Tracy sets conference record in 200-yard IM, voted 3A West swimmer of the year

For the third year in a row the Powell Panthers swim team finished second behind Jackson at the Class 3A West Conference meet in Kemmerer.

The Panthers won three events, were the runners-up in two others and had four other top-six finishes as they totaled 219 points.

“I thought overall we looked pretty good,” PHS head coach Luke Robertson said. “I think we’re where we need to be. We’re in a good spot.”

Senior Amanda Tracy highlighted the weekend with her record-breaking performance in the 200-meter IM. Tracy’s preliminary time of 2:39.38 broke the record of 2:39.85 set by Jackson’s Maddy Wigg in 2008.

Tracy went on to win the IM with a time of 2:41.82. She also won the 100-meter breaststroke with a time of 1:24.23.

Robertson wasn’t sure what state events Tracy would compete in, but said the pair of wins “bodes well” for her as she enters her final prep swim meet.

“As far as confidence, that helps having won two conference events,” Robertson said. “It’s the first time she’s won two events at conference.”

The West Conference’s coaches voted Tracy the “3A West Conference Swimmer of the Year.”

Tracy was the only swimmer to win two individual events over the weekend.

Powell’s Aly Schneider had a one-two finish at conference.

The junior won the 100-meter free with a time of 1:05.21 in dramatic fashion.

“Coming into the last 25 (meters), she was a little ways back from the leader,” Robertson said. “She really closed and made up a lot of time to win that event. Probably one of the fastest 25 closes I’ve seen.”

Schneider surpassed Lyman senior McCaslynn Bradshaw, who finished second with a time of 1:05.96.

Schneider’s ability and desire to chase leaders — especially in relays — has been commended by Robertson many times this season, and it paid off with a conference title.

“I know she’s always been really good, especially at the end,” Robertson said. “I knew she’d close on her, but I didn’t know if that girl ahead of her opened enough of a lead that was too big to close, but she did.”

Schneider finished the 200-meter free in 2:26.11 to take second place.

Senior Tristan Bohlman continued her strong season with two top six finishes in her individual events. Bohlman was fifth in the IM with a time of 2:52.69 and sixth in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:19.39. She won the Sportsmanship Award for the Panthers. Conference coaches vote for one from each team.

Freshman Caitlyn Miner took fourth in the 100-meter butterfly and was seventh in the 1-meter diving competition.

Caitlyn Miner scored 238.25 points in the 11-dive event, while junior Mary Lynn finished ninth with 229.15 points.

Claire Miner made two top-12 finishes. The junior took fourth in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 1:18.28 after finishing sixth in prelims. She swam a 2:43.51 to take 11th place in the 200 free.

Sophomore Aspen Aguirre finished seventh in the 50-meter free with a time of 31.52 and 11th in the 100-meter free with a time of 1:12.29.

Junior Katie Brown was eighth in both the 200-IM and 100-meter breast. She swam a time of 2:58.96 in the IM and finished in 1:31.09 in the breast.

Sophomore Rylie Kannard swam a 1:20.62 to take 10th in the 100-meter back and finished 11th in the 100 fly with a time of 1:28.02.

Powell’s relay teams finished second, third and sixth in Kemmerer.

The Panthers team of Tracy, Caitlyn Miner, Claire Miner and Schneider was the runner-up in the meet-opening 200-meter medley relay, in which they finished in 2:17.

Powell closed the meet with a third-place finish in the 400-meter relay with the same team, though slightly rearranged, as the medley relay.

The team of Tristan Bohlman, Kendyl Bohlman, Brown and Aguirre finished sixth with a time of 2:13.28 in the 200-meter free relay.

The Panthers will head to state with as many qualifiers (14) as it had at conference.

Sophomore Sydney Horton again fell agonizingly short of qualifying in the 500-yard free (or, the 400-meter free).

Horton’s time of 5:52.69 during Friday’s prelims was just .49 seconds short of a state berth. She finished the event in 10th place with a time of 5:53.85 on Saturday.

“That was hard,” Robertson said of seeing Horton just miss the qualifying time. “She worked so hard all season, and you could just see it on her face that she wanted it, she wanted it so bad.

“She had really good sportsmanship about it though. She kept her head up. As good of attitude as a kid can have for not having what they wanted to happen.”

Powell finished ahead of Sublette County (202 points) and Lander (173), which was without a handful of swimmers on Saturday due to obligations at the State Marching Band Festival.

“So it’s still hard to get an impression about where they’re going to be,” Robertson said of Lander. “If there’s a team that really tapers well, it’s Lander. I’m sure they’ll be up there (at state).”

The switch from a yard pool to a meter pool affected each swimmer differently, Robertson said. Some, especially strong sprinters, can benefit from the longer distance, while those reliant on flip turns for speed boosts can suffer.