Palo Verde boys swimmer Max Carlsen can officially set his sights on winning his third consecutive Class 5A state individual titles in the 200-yard and 500-yard freestyles.
Carlsen dominated Friday night at the 5A Southern Region swim meet at Pavilion Center Pool. The N.C. State commit claimed region titles in the 200-yard freestyle (1 minute, 37.51 seconds) and 500-yard freestyle (4:22.27), breaking his own records (1:39.20 and 4:26.79).
He will look to best his state-record time of 4:21.37 in the 500-yard freestyle at the 5A state meet May 16 and 17 at Moana Springs in Reno.
The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state tournament.
The Palo Verde boys won the region team title with 393.5 points, and the Coronado girls won with 451. Palo Verde is seeking its 11th consecutive boys team title, and Coronado is looking to win a fourth straight 5A girls team title.
Palo Verde held off Bishop Gorman (326.5) and Coronado (324.5) for the region title.
“They did awesome, the kids swam great,” Palo Verde coach Brent Gonzalez said. “It’s good, I was a little worried because it’s more of a well-balanced region. It’s probably one of the toughest (regions) we’ve had in a while.”
The Coronado girls were well ahead of second-place Palo Verde, which finished with 353 points. The Cougars dominated in the relays, winning the 200-yard medley (1:48.40), 200-yard freestyle (1:35.73) and 400-yard freestyle (3:30.30). Their time in the 200-yard freestyle relay is a new 5A region record.
“It was a long season, and I’m glad things came together at the end,” Coronado coach David Stump said. “We started a little off at the beginning of the season. Things started to come together, and the girls really showed up today. We were really happy,”
Coronado junior Ana Schulz swam the first leg on Coronado’s 200-yard freestyle relay and was the anchor on the 4oo-yard freestyle relay. Schulz won the region title in the 100-yard backstroke and is looking to defend her state title in the event.
“I’m excited to (defend my title), I think I can push harder and see,” Schulz said. “I just wanted to help my team demolish the race (on the relays). We just wanted to help carry the team and keep the vibes up.”
Carlsen also shined in the relays. He swam the anchor legs on the Panthers’ 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle relays.
“I’m really proud of the team,” Carlsen said. “I like being a part of the team. I like winning, and I’m really proud of everyone. They stepped up, did their part. I won two events, Owen Robertson won two events, and Wiktor (Pezowicz) won an event. It was a team effort this year. We were scared we were going to lose.”
Faith Lutheran’s Summer Mudadu also set a 5A regional mark in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:53.13. Mudadu is the defending state champion in the 200- and 500-yard freestyles.
Mudadu also won the region title in the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.78) on Friday.
In other events with 5A regional records broken, Faith Lutheran’s Makenna Sherman won the 200-yard individual medley (2:06.56), and Coronado’s Grace Carrington won the 50-yard freestyle (23.55) and 100-yard breaststroke (1:04.92).
4A Desert League
The Sierra Vista boys won the 4A Desert League title Thursday at Pavilion Center Pool with a score of 416 points. Doral Academy finished second with 373.
The Mountain Lions won the 4A state title last year. They won 200-yard medley (1:32.53), 200-yard freestyle (1:38.63) and 400-yard freestyle (3:29.06) relays to help them win the league title.
The Doral Academy girls won the 4A Desert League title Thursday with 432 points. Sierra Vista finished second with 269.
Doral Academy won the 4A state title last year. The Dragons won the 200-yard medley (1:57.25) and 400-yard freestyle (3:49.42) relays to help them win the league title.
The top four finishers in each event per region qualify for the 4A state meet, which is Wednesday at Heritage Aquatic Complex (diving) and Thursday at Pavilion Center Pool.
4A Mountain League
The Foothill boys won the 4A Mountain League title Thursday at Pavilion Center Pool with 267 points. Basic finished second with 237 points. Foothill won the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:43.64) to help the Falcons win the team title.
The Tech girls won the 4A Mountain League title Thursday with 478 points. Foothill finished second with 302.
Tech won the 200-yard medley (2:09.80), 200-yard freestyle (1:54.45) and 400-yard freestyle (4:23.12) relays to help it win the league title.
Class 3A
Boulder City won the 3A Southern Region boys team title with a score of 500 points Friday at Pavilion Center Pool. Coral Academy finished second with 367.
Virgin Valley won the girls region title with 369 points over Boulder City (326).
The top four finishers in each event qualify for the state tournament May 16 and 17 at Moana Springs in Reno.
5A Southern Region swim meet results
Boys
200-yard medley relay: Coronado (1:40.54)
200-yard freestyle: Max Carlsen, Palo Verde (1:37.51)
200-yard individual medley: Owen Robertson, Palo Verde (1:53.51)
50-yard freestyle: Wiktor Pezowicz, Palo Verde (21.99)
100-yard butterfly: Garrett Taylor, Coronado (51.70)
100-yard freestyle: AJ Oden, Coronado (47.74)
500-yard freestyle: Max Carlsen, Palo Verde (4:22.27)
200-yard freestyle relay: Palo Verde (1:27.04)
100-yard backstroke: Owen Robertson (50.29)
100-yard breaststroke: Liam Doty, Faith Lutheran (59.60)
400-yard freestyle relay: Palo Verde (3:11.92)
1-meter dive: Carson Field, Liberty (272.50 points)
Girls
200-yard medley relay: Coronado (1:48.40)
200-yard freestyle relay: Summer Mudadu, Faith Lutheran (1:50.78)
200-yard individual medley: Makenna Sherman, Faith Lutheran (2:06.56)
50-yard freestyle: Grace Carrington, Coronado (23.55)
100-yard butterfly: Alexandria Kauffman, Arbor View (57.24)
100-yard freestyle: Sienna Zauder, Arbor View (51.36)
500-yard freestyle: Summer Mudadu, Faith Lutheran (4:53.13)
200-yard freestyle relay: Coronado (1:35.73)
100-yard backstroke: Ana Schulz, Coronado (55.97)
100-yard breaststroke: Grace Carrington, Coronado (1:04.92)
400-yard freestyle relay: Coronado (3:30.30)
1-meter dive: Bella Benes, Centennial (378.85 points)
Contact Alex Wright at [email protected]. Follow @AlexWright1028 on X.
