Heatwave swimmers place in top 10 at junior Olympics

Members of the Boulder City-Henderson Heatwave swim team returned home with several top 10 finishes after competing July 26-29 in the Southern California Swimming Summer Junior Olympics in Riverside, California, at the Riverside Aquatic Complex.

Competing at the event for the Heatwave were Annika, Rayna and Vincent Freiburger; Tana, Tara and Troy Higley; Josie, Phoebe and Duncan McClaren; Lauren Olson, Joey Purdy, Mason Romantic, Sweden Smith and Daphne Thompson.

Sweden Smith won her 5-10 division 50-meter breaststroke swim-off with a time of 50.94, while Phoebe McClaren rounded out her swims with a 12th-place finish in her 5-10 division 50-meter breaststroke. Both girls were first-time competitors at a junior Olympics level meet.

In the 11-12 girls division, Tara Higley had two sixth-place finishes: the 50-meter backstroke (34.56) and the 100-meter backstroke (1:13.49). Rayna Freiburger with a 27th-place finish in the 50-meter butterfly (33.78).

In the 13-14 girls division, Tana Higley finishing sixth in the 100-meter backstroke (1:12.24) and Daphne Thompson finishing 14th in the 200-meter butterfly (2:39.33).

Lauren Olson had a lifetime best Swim-off win in the senior 15 and older 200-meter freestyle (2:14.69) against fellow teammate Alexie Johnston of Henderson. Olson also placed 14th in the 400-meter freestyle (4:46.94), with Annika Freiburger not too far behind in 23rd place (4:52.46). Annika Freiburger also placed 11th in the 800-meter freestyle (10:03.07), with Olson finishing in 13th (10:11.54). They finished ninth and 10th, respectively, in the 1500-meter freestyle.

Annika Freiburger also placed 11th in the 200-meter breaststroke and 400-meter individual medley.

With a time of 17:35.09 Joey Purdy placed first in the 1500-meter freestyle in the 13-14 senior division. He also won third in the 800-meter freestyle (9:18.91), fourth in the 200-meter individual medley (5:00.33), fifth in the 200-meter breaststroke (2:40.71) and fifth in the 400-meter freestyle (4:31.77).

Mason Romantic, swimming in the 15 and older division, placed third in both the 400-meter individual medley and 1500-meter freestyle with times of 4:49.37 and 16:58.49, respectively. He placed fourth in the 400 free with a time of 4:17.80 and fourth in the 800 free (8:51.99). He also swam the 100-meter breaststroke, coming in 13th with a time of 1:11.91.

Troy Higley place second in the 100-meter backstroke (1:18.00), third in the 50-meter backstroke (36.10), and ninth in the 50-meter freestyle (32.66) and 50-meter butterfly (35.32).

Vincent Freiburger went a 1:41.46 in his 100-meter breaststroke and earned a BCH finalist cap in his 50-meter breaststroke for a finish of 45.63.

Duncan McClaren competed for the first time and his best swim was the 200-meter freestyle (2:50.36).

Coach Sarah Fecteau said it was a highly competitive meet, with preliminaries and finals.

In addition to Fecteau, coach Mike Polk accompanied the swimmers.