(Editor’s Note: Here’s part two of a two part story looking at local prep swim teams. This week, it’s Bountiful, Viewmont and Woods Cross from class 5A).

Bountiful

Head coach Alexa Lou Olson added strength to her coaching staff in Sonya Bishop and Chad Reinchussel to join her and Emily Su’a in managing nearly 60 swimmers for Bountiful this season.

“We are very excited for a more normal season with a bigger coaching staff and we are looking forward to competing as a team,” Olson said.

The closure of the South Davis Recreation Center until mid-December is affecting all area swimmers, including the Redhawks, who now have to drive further to find facilities and do more dryland training because of limited pool time.

“I admire the kids’ strength enough to stay on the team and do what it takes to get better at swimming,” Olson said. “I am proud of them for their commitment to the team and to themselves. This is going to be challenging for us, but adversity is good for the soul.”

Bountiful will be captained by Brendan Bennett, Nia Bingham, Sydney Crystal, Pedro De Marchi, Sadie Duke, Abby Firth, Mia Fowler, Tyler Gunn, Grace Hanni, Emily Knowlton, Spencer Monson Kayla Myers, Tyler Orme, Tyson Page, Eva Stoddard, Zane Syverson, Loni Tippetts and Sam Wang,

Also on the BHS team this season are seniors Ayden Fieuw, Aaron Galso, Erik Landheim, Avery Mcpheters and Gabby Westergard; juniors Emma Anjewierden, Max Clifford, Nicholas Crockett, Isabelle De Leeuw, Emilia DeLeon, Staysa Hansen, Caroline Huch, Emily Jacobson, Kyran Justice, Caden Levin, Tyler Love, Jaelyn Miller, Nathan Richins, Brigham Scoville, Ellie Staheli, Emily Subardjo, Rylee Tholen, Lucas Van Vliet and Kobi Vanderlinden; sophomores Quentin Auernig, Madelyn Fenwick, Brighton Reed, Katelynn Rogers, Parker Tennant, Lizzie Williams, Drew Wilson and Livia Winsett; and freshmen Claire Bryson, Andy Duke, Liam Glissmeyer, Caleb Jacobson, Trevor Laing, Ellie Moss, Britain Orchard and Thomas Steed.

The Redhawks began the season with Region Relays at Northridge Nov. 12, and will continue at Wasatch Nov. 19-20, at Syracuse Dec. 4, at Box Elder Dec. 10, against Woods Cross/West Jordan Dec. 17, (rescheduled) Thanksgiving Invite Jan. 7-8, Mayors Cup Jan. 14, at Bonneville Jan. 20 and at Woods Cross Jan. 21. The Region 5 meet is scheduled for Feb. 5 with the 5A state meet at BYU on Feb. 18-19.

Olson said the team is aiming to get all of their boys and girls relay teams to state while also maintaining a team GPA of 3.5 throughout the season.

Viewmont

New Viewmont head coach Jessica Trauner is excited about heading up the 35-member swimming team this season and coaching alongside her assistant Tanner Grossman.

“I really couldn’t have asked for a better group of kids to coach as my first year of high school swim coaching,” Trauner, who also coaches for Layton Surfers, said, while also noting her assistant being “an absolute rockstar from day one. I’m hoping to keep building on everything in the future seasons, but for this season I feel good about what our team can do.”

Trauner is originally from Indiana and competed in swimming through high school and coached during the summers. “I was never the fastest kid on the team but I had a knack for mechanics and helping my teammates,” she said. 

She served in the Navy in San Diego, and coached cheerleading while there, which led her to realize that sports was going to fit in her post-active duty plans. She again coached swimming in Hawaii for varied skill levels with ages 6 through 18. Now, she’s coaching in Utah while also attending the University of Utah, studying kinesiology.

The Vikings’ team captains this season are Reese Allen, Eric Chamberlain, Jared Chamberlain, Ashlyn Danielson, Ryan Ramierez, Jane Jeppeson, Leslie Smuin and Sarah Spangenberg.

Also on the VHS squad are Ayden Aeria, Mia Allen, Annie Breinholt, Nicole Cunningham, Tim Chinsky,  Isaac Hale, Elle Decker, Ben Harris, Hallie Gerrard, Matthew Howe, Madelyn Hall, Eli Lewis, Izzy Harris, Gabby Henry, Austin Page, Malin Howe, Andrew Webster, Marquis Zobell, Audrey Kim, Kate Moore, Camille Parke, Camilla Rios-Arroyo, Campell Showalter, Katelyn Lemon, Clara Wadswroth, Addie Wood and Sarah Young.

“I’m still new to Utah and navigating how everything is done here, but the parent and veteran swimmer support that’s on the team is amazing and it has made taking over this team much easier,” Trauner said. “Beyond that, there is great talent and ability on this team in each grade level, that any coach would be lucky to have. We also just have a lot of great leadership and spirit.”

In the team’s first meet of the season Nov. 2 against Woods Cross, Morgan, Layton and Northridge, the girls took first and the boys came in third.

Swimmers taking first place were Henry (200 IM), Spangenberg (100 free), the girls 200 medley relay team of Reese Allen, Howe, Henry and Wood and the girls 200 free relay group of Allen, Wood, Howe and Spangenberg.

Also among the Vikings’ top-three finishes were Eric Chamberlain (second, 100 back), Howe (second, 50 free), the boys 400 free relay team of Webster, Eric Chamberlain, Jared Chamberlain and Hale (second), the girls 400 free relay team of Mia Allen, Reese Allen, Henry and Spangenberg (second), Webster (second, 200 free; third, 100 free), Reese Allen (third, 200 free; third, 500 free), Hale (third, 100 back; third, 50 free), Henry (third, 100 breast), Spangenberg (third, 100 back), Wood (third, 50 free) and the boys 200 medley relay team of Aeria, Eric Chamberlain, Jared Chamberlain and Hale (third).

Woods Cross

Region 200 IM champion Nohea Kamauu headlines the returning girl swimmers for Woods Cross which also includes Aveyr Boynton, Elle Hall, Gaib Hilbig, Alanna Holzer, Sophia Mortensen, Hayley Neuenschwander and Grace Woodbury. The boys squad is led by region 100 back champion Abel Chomjak along with Miller Campbell, Justin Chamberlain, Isaac Chomjak, Nate Cyril, Mark Glissmeyer, Diego Gutierrez, Lee Hunter, Ammon Kamauu, Isaac Miller, Badger Norman, Moose (James) Norman, Dylan Suarez and Tomas Suarez.

Also on the Wildcats squad coached by Andrew Bird, Jamie Holzer and Jane Hall are Landon Ballard, Shane Ballard, Ryler Barden, Ethan Baxter, Blake Carver, Saje Colisimo, Sabrina Di Bello, Kate Francis, Grace Gilbert, Ben Green, Daniel Hansen, Whitney Holbrook, William Hunter, Max Jensen, Ava Jud, Santiago Leal, Kendra Lubeck, Austin Mallory, Emi Mcbride, Emily Nelson, Nathan Parker, Tessa Parker, Rylie Patterson, Quinn Paulson, Gabe Pippin, Savannah Poll, Sam Porter, Michael Poulsen, Logan Richards,  Christian Rogers, Brynlee Rough, Evan Spencer, Logan Stuart, Andrew Tippets, Jenna Violette, RJ Violette and Landon Wade.

At the first meet of the season Nov. 2 against Viewmont, Morgan, Layton and Northridge, WXHS had 19 top-three finishes including first-place winners Abel Chomjak (200 free, 100 breast), Nohea Kamauu (200 free, 100 back), Ammon Kamauu (500 free) and the boys 200 free relay of Abel Chomjak, Justin Chamberlain, Isaac Chomjak and Lee Hunter.

Other top showings were Holzer (second, 200 IM; second, 100 fly), Justin Chamberlain (second, 200 IM),  Isaac Chomjak (second, 500 free), Tomas Suarez (second, 100 breast), the boys medley relay team of Glissmeyer, Isaac Chomjak, Dylan Suarez, Cyril (second), the 200 free relay team of Dylan Suarez, Ammon Kamauu, Glissmeyer and Cyril (second), Jared Chamberlain (third, 100 fly), Hall (third, 100 free), the girls 200 medley relay team of Hall, Gilbert, Holzer and Nohea Kamauu (third), the girls 200 free relay team of Hilbig, Neuenschwander, Lubeck and Mortensen (third), the girls 400 free relay of Hall, Neuenschwander, Holzer and Hilbig (third) and the boys 400 free relay team of Justin Chamberlain, Gutierrez, Hunter and Ammon Kamauu (third).