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Evan Apuron wins the 100 Breast with a cast and as a freshman. Photo courtesy Apuron Photography
On Saturday, Sept. 23, Miner swimmers competed in the Hawks Invitational Swim Meet. The meet was designated as a qualifying meet, which was the first opportunity that Miner Swimmers could achieve qualifying times for the Division III State Championship Meet to be held in November. Sixteen teams participated at the meet. Miner Girls finished 5th in the team standings with 186.5 points while the Miner Boys finished in 9th place with 100 points.
While the Miners showed they could compete with schools of all sizes, the real prize was the potential qualifying times they came home with. The fastest 24 swimmers in each individual event are eligible to compete at Division III State and the Miners swam several times that are likely to make the cut.
Raya Woods (Senior) finishes fourth in the 200 free. Photo courtesy Apuron Photography
Senior Raya Woods started things off with a great 200 Freestyle finishing in 4th place with a time of 2:23.59. Raya also finished in 5th in the 500 Freestyle in a time of 6:24.8. Both times will likely be among the top 24 Division III times at this point in the season.
Darien Apuron breaks the school record in 100 fly, 1:03.16. Photo courtesy Apuron Photography
Junior Darien Apuron came in 3rd in the 200 IM in a time of 2:27.93 and 2nd in the 100 Fly with a School Record time of 1:03.16. Both times are good enough to qualify Darien for the Championship Meet in November.
Junior Gianna Sweeney finished the 50 Freestyle in a time of 26.67 in a tie for 3rd place. Gianna swam a quick 100 Breaststroke to finish 2nd with a time of 1:14.66. Both times are good enough to expect that Gianna will be competing at the State Championship.
Michael Primero-Predgo finishes second in the 100 free. Photo courtesy Apuron Photography
Junior Michael Primero-Predgo had the meet of his life. He finished 2nd in the 100 Freestyle with a sizzling time of 55.15 and swam 1:09.4 in the 100 Backstroke. If swimmers’ times this year are similar to last year’s results, Michael can also make plans to compete at the State Championship Meet.
It was Freshman Evan Apuron that had the most memorable swims at the meet. Evan was still wearing a cast on broken left arm and was able to swim a time of 58.42 in the 100 Butterfly to finish 5th. In the final individual event of the meet, Evan won the 100 Breaststroke with remarkable time of 1:07.51 against a good field of mostly upperclassmen. Both times are good enough to qualify for the State Championship and by then he hopes to have his cast off. For his outstanding swims, Evan was named Dynamite Swimmer of the Meet.
The Girls Relay Team of Star Chavez, Gianna Sweeney, Darien Apuron, and Raya Woods looked very sharp. They finished 3rd in the 200 Freestyle Relay (1:56.79) and 2nd in the 400 Free Relay(4:20.59). Both times have a chance of being ranked in the top 16, a requirement for relays to qualify for the State Championship Meet.
“It is a big accomplishment to get great swims at a qualifying meet this early in the season, and we look forward to seeing how Miner Swimmers are ranked in Division III Standings,” said Coach Alex Gort.
Miner Swimmers will host a triangle meet on Thursday against Amphitheater High School and Pusch Ridge Christian Academy on Thursday at the San Manuel Pool. The meet begins at 4 p.m.
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