and really show their competitive spirit. Many parents made the trip to Boise to show their support, and we all came together to put on the best performance possible.
Looking to next year, we are hoping that our team size will double, and that will put us in an outstanding position to not only claim a district title, but claim the state title as well!
This was a very young team this year with the majority being underclassmen. We have a lot of time to develop and will only continue to get stronger every year moving forward. I am also looking forward to seeing what these kids are able to accomplish outside of the high school season, as many will be competing in USA swimming with the SV5B swim team under coach Brian Gallagher.
A big thank you to everything AIHSS has done for the sport of swimming, and we are all looking forward to see where the new IHSAA program takes us!”