The Evanston High School girls’ swimming and diving team hosted the Evanston Invitational last Saturday at Davis Middle School, and made the most of the opportunity, placing second as a team against some strong competition.
“It went really well – we haven’t placed second at a meet in a really long time, especially one with a large amount of teams being there,” said EHS head coach Teri Wilt. “Our girls swam well, they finished well – our divers had a bit of a rougher day, although we had one take first. But our swimmers were quick, they did really well.”
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The Evanston High School girls’ swimming and diving team hosted the Evanston Invitational last Saturday at Davis Middle School, and made the most of the opportunity, placing second as a team against some strong competition.
“It went really well – we haven’t placed second at a meet in a really long time, especially one with a large amount of teams being there,” said EHS head coach Teri Wilt. “Our girls swam well, they finished well – our divers had a bit of a rougher day, although we had one take first. But our swimmers were quick, they did really well.”
Tayler Davis was the Lady Devils’ lone individual winner, taking the top spot in diving, with a score 187.82; she also placed fifth in the 50 freestyle (27.69), and swam legs in both the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay, placing third and fourth, respectively.
“Tayler is doing very well – it looks like she’s going to sign to compete for Colorado Mesa University, she’s been going on recruiting trips,” Wilt said of her talented senior. “She is throwing a whole new list of dives that she didn’t have last year, so she has a full, new lineup. She’s been very consistent, and is just doing very well.”
Other notable performances at the Evanston Invite included Brooklyn Larsen in the 200 freestyle, who placed second with a state-qualifying time of 2:19.98. Abbie Baker was second in the 500 freestyle (6:48.20) as was Emily Sawyer in the 100 breaststroke (1:21.58); Sawyer was also Evanston’s top finisher in the 200 individual medley, placing fourth (2:52.84).
Lyra Hutchinson in the 100 butterfly (6th, 1:28.21), Allyssa Sepos in the 100 backstroke (8th, 1:14.99) and Amber Hintz in the 100 freestyle (16th, 1:14.15) were the top Lady Devil finishers in their respective events.
The 200 medley relay team of Allyssa Sepos, Emily Sawyer, Brooklyn Larsen and Tayler Davis placed third (2:13.52), while the 200 freestyle relay team of Larsen, Sawyer, Abbie Baker and Davis finished fourth (1:59.14). The 400 freestyle relay team of Baker, Karsen Lester, Amber Hintz and Sepos also placed fourth (4:46.18).
“Brooklyn Larsen qualified in the 200 freestyle, and Allyssa Sepos recently qualified in the 100 butterfly,” Wilt said. “Our 200 free relay had their fastest time on Saturday, and our medley relay also swam well.”
With just over a month left before the 3A State Meet, Wilt said she’s pleased with the strides the team has made since the start of the season.
“I feel like we’ve made a huge jump from a couple of weeks ago – everything is starting to click with the girls,” she said. “We’re able to understand and make corrections quicker, and apply that to their swimming. The girls get excited when they win, and they get excited when they see the progress everyone is making, as well as the girls that are qualifying for state. Several of the girls are getting closer to those qualifying times, so I’m hoping this weekend and next week, we can get some of our younger swimmers qualified. But as a whole, we’re doing really well.”
Wilt attributed the team’s finish at their home invite in part to finally having a chance to compete at home in front of friends and family.
“We swam really well, and we also had our home crowd – I think that hyped the girls up a bit at the beginning,” she said. “Families were able to go that typically can’t, because everything else is a couple of hours away. I think the girls were excited to be at home, and it’s always fun to do well in front of your family, friends and fans. Having a lot of teams also made it more competitive.”
The EHS girls’ swimming and diving team is on the road at Pinedale Saturday, then will be back at Davis Middle School Tuesday, Oct. 4, for Senior Night.
“I think there will be about nine teams at the Pinedale meet, all 3A teams, so that will be a good test before conference,” Wilt said. “Next Tuesday is our Senior Night at home, and we’ll have Rock Springs and Green River here for that one.”
