Laramie Lady Plainsmen Finish 5th at State Swimming

Despite winning three events and having the “Swimmer of the Year in 4A,” the Laramie Lady Plainsmen came up short of their goal of a top three finish at the 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships in Gillette. They ended up in fifth place, one point behind Casper Kelly Walsh. Senior Sarah Morgan won two events, while Freshmen Ryleigh Kobbe captured diving to lead LHS.

Morgan captured the 100 yard freestyle with a time of 51.92. She took the 200 yard freestyle in 1:55.71. It was the second consecutive year she has won two events at the state meet. For her efforts, Morgan earned the accolade as the “Swimmer of the Year.” Laramie Coach Tom Hudson said, “She battled through a lot this year. She battled through injury and was able to come out and win her two events, just be real strong and battle back for us.” She also swam the lead-off leg for Laramie in 200 yard freestyle relay.

Kobbe won her first state title, as she scored 382.40 points to best teammate Emily Williams (365.20) by 17 points. LHS finished 1-2 on the diving board for a fourth straight year. Hudson said, “Laramie diving has definitely established itself as the premiere diving team in the state, for sure. So proud of Trent (Weitzel, Assistant Coach, Head Diving Coach) and the divers of what they were able to accomplish.”

Cheyenne East won the team title with 266 points. They were followed by Cheyenne Central in second place (199), Gillette was third (194.5), and Kelly Walsh fourth (176), a mere point ahead of the Lady Plainsmen who finished with 175 team points.

As for ending up in the fifth place in the team standings, Hudson said, “It was close. We had a chance to finish anywhere from second to fifth. We’re not accustomed to finishing at the bottom end of that. I guess sometimes that happens. What we need to do is take from this the feeling that we have from now and  try not to let it happen again, and work on it and build on it for next year.”

The 200 yard freestyle relay was also a bright spot for Laramie, as it wound up in second place by 1-tenth of a second to Central. The 400 yard freestyle relay ended up in third place.

For complete results from the 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships, click here.