As his fellow members of the 200 medley relay team celebrated their record-breaking performance at the Class 3A State Meet, Powell High School junior Tarren Blackmore spent a moment in “stunned silence.”

When Blackmore joined the swimming and diving team as a freshman in 2017, “no way in a million years would I have dreamed I would have my name on the record board,” he said.

However, Blackmore didn’t have much time to be circumspect before his teammates — Jay Cox, Richard Spann and Nate Johnston — yanked him out of the Laramie High School pool to loudly celebrate their record time of 1:40.54.

The PHS athletes actually didn’t win that race — and later in the day, the four swimmers would win a state title in a different relay. But shattering a 25-year-old Powell record was something special.

“It was definitely more exciting to break the school record” than win the state title, said Cox.

Of all the ways that an athlete can get their name on Powell High School’s Hall of Fame board, the hardest way is to break a relay record. While the board lists the top five times in individual events, only the very best time is featured for the relays.

“Relay records don’t fall often,” noted PHS head coach Stephanie Warren.

The prior record — of 1:42.37 — had been set by Levi Asay, Brad Rempfer, Jason Cox (no relation) and the late Josh Honstain back in 1995.

So for Spann, Johnston, Jay Cox and Blackmore to crush that mark by 2 seconds “is amazing,” Warren said, adding, “It was so great to watch them come together.”

Spann said the team “spent lots of time at practice trying to perfect technique on our start, transitions, and turns.”

That work paid off at the state meet. In the preliminaries, they flew past their season best by more than 3 1/2 seconds, posting a time of 1:42.88.

“We knew we were less than a second away from the school record, and that was very motivational,” said Cox. “We had gotten so close ... so we all knew it was possible.”

Although the first day of competition didn’t go as well as they’d hoped, the Panthers still found themselves in a position where they could potentially take second place as a team. However, they were going to need some strong performances in the finals.

As for the relay team, “all of us were just happy we had the times we had and went into the [final] race confidently,” said Johnston, adding, “Having that confidence made us feel ready for whatever our times would be ...”

On the morning of the finals, Assistant Coach Rob Gorycki told the relay members that the best way to motivate the team would be to break the school record in the 200 medley — the day’s first event.

“The confidence in his voice told us that he knew 100% we were going to do it,” said Blackmore. “That confidence in us is what set us over the top.”

He also credited the support of the entire PHS team, which, after cheering the four along during the race, surrounded them afterward.

“I knew that we were a team,” Blackmore said. “But when everyone celebrates your accomplishments with as much enthusiasm that you do, that’s when you know that you are a family.”

Added Cox, “The camaraderie and brotherhood [in swimming] is unmatched in any other sport or team.”

Perhaps as another example of that, all three of the surviving members of the 1995 team — now scattered across the U.S. — jumped onto the swim team’s Facebook page within minutes of the record-setting performance to offer congratulations to the new record-holders.

“’Bout time! 25 years is a long time!” said Rempfer. “Way to go Panther swimmers!”

Cheered Asay, “May you enjoy it as long as we did!”

Spann, however, has already been thinking about who will come next.

“I feel like breaking a record that old helps inspire other swimmers to want to be faster,” he said, “and try to break our record.”

Warren said the new records from the PHS swimming and diving team’s season — which also included Spann posting the third-best time in the 100 fly and Johnston setting a new best in the 100 breastroke and the fifth-best time in the 500 free — will likely be added to the Hall of Fame board in late March or early April.