Tracy earns runner-up title in 100 backstroke

The Powell High School swim team captured fifth-place honors over the weekend at the Class 3A swim meet in Gillette. The Panthers tallied 122 team points to narrowly finish ahead of Lyman in the team standings.

Lander captured its 16th consecutive title despite not producing a state title winner. The Tigers outdistanced the field by 90 points to swamp the competition. Buffalo was second with 194.5 points, 13 better than third-place Worland.

“After the preliminaries, we were well ahead of where we were at that point last season at the state meet,” said Panther swim coach Jerry Rodriguez. “We had several swimmers in the consolation finals that we were hoping to hold a few places and then looked to advance where ever we could on the second day.”

Sophomore Nic Tracy was one of four Panther swimmers to place in the top 12 of two different events at the state meet and was the only swimmer to qualify for the finals in both of his individual swim events. Tracy earned 3A runner-up honors in the 100 backstroke, clocking in at just over one minute. That placed him nearly three seconds off the winning time, but comfortably ahead of the remainder of the field.

Tracy also placed fifth in the 200 individual medley for the Panthers.

Powell also scored a 4-5 finish in the 500 free, the longest individual race of the state meet. Junior Jarred LaPierre earned the fourth-place finish for Powell with freshman Ben Wetzel touching the wall in fifth place.

Wetzel also swam in the consolation finals of the 200 free, earning an eighth-place finish for Powell.

Also swimming in two different events for the Panthers on Friday were senior Telton Pedersen (seventh in the 100 free, eighth in the 50 free) and sophomore Jakob Bowers (10th in the 100 fly, 12th in the 50 free).

Senior Kyle Anderson picked up a seventh-place finish, winning the consolation final swim in the 100 fly. Sophomore Edward Oursler and freshman Alex Bjornestad each picked up 10th-place finishes for Powell. Oursler’s team points came in the 200 free while Bjornestad was 10th in the 100 back..

Sophomore Jake Magill wrapped up the individual placewinners for Powell with a 12th-place finish in the 1-meter diving competition.

All three of the Panther relay teams also placed in the top eight, although only the school’s 200 free relay earned the right to swim in the finals. Pedersen, Ourser, Bowers and LaPierre swam to a sixth-place finish in that race.

Bowers, Quin Wetzel, Tracy and LaPierre joined forces in the 400 free relay, winning the consolation swim by a 23-second margin to finish seventh overall. Tracy, Oursler, Anderson and Pedersen swam to an eighth-place finish in the 200 medley relay.

Anderson and Pedersen are the only seniors graduating from the Panthers’ state roster.

Team standings: Lander 284.5, Buffalo 194.5, Worland 181.5, Kemmerer 147, POWELL 122, Lyman 119, Douglas 100, Sublette County 75, Cody 71, Rawlins 61.5, Newcastle 33.