Carlsbad swim team returns home for Double Dual
CARLSBAD -- Despite struggling again in team results, the Carlsbad swim team had some top-tier individual performances hosting Tuesday’s Artesia-Hobbs-Alamogordo-NMMI Double Dual.
Cavegirls sophomore Scotti Wagner won the girls 500-yard freestyle in seven minutes and 2.48 seconds, while Cavemen eighth-grader Tyler Plant won the boys 100 yard backstroke at 1:06.88.
Cavegirls’ Jordan Martinez (fourth place) and Katie Lopez (fifth place) came within .04 seconds of each other while facing 16 other swimmers in the girls 100 yard freestyle. Martinez placed a time of 1:14.27, while Lopez’s time was 1:14.31.
Cavemen sophomore Tony Serrano came in fifth overall in the boys 100-yard freestyle at one minute and .59 seconds, while Cavegirls sophomore Ashley Young (1:22.14) came in third out of 11 in the girls 100-yard breaststroke.
"This team has grown so much. I keep seeing drops in time. They've just been busting their butt," coach Michelle White said. "I think it's a really positive reinforcement to all the hard work they were doing and the techniques we keep going over."
The boys were third out of the five schools with 92 points, while the girls came in fifth out of five with 55 points. Hobbs won both the boys and girls meets.
White said the reason Carlsbad was unable to post better team results came down to limited top-five individual results, again citing youth and inexperience on her roster.
It was Carlsbad’s first home meet since the Carlsbad Invitational back on Nov. 7.
"I think it's just a nice way to be able to come back and swim in own facility. They know the pool, they know the water, and they know the atmosphere," White said.
Carlsbad will host the Artesia Invitational at 11 a.m. Saturday. Carlsbad will also host the District 3 Championships on Feb. 6.
White said her swimmers will take advantage of the fact they'll be at home during this big part of the season.
"All that hard work, all that time and effort that we've been doing this is going to pay off in the end," White said.