There were several outstanding performances at the Wyoming High School Boys Swimming and Diving State Championships last weekend in Laramie.

A few were a little more noteworthy, as Class 4A had three swimmers win two events apiece, while 3A had a defending champ hold off a challenge to win a second consecutive title in an event.

Class 4A’s Athlete of the Meet and Athlete of the Year was Cheyenne South senior Jared Price. He helped the Bison win the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:38.38. Price followed that with a quick turnaround, as he won the next event, the first individual one, the 200 freestyle in 1:44.93. After a break, Price defended his title in the 500 freestyle and won by nearly six seconds. His time was 4:54.44. Price also helped the Bison finish in second place in the 400 free relay (3:18.74).

WyoPreps talked with Price and South head coach Jason Garman about his honors, his event wins, the fourth-place finish as a team, and as Garman revealed some challenges overcome by Price.

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Kelly Walsh senior Carter Mahoney won both sprint freestyle events at the 4A state championships. He touched the wall first in the 50 freestyle in 21.19 seconds. Mahoney captured his second title in the 100 freestyle and swam 47.63 seconds. The senior also was part of the Trojans’ victorious 200 (1:27.70) and 400 (3:17.07) freestyle relays. He swam the lead-off leg on both relays. Mahoney visited with WyoPreps about winning the sprints, plus his keys, how past competition pushed him, and more.

The third double-event winner at the 4A boys’ state championships was Cheyenne Central sophomore Ethan Merrill. He won the 200 IM in 2:00.37 and came back later in the meet for a victory in the 100 breaststroke. Merrill was the only swimmer under a minute in that event with a winning time of 59.84 seconds. The sophomore talked with WyoPreps about his feelings on winning two events, what it takes in the IM, and his key to the win in the breaststroke race.

The final swimmer that turned in a notable performance was Powell’s Nate Johnston, who won his second straight state championship in the 3A 100 breaststroke. The junior held off Charlie Wonka of Buffalo but 0.4 seconds. Johnston’s winning time was 59.57 seconds. He also finished fifth in the 200 IM and helped the Panthers to top-five finishes in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

Laramie and Lander won the team titles at the 2021 boys’ swimming and diving state championships. How those two teams won their crowns are in separate stories.

 

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