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The Sea Lions hosted the Tucson Aquabears at the Mammoth Pool on Saturday, July 1. The Sea Lions won the meet with a score of 892 points; the Aquabears finished with 549 points.
The Sea Lions remain undefeated this season with a 5-0 record. For the 5th consecutive week, they had over 100 personal best times (111). The Aquabears won more individual races than the Sea Lions (37- 31), but it was team depth that brough home the victory for the Sea Lions. Coach Alex summed it up: “Team depth is a powerful thing; it leads to relay wins and relay wins lead to meet wins.” The Sea Lions won 13 of the 20 relays contested.
If you are not going to win the most individual races you need to earn the depth points (2nd -6th place). The Sea Lions did an excellent job of placing many swimmers in every race. It was the team effort in the relays that allowed the Sea Lions to widen the lead.
Bradley Tafoya (8) and Isaac Olson (14) both swam the maximum number of events and won all their races.
Kimber Nehrmeyer (10) and Colt Nehrmeyer (12) both swam the maximum number of races and earned best times in every race.
The following swimmers had first place finishes on Saturday:
Jayden Primero Predgo, 7, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Bradley Tafoya, 8, (IM, Fly, Back, 50 Free, Breast, 25 Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Arabelle Primero Predgo, 8, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Teddy Olson, 7, (Medley Relay);
Jayden Lutz, 7, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Grayson Downing, 8, (Back, 50 Free, Breast, 25 Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Joey Primero Predgo, 8, (Medley Relay);
Gabriel Hudson, 8, (Free Relay);
SJ Hyde, 8, (Free Relay);
Beatrice Olson, 9, (Breast, Free Relay);
Kimber Nehrmeyer, 10, (Back, 100 Free, Free Relay);
Alianna Riney, 10, (Fly, Free Relay);
Kori Andrade, 11, (IM, Free Relay);
Jorden Doucette, 9, (IM, Fly, Back, 100 Free, Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Mario Primero Predgo, 10, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Colt Nehrmeyer, 12, (Free, Medley Relay);
Morgan Cruea, 13, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Jocelyn Hudson, 13, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Isaac Olson, 14, (IM, Fly, Back, 100 Free, Breast, Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Juliana Ramirez, 16, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Ethan Erickson, 16, (IM, Fly, Back, Breast, Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay)
Israel Gonzalez, 16, (Medley Relay, Free Relay);
Ethan Kellam, 17, (100 Free, Medley Relay, Free Relay).
Four-year-old Layla Hyde swam in her first race at the meet. Swimming 25 yards is quite an accomplishment for a 4-year-old. After several weeks of practice, she did it.
Kimber Nehrmeyer (10) and Kori Andrade (11) were named Sea Lions Beasts of the Week.
Kori put the effort into practice all week. When it came time to race the Individual Medley (IM) against best in the League, Kori went into Beast mode from the start of the race and earned a little bit of a lead in 3rd leg (Breaststroke Leg) which she held onto in the final (Freestyle Leg) – her time of 1:49.4 was an amazing 9 seconds faster than she had ever swam before. She went on to achieve best times in Backstroke, 100 Free, Breaststroke and 50 Free.
This is the first year that Kimber has swum competitively. She continues to learn and refine her swimming skills at a remarkable pace. She has quickly learned all four strokes and the IM. At her rate of improvement, it was just a matter of time until she would start winning races in the tough 9-10 Girls age group. It came in the Backstroke when she finished with a time of 50.19, well ahead of the best competitors in the League, who were over 3 seconds behind her. She went on to win a very close 100 Freestyle by a fraction of a second by swimming a Beastly 17 seconds faster than her previous best. In fact, every race that Kimber achieved a best time in every race she swam on at the Meet.
The Sea Lions will put their 5-0 record on the line when Coolidge comes to Mammoth for the final dual meet of the season. Coolidge is a League powerhouse every year and the Sea Lions are eager to see how they match up in their home pool.
There is still time to join the team – contact Alex or Wendy Gort at 520-896-2190 or stop by the Mammoth Pool between 3:30 and 5 p.m. (Monday-Friday) for more information.
Kori Andrade (Photo by Apuron Photography)
Kimber Nehrmeyer (Photo by Apuron Photography)
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