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By Sarah Eckersley
MESA, Arizona, October 18. VALLEY Christian and Sedona Red Rock walked away with state titles at the Arizona 1A/2A/3A High School State Championships. On the girls’ side, Valley Christian scored 423 points, followed by Phoenix Country Day (316) and Pusch Ridge (275). The Sedona Red Rock boys tallied 386 points for first place, while Pusch Ridge took second (247.5) and Desert Christian finished third (202.5).
Girls Results
Valley Christian won all three relays. Mikala Nelson, Briana Jurries, Paige Mullaney, and Quinn Robertson clocked a time of 1:54.73 for a first-place finish in the 200 medley relay. They surpassed the 2007 meet record (1:57.27) set by Phoenix Country Day School.
Senior Erin Bleyl (Pusch Ridge) had individual wins in the 200 freestyle (1:55.96) and the 100 backstroke (58.49).
Danielle Lee of Phoenix Country Day School set meet records in the 200 IM (2:06.21) and the 100 butterfly (57.06). The previous records were held by Riley Smith (Phoenix Christian) and Hope Peterson (Pusch Ridge) with times of 2:16.56 and 58.57 respectively.
Robertson had first-place finishes in the 50 (24.67) and 100 (55.25) freestyles. She set a meet record in the prelims of the 50 freestyle with a time of 24.59.
Briana Jurries (Valley Christian) set a meet record in the 100 breaststroke (1:08.57). She teamed up with Megan Libby, Chandler Fraley, and Heather Olinger for a win in the 200 freestyle relay (1:48.53).
Freshman Maddie Stern (Phoenix Country Day School) won the diving competition with a score of 308.45, followed by Brooke Ferguson of Valley Christian (288.10) and Hannah Cianci of Phoenix Country Day School (242.5).
Robertson, Olinger, Mullaney, and Nelson combined for a win in the 400 freestyle relay (3:52.45).
Boys Results
Sedona Red Rock won all three relays. The group of Chris Millar, Seth Syvertsen, Jacob Decker, and Tyler Gavigan set a meet record in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:43.98. Syvertsen also won the 50 freestyle (23.03) and the 100 breaststroke (1:04.74).
Hayden Thomas, a senior at Tempe Prep, had individual wins in the 200 (1:48.88) and 500 (4:51.82) freestyles.
Evan Decker (Sedona Red Rock) set a meet record in the 200 IM (2:03.67). The previous record (2:07.77) was set last year by Tempe Prep’s David Conti. E. Decker also set a meet record in the prelims of the 100 freestyle with a time of 49.27.
Valley Christian’s Spencer Richardson won the diving competition with a score of 225.80 followed by Josh McGrath of Phoenix Country Day School (196.30).
Syvertsen, Gavigan, and E. Decker joined Michael Wiseman in the 200 freestyle relay. The boys clocked a meet record with a time of 1:33.65.
Sophomore Daniel Bleyl (Pusch Ridge) set meet records in the 100 butterfly (54.52) and the 100 backstroke (57.15). The previous records were set last year by Andrew Graham (Valley Christian) and Preston Van Hofwegen (Phoenix Christian) with times of 56.19 and 1:00.12 respectively.
Millar, Wiseman, J. Decker, and E. Decker finished first in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 3:29.19.
