Davis produced three state champions at the 6A state swimming championships Feb. 19-20 at Brigham Young University while Bountiful had one title winner in the 5A ranks along with the coach of the year in their championships held at Wasatch Aquatics Center.

Davis

Junior Lauryn Hall set a new state record in the 50 freestyle, finishing in 24.88 seconds – .03 faster than her initial state record in the event in 2019 that was broken last year. 

The Darts’ boys 400 freestyle relay team of Ben Landheim, Brayden Littlefield, Winston Mi and Sam Carlson dominated their race, finishing with a school record of 3:14.68 to take first, touching the wall three seconds ahead of Pleasant Grove’s lineup. Lia Merrill was also a state champion in the 100 backstroke, breaking her own school record – with a preliminary round swim of 59.53.

“Wow, what an incredible end to a crazy season,” head coach Kit Barker said, of her boys and girls teams that both placed fifth. “The state swim meet was epic! The swimmers made quite the mark, especially on the second day. While other teams were tired, our swimmers dropped time in almost every race and showed the stamina and mental toughness of champions. We have the best of the best!”

Other top placers for the girls were Hall (third, 100 free), the 200 medley relay team of Merrill, Isabelle Karren, Hall and Ellyssa Nelson (third) – who broke their own school record –, the 400 free relay lineup of Nelson, Shallen Foote, Merrill and Hall (fourth), the 200 free relay squad of Foote, Karren, Hannah Shaw and Isabel Hammond (seventh), Merrill (eighth, 200 Individual Medley), Nelson (12th, 100 free; 15th, 50 free), Hammond (14th, 100 butterfly), Macie Cragun (15th, 100 breaststroke) and the 200 free relay team of Madelynn Fenwick, Lonie Tippetts, Drummer and Sadie Duke (15th).

Carlson’s second place finish in the 100 free – breaking the school record – and a second in the 50 free led the boys team who also placed in the 200 free relay lineup of Landheim, Stephen Simmons, Luke Deller and Carlson (fourth), Landheim (fifth, 100 free; ninth, 50 free), Brayden Littlefield (sixth, 100 free), Deller (eighth, 100 fly; 12th, 50 free) and Mi (11th, 100 fly). 

Bountiful

Senior Elliott Howe successfully defended her state title in the 100 back, finishing just .03 in front of Woods Cross’ Ally Boynton. Howe, who will swim for Kansas next year, also placed third in the 100 butterfly.

“Elliott had a really great meet considering she’s been out of the pool for a few weeks with COVID-19,” head coach Alexa Lou Olson said. “She was in a lot of pain this meet but stepped up and swam her heart out like she always does. I couldn’t be more proud of her.”

Also placing for the 12th-place girls squad was Sadie Duke who took fifth in the 100 breast with a season-best time and the 200 medley relay lineup of Howe, Duke, Loni Tippetts and Hannah Drummers who came in ninth.

Ryan Wood dropped “insane amounts of time,” according to Olson, to take fifth in the 500 free. “He had the swim of his life not once, but two days in a row, at quite the elevation for a championship meet,” Olson said. 

Other top finishes for the boys 14th-place team were Tyler Orme, who had personal best times in the 100 fly where he took ninth and the 100 breast where he also placed ninth, along with Wood (12th, 200 IM) and the 200 free relay team of Orme, Spencer Monson, Tyler Gunn and Wood (12th).

“Overall, state was a great meet and I’m very grateful we were able to have it even with a venue change that was so last minute,” Olson said. “I love seeing the kids really get after it and do their best. It was a great weekend for Bountiful High swimming.”

The 25-year-old Olson, who is in her fifth year of coaching at Bountiful, won the 5A state girls coach of the year award. “It meant a lot to be voted on by my other coaching peers,” Olson said. “It’s all thanks to the amazing kids who have come through this program and made me a better coach and a better person. I will continue to further my education for my swimmers so they’ll always have someone who is invested in their potential and well-being.”

Viewmont

Elle Decker’s fourth-place showing in the 100 breast highlighted Viewmont girls’ 14th-place finish.

Also placing for the girls were the 200 medley relay squad of Reese Allen, Decker, Gabriella Henry and Sarah Spangenberg (seventh), Spangenberg (10th, 100 back), Henry (12th, 50 free; 16th, 200 free), Decker (12th, 500 free) and the 400 free relay of Henry, Spangenberg, Allen and Decker (15th).

On the boys side, Eric Chamberlain placed 12th in the 100 fly and 13th in the 500 free while the 400 free relay of Eric Chamberlain, Zach Smith, Braeden Kunzler and Jared Chamberlain (12th) and Zach Smith (14th, 200 IM; 15th, 100 fly) also placed for the Vikings.

“The meet was tricky because it just felt so rushed,” head coach Nick Keller said. “For instance, one of our girls had two minutes between her 50 free race and the 200 free relay in the prelims and then 30 seconds between those events in the finals. We didn’t really have any standout swims, but, our kids managed to do good with what they were given.”

Woods Cross

Woods Cross’ girls finished 10th as a team behind two second-place finishes from Ally Boynton in the 50 free and the 100 back.

Other high finishes were the 200 free relay of Boynton, Rivers Ekstrom, Elle Hall and Nohea Kamauu (fifth), the 400 free relay of Boynton, Alanna Holzer, Hall and Kamauu (eighth), Kamauu (ninth, 200 IM; 10th, 100 fly) and the 200 medley relay of Hall, Kamauu, Boynton and Holzer (13th).

For the 17th-place boys team, Zach White headlined the group with swimming a leg on the sixth-place 200 free relay team – along with Abel Chomjak, Caden Neuenschwander and Reese Hunsaker – taking 10th in the 50 free, helping the 200 medley relay of Chomjak, Justin Chamberlain and Hunsaker to 15th in the event and placing 16th in the 100 fly. Reese Hunsaker also came in 13th in the 50 free for the boys squad who took 17th as a team.

Farmington

The girls 200 free relay of Bibbles Startup, Lina Dunn, Brooke Belnap and Kaitlyn Holladay took 16th to lead the girls to a 27th-place showing.

Mason Draxler’s 13th-place finish in the 100 free provided a 25th-place finish for the boys.

“We made history at the state meet,” head coach Jason Clark said. “We had our first points ever earned. These may seem like small accomplishments by many more established programs, but it’s absolutely a testament to what difference makers we have in this soon-to-be-world-changing swim and youth development program.”