SUNSET SWIMMING: Palo Verde girls reach goal, run away with title

With the team standings of the Division I Sunset Region girls swimming and diving meet pretty much a formality, Palo Verde coach Brent Gonzalez had his sights set elsewhere Saturday.

The challenge: 600 points.

“Earlier in the week, Ron (Aitken) from Gorman said that he had scored (543) two years ago and to see if we could break it,” Gonzalez said of his good friend and rival. “Six hundred was a goal.”

Erin Emery and Isabella Goldsmith each won two individual events, and Palo Verde scored 617 points to run away with the team title at UNLV’s Buchanan Natatorium.

Bishop Gorman, which saw its four-year stranglehold on the Sunset championship come to an end, was a distant second with 352 points. Desert Oasis had 217 points to finish third, just ahead of Shadow Ridge (215) and Centennial (205).

The top two finishers in each event qualify for the state meet Saturday at Carson Aquatic Facility in Carson City. The third-place finisher with the best time between the Sunrise and Sunset regions also advances to state.

Palo Verde had three of the top four finishers in a handful of events — the 200-yard freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 500 freestyle — and went 1-2 in the 100 breaststroke. The Panthers also swept the relays.

“I think it shows how deep my team is. We had 30 of our 32 swims in the championship heat,” Gonzalez said. “I’m going to guess (617 points) is a record. He did it two years ago, and he was pretty dominant with his team two years ago. I would think it would be a record. I would have to go back and look through all the years of regionals to see, but I’m pretty sure it was.”

Emery, a Minnesota signee, was first in the 200 freestyle in 1 minute, 52.72 seconds and the 500 freestyle in 5:00.86. She was named Sunset Region swimmer of the year following the meet.

Goldsmith won her third straight region title in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.39) and took the 50 freestyle (24.03).

Gorman’s Anne Boodt also was a double-winner, taking the 200 individual medley (2:08.46) and 100 freestyle (53.91).

Palo Verde’s boys captured their 15th consecutive region title, scoring 500 points. Upstart Legacy was second with 291 points, just ahead of Gorman (287).

“The Legacy kids pushed us and obviously beat us in the medley relay,” Gonzalez said. “I knew they would be fast. It was nice having a team like Legacy coming out.”

Logan Houck of Palo Verde won the 500 freestyle in a Sunset-record time of 4:29.03 as he was pushed by second-place finisher Nicholas McDowell of Durango (4:31.15). Houck’s time is No. 2 all time in state history, according to the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association record book.

Houck, the region swimmer of the year, also was first in the 200 freestyle (1:42.09) as he reeled in McDowell over the final 50 yards to win by .11 seconds.

“He’s the only senior boy on our team, and he led the way,” Gonzalez said of the Harvard-bound standout.

Freshman Dylan Sweikert won the 50 freestyle (22.07) and 100 freestyle (48.62) for the Panthers.

Legacy’s Isiah Magsino shaved one-tenth of a second off his region record in the 100 backstroke, winning in 51.55. Magsino also won the 200 IM (1:55.66), completing a 1-2 finish with teammate Tamaalelagi Tuitama (1:57.50), and swam a leg on Legacy’s victorious 200 medley relay.

“The record is a highlight, especially since it’s senior year and I broke my own record,” Magsino said. “Our medley relay winning regionals — Palo Verde, we know they have great relays and great swimmers — this puts us on the map even more, and that’s exciting, too.”