Swimmers seek repeat state titles

The Boulder City girls swim team became the 2015 Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Southern Regional Champions after beating 15 schools at the Swimming and Diving Regional Championship meet Friday night at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

The Lady Eagles had 479.50 points. Sierra Vista High School placed second with 336 points.

The boys team was runner-up with 329 points, just behind Faith Lutheran High School with 366.

According to head coach Sara Carroll, many swimmers beat I-A regional records and BCHS has almost all division records.

Next up are Saturday’s state championships. The Eagles are sending seven girls and seven boys to the competition in Carson City. The boys are looking for their fifth state title in a row, while the girls are looking for their third.

“All the kids swam really well at regionals, but especially the boys have to do that again at state,” Carroll said. “Boys have a chance to win state but they need to be tough and focused and the stars have to align perfectly!”

Sarah Estes, Mandy Gebhart, Alex Hubel, Aubrey Klouse, Montana Lloyd, Jessica Purdy and Abby Sauerbrei will represent the Boulder City girls swim team at state.

“Girls should dominate at state, even though we only have seven, though they are in a lot of events and are in relays seeded first,” Carroll said. “Every girl made two individual swims.”

Cade Braden, Braden Klouse, Nick Lara, Jason Lyon, Lars Palmer, Clayton Pendleton and Sam Sauerbrei will represent the boys.

“State is the most exciting meet of the season. We’re all antsy to head up north,” said Hubel, a senior. “In the past, our team has rocked it up there. It’s the perfect pool to finish up my high school swimming career at.”

Purdy will swim in four events at state. Her individual events are the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly after placing first in the 50-yard freestyle, swimming 25.79, and second in the 100-yard butterfly, with a time of 1:00.61 at regionals. Purdy also will swim in the 200-yard medley relay, and the 200-yard freestyle relay. Both of those teams placed first at regionals, with times of 1:52.54 and 1:43.76, respectively.

Hubel also will swim in four events: the 200-yard freestyle relay, the 400-yard freestyle relay, the 100-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle. At the regionals, both relay teams placed first, swimming 1:43.76 and 3:37.06, respectively. In individual events, Hubel placed first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle with times of 50.66 for the 100 and 1:49.92 in the 200.

Hubel also was announced as the 2015 Girls Swimmer of the Year. She has won that honor all four years she has swam on Boulder City High School’s swim team.

“Preparing for these high-level meets takes the ability to stay calm,” Hubel said. “Knowing that I’ve worked up to this meet all season gives me peace of mind. I try to be confident in all the preparation that I’ve done in the pool and all that the coaches have invested in me throughout the season. When I step up on the blocks at state, I’ll be ready.”

Estes will attend state after swimming 2:24.12 in the 200-yard individual medley, where she placed fourth. She also will swim in the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Lloyd will swim in the 200-yard medley relay, as well as the 400-yard freestyle relay. Lloyd placed second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:06.77, and second in the 100-yard backstroke, swimming 57.52.

Abby Sauerbrei will join the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay teams. Individually, she placed third in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:13.30, and placed first in the 100-yard butterfly, swimming 1:00.01. She will participate in four events at state.

Gebhart finishes off the 200-yard medley and 400-freestyle relay teams. She also will swim in the 500-yard freestyle after finishing first at regionals with a time of 5:04.41, and the 100-yard breaststroke, swimming 1:11.94 to also claim first place.

Aubrey Klouse will join her teammates in the 200-yard freestyle relay. She will swim the 50- and 100-yard freestyle races, after placing third at regionals with times of 26.73 and 58.72, respectively.

“Big goals have been set for the girls this year,” Hubel said. “It’s no guarantee for any of us that it’ll be a perfect meet, but we’re all going to be suited up and shaved down, ready to leave everything we’ve got in the pool. I can’t wait for the best times and new records that we’re hoping to see.”

“It’s going to be a challenge for (the boys),” she said. “It’s the first year in a long while that the boys are expected to struggle for the state title. Last year, we lost a dense group of seniors. They are up against some schools in our division that might just have enough boys competing at state to have what it takes to beat them.”

Lara will swim in the 100-yard butterfly and backstroke, after placing second in both events at regionals. He swam 52.72 in the 100-yard butterfly and 54.56 in the 100-yard backstroke. Lara also will swim in the 200-yard medley relay after the team placed first with a time of 1:42.47. He joins the 400-yard freestyle relay team, which placed first, swimming 3:25.87.

Sam Sauerbrei will join Lara in the 200-yard medley relay as well as the 400-yard freestyle relay. For individual events, he will swim in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke, after placing first with times of 1:53.60 and 58.55, respectively.

He also was announced as the 2015 Boys Swimmer of the Year.

Lyon placed first in the 200 freestyle, swimming 1:48.26 and second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.47. He joins the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relay teams. The 200-yard freestyle relay team placed third at regionals, swimming 1:37.49

Pendleton will join his teammates in the 200-yard medley and 200-yard freestyle relays.

Braden Klouse will swim in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races after placing second in the 100 with a time of 51.42, and third in the 200 with 1:52.81. He also will participate in the 400-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Palmer finishes up the 400-yard freestyle relay team.

“Fewer swimmers qualified for state than in years past, but there is a lot of talent in each of the Eagles that are going,” Hubel said. “It’s going to take a lot of focus to win another state title. We’re going to have to buckle down and get fired up as a team. We’ve already put all the hard work and preparation in during the season. Now it’s time to take the cake out of the oven and see what we’re capable of.

“We’ll have all of our teammates, that unfortunately won’t be joining us, and an entire community rooting us on. Just because we move on to state and they don’t doesn’t mean their season is over. We have so many cheerleaders!”

Contact Rochelle Richards at BCRsports@gmail.com.