By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI – The race to beat the clock is ongoing as the Wildcats host Coolidge for their second meet on Thursday, Oct. 2. The Renee Stills-coached Morenci swim team has competed in two state qualifying meets recently, in Gilbert on Sept. 27 and in Tucson on Sept. 20.
To date, the Wildcats have competed in Maricopa (Sept. 4), Florence (Sept. 11), Tucson Canyon del Oro Classic (Sept. 26), Tucson Palo Verde Magnet (Sept. 18), prior to their own meet with Florence on Sept. 25, and the Gilbert Williams Field Knight’s Invitational on Sept. 27.
Morenci hosts Coolidge on Oct. 2, visits Globe on Oct. 7, Chandler on Oct. 11, and Paradise Valley Phoenix Country Day School on Oct. 14 to complete its regular season. The Southern Arizona final state qualifying meet will be held at the Oro Valley Aquatic Center on Oct. 25. The Division III state meet is at Phoenix Country Day School on Nov. 7-8.
Knights Invitational, Sept. 27
The Morenci girls totaled 134 points to finish eighth of 15 teams competing in the Knights Invitational on Sept. 27. The top three teams were American Leadership – Gilbert North with 313 points, Sandra Day O’Connor second (286), and host Gilbert Williams Field third (275).
Morenci individual times posted were 50 freestyle: senior Emily Lewis with 29.33 for 11th of 47, sophomore Jolie Anderson with a season best 36:22 for 36th, and senior Alana Suarez with 44.84 for 41st; 100 Free: Lewis with 1:07.62 for 14th of 43, junior Avery Wiltbank with 1:08.69 for 16th, and junior Genesis Nevarez with a season best 1:25.36 for 36th; 100 Butterfly: senior Isabelle Leyba with 1:07.96 for fifth of 20;
100 Backstroke: senior Nevaeh Estrada with 1:40.77 for 28th of 30 and sophomore Kamille Bernal with 1:54.60 for 29th; 100 Breaststroke: Leyba with 1:17. 19 for fifth of 30, Wiltbank with 1:34.43 for 20th, and senior Cynthia Martinez with a season best 1:43.19 for 27th; 200 Free: freshman Genesis Nevarez with 3:07.85 for 24th of 28 and Martinez with 3:43.07 for 28th; and 200 Individual Medley: junior Giselle Nevarez with 2:47.14 for eighth of 11;
In relays, Morenci turned in a season best 2:26.67 for eighth of nine in the 200 Freestyle Relay of Martinez, Anderson, Genisis Nevarez, and Estrada; a season best 2:14.89 for seventh of 12 in the 200 Medley Relay of Wiltbank, Leyba, Giselle Nevarez, and Lewis; and 4:29.35 for fifth of 10 in the 400 Freestyle Relay of Giselle Nevarez, Lewis, Wiltbank, and Leyba.
Season best times from 2024 were surpassed by Wiltbank in the 50 free (32.64), by Leyba in the 200 Individual Medley (2:27.98) and 500 free (6:19.19), and by Martinez in the 500 free (9:06.70).
Other teams scoring were Glendale Mountain Ridge (264), Queen Creek Benjamin Franklin (207), Chandler Heights Casteel (144), Gilbert Higley (144), Morenci (134), Tempe McClintock (114), Gilbert Mesquite (81), Florence (76), Queen Creek Crismon (37), Avondale West Point (32), Avondale Agua Fria (28), and Payson (9).
Individual event winners were O’Connor senior Kaylee Woodruff with 23.84 (50 Free), Woodruff with 53.18 (100 Free), Williams Field sophomore Caroline Zifcak with 55.27 (100 Fly), ALA – Gilbert North freshman Joelle Wandenbark with 58.02 (100 Back), Mountain Ridge freshman Alyssa Kuper with 1:04.99 (100 Breast), ALA – Gilbert North junior Cecilia Quihuiz with 1:51.39 (200 Free), Quihuiz with 2:07.45 (200 IM), and Higley sophomore Hailey Schwendinger with 5:01.19 (500 Free).
In the relays, the Williams Field quartet of junior Zoe Fischbeck, senior Mallie McCullen, freshman KayeLee Fry, and Zifcak clocked in with 1:37.76 (200 Free Relay); and both ALA – Gilbert North quartets, the 200 Medley Relay of Vanderbark (Back), senior Chloe Quihuiz (Breast), Cecilia Quihuiz (Fly), and senior Jill Jensen (Free) with 1:49.54; and the 400 Free Relay of Cecilia Quihuiz, Chloe Quihuiz, Vanderbark, and Jensen with 3:39.06.
Canyon del Oro Classic, Sept. 20
The Morenci girls totaled 51 points to finish 14th of 22 teams competing in the Canyon Del Oro Classic on Sept. 20. The top three teams were Phoenix Desert Vista with 431 points, Tucson Salpointe Catholic second (328), and host CDO third (190).
Individual times were 50 Free: Lewis with 29.32 for 25th of 72, Wiltbank with 30:35 for 32nd, Anderson with 36:69 for 61st, and Genesis Nevarez with 37.95 for 64th; 100 Free: Genesis Nevarez with 1:27.97 for 53rd of 62 and Estrada with 1:36.63 for 59th; 100 Fly: Giselle Nevarez with 1:13.12 for 23rd of 27 and Anderson with 1:50.72 for 27th; 100 Back: Wiltbank with 1:22.12 for 29th of 52, Lewis with 1:22.64 for 30th, and Bernal with 1:53.46 for 53rd; 100 Breast: Martinez with 1:43.99 for 40th of 53; 200 IM: Leyba with 2:26.79 for sixth of 28; and 500 Free: Leyba with 6:01.15 for seventh of 26 and Martinez with 8:14.87 for 24th.
In relays, Morenci turned in 2:28.74 for 20th of 24 (200 FR); 2:15.33 for 15th of 19 (200 MR); 4:28.57 for 10th of 21 (400 FR).
Season best times from 2024 were surpassed by Wiltbank in the 50 free (32.64), by Leyba in the 200 Individual Medley (2:27.98) and 500 free (6:19.19), and by Martinez in the 500 free (9:06.70).
Other teams scoring were Tucson Rincon/University (177), Yuma Catholic (163), Tucson Sabino (109), Oro Valley Ironwood Ridge (98), Tanque Verde (98), Tucson Magnet (90), Tucson Pusch Ridge Christian (79), Tucson Mica Mountain (76), Sahuarita Walden Grove (67), Marana (53), Morenci (51), Tucson Desert Christian (47), Tucson’s The Gregory School (40), Vail Ceniega (25), Sierra Vista Buena (21), Douglas (20), and San Tan Valley Poston Butte (6). Fountain Hills and Tucson Palo Verde Magnet did not score.
Individual event winners were Desert Vista senior Holland Stocker with 23.84 (50 Free), Stockler 53.18 (100 Free), Desert Vista freshman Marley Spray 55.27 (100 Fly), CDO freshman Naomi Weibel 58.02 (100 Back), Pusch Ridge junior Reagan Edquid 1:04.99 (100 Breast), Spray 1:51.39 (200 Free), Edquid 2:07.45 (200 IM), and Weibel 5:01.19 (500 Free),
Desert Vista swept all three relays. The quartet of sophomore Alexa Largent, freshman Delaney Holm, sophomore Katarina Plank, and senior Myra Streit in the 200 Free Relay (1:37.76); the quartet of Spray (Back), Plank (Breast), Largent (Fly),and Stocker (Free) in the 200 Medley Relay (1:49.54); and the quartet of Largent, Holm, Plank, and Streit in the 400 Free Relay (3:39.06).
