The Powell High School boy’s swimming and diving team performed well at a home triangular versus Cody and Worland Friday and a dual in Cody Saturday. As a team, the Panthers finished first in both contests and came away with 10 members of the team posting state-qualifying times.

“For the first two meets of the year, we were very pleased,” said head coach Stephanie Warren. “The team overall swam very well and we are pleased with how well each and every one of them did.”

Sophomore Nate Johnston topped the tally board, qualifying for state in five events. Johnston grabbed first place finishes in the 200 free and 100 backstroke in Powell Friday, and came away with firsts in the 200 individual medley and the 100 butterfly in Cody. Johnston’s lead-off time in the 400 free relay in Powell also qualified him for state in the 100 freestyle.

Senior Richard Spann grabbed four state-qualifying times, earning first place finishes in the 200 individual medley in Powell, 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke in Cody, as well as a second place in the 500 freestyle in Powell.

Also punching his ticket to state was senior Jay Cox, with a first place finish in the 100 freestyle in Cody plus third-place finishes in the 100 butterfly and 200 individual medley in Powell. Also qualifying for state were seniors Ben Cannizzaro in the 100 butterfly in Powell and senior Bryce Hogen in the 100 breaststroke in Cody. Hogen also had a state-qualifying first-place finish in Cody in diving, earning 179.95 points.

Freshmen Ru Parker and Kobus Diver added qualifying performances as well. Parker grabbed three qualifying events with first-place finishes in the 100 freestyle in Powell and the 200 and 500 freestyles in Cody. Diver earned his ticket to state with a second-place finish in the 500 freestyle in Cody.

Sophomore Cole Frank narrowly missed qualifying in diving on Friday in Powell — finishing a mere half-point short. Frank was able to rebound in Cody with a showing that earned him the right to go to the Class 3A State Meet, taking third-place with 151.70 points.

Rounding out the weekend’s state-qualifying performances were junior Tarren Blackmore in the 100 butterfly and sophomore Francis Rogers in the 200 individual medley.

“Having 10 qualifiers the first weekend is a great way to kick off our season,” coach Warren said. “It takes some of the stress away for some of them and allows them to just focus on getting better.”

The Panthers are on the road this Saturday for an invitational in Riverton. Along with Cody and Worland, the team will match up against Riverton and Rawlins, too. “... we want to see where we stand against them, especially Rawlins, considering how well they did at state last year,” said Warren.

As the Panthers head into the Christmas break, the team is in good shape. Trying to keep kids healthy this year, the coaching staff has changed up things a bit from last year.

“We are focusing on good habits and technique more at this time and we hope that carries over and helps in the overall outcome of the season. Considering the focus, we still qualified 10 and we believe it is a good sign,” Warren said.

After Riverton, the Panthers will have a bit of a break from competition until they meet up with swimming powerhouse Lander in a dual at Powell on Friday, Jan. 10. That will be followed by the Gene Dozah Invitational the next day, on Saturday, Jan. 11.

Powell Triangular Results

1. Powell 375, 2. Worland 364, Cody 286

200 Medley Relay

2. Richard Spann, Nate Johnston, Ben Cannizzaro, Ben Hawley 1:55.07, 3. Ru Parker, Francis Rogers, Jay Cox, Kobus Diver 2:03.54, 6. Josh Wright, Kyler Warren, Tarren Blackmore, Cole Frank 2:11.97

200 Freestyle

1. Nate Johnston 2:02.81, 3. Francis Rogers 2:18.47, 11. Nathan Fuller 2:59.61, 12. Hunter Davis 3:27.07

200 IM

1. Richard Spann 2:18.52, 3. Jay Cox 2:31.01

50 Freestyle

5. Caiden Gerhts 30:38, 6. Aidan Cannizzaro 32.60, 12. David Polson 39.73, 13. Hunter Davis 43.71

1 Meter Diving

2. Cole Frank 144.20, 5. Ben Hawley 133.20, 6. Caiden Gerhts, 89.10

100 Butterfly

3. Jay Cox 1:08.03, 5. Ben Cannizzaro 1:10.17, 8. Kobus Diver 1:25.36

100 Freestyle

1. Ru Parker 55.97, 6. Ben Hawley 1:04.45, 7. Kyler Warren 1:06.42, 11. Aidan Cannizzaro 1:13.12, 16. Nathan Fuller 1:19.85

500 Freestyle

2. Richard Spann 6:10.18, 4. Josh Wright 6:32.61, 5. Tarren Blackmore 6:38.57

200 Freestyle Relay

2. Tarren Blackmore, Cole Frank, Ru Parker, Richard Spann 1:50.17, 3. Kyler Warren, Kobus Diver, Ben Hawley, Ben Cannizzaro 1:54.45, 7. Nathan Fuller, Hunter Davis, Aidan Cannizzaro, Caiden Gerhts 2:21.17

100 Backstroke

1. Nate Johnston 1:02.78, 5. Ru Parker 1:10.94, 6. Josh Wright 1:11.13, 7. Francis Rogers 1:14.00

100 Breaststroke

2. Cole Frank 1:18.70, 3. Tarren Blackmore 1:19.00, 6. Kobus Diver 1:23.75, 7. Kyler Warren 1:25.25

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Nate Johnston, Francis Rogers, Josh Wright, Jay Cox 4:02.40, 6. Caiden Gerhts, Hunter Davis, David Polson, Nathan Fuller 5:37.34

Cody Dual Results

1. Powell 184, 2. Cody 104

200 Medley Relay

1. Cole Frank, Nate Johnston, Richard Spann, Ru Parker 2:01.49, 2. Francis Rogers, Jay Cox, Tarren Blackmore, Bryce Hogen 2:02.72

200 Freestyle

1. Ru Parker 2:13.48, 3. Kobus Diver 2:24.68

200 IM

1. Nate Johnston 2:18.74, 2. Francis Rogers 2:32.55, 4. Kyler Warren 3:00.87, 5. Nathan Fuller 3:10.16

50 Freestyle

1. Richard Spann 25.15, 2. Tarren Blackmore 26.68, 9. Aidan Cannizzaro 32.95, 11. David Polson 39.28

1 Meter Diving

1. Bryce Hogen 179.95, 3. Cole Frank 151.70, 4. Ben Hawley 119.20, 5. Caiden Gerhts 101.55

100 Butterfly

1. Nate Johnston 1:03.44, 3. Tarren Blackmore 1:10.58

100 Freestyle

1. Jay Cox 56.94, 3. Caiden Gerhrts 1:09.09, 4. Cole Frank 1:09.12, 10. David Polson 1:34.16, 11. Hunter Davis 1:35.13

500 Freestyle

1. Ru Parker 6:04.43, 2. Kobus Diver 6:17.31

200 Freestyle Relay

1. Jay Cox, Bryce Hogen, Francis Rogers, Tarren Blackmore 1:47.92, 4. Caiden Gerhts, David Polson, Hunter Davis, Ben Hawley 2:22.88

100 Backstroke

1. Richard Spann 59.30, 3. Nathan Fuller 1:24.47, 4. Kyler Warren 1:24.59, 5. Aidan Cannizzaro 1:26.25

100 Breaststroke

1. Bryce Hogen 1:16.65, 2. Francis Rogers 1:20.70, 3. Jay Cox 1:20.79, 6. Ben Hawley 1:36.17, 7. Hunter Davis 1:54.30

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Ru Parker, Cole Frank, Richard Spann, Nate Johnston 4:07.06, 3. Kobus Diver, Nathan Fuller, Aidan Cannizzaro, Kyler Warren 5:07.69, 5. Ben Hawley, David Polson, Caiden Gerhts, Hunter Davis 5:44.40