Clovis girls swimmers first, boys second

HOBBS — “Excellent, excellent.”

That was how Clovis swim coach Gordy Westerberg described his boys and girls teams’ performances at last weekend’s Hobbs Invite.

And for good reason. The girls finished first, the boys second, among seven teams.

“I was really, really thrilled,” Coach Westerberg said.

Especially after getting eight first-place finishes and five new state-qualifying times.

Clovis’ first-place finishers were: the girls 200 medley relay team of Shyann Kissinger, Bella Zamora, Nina Mead and Hannah Luscombe (1:56.25); Zamora in the girls 50 (25.33) and 100 (54.69) freestyles; Amber Westerberg in the girls 100 butterfly (1:04.67); Luscombe in the girls 500 freestyle (5:28.83); Riki Aponte in the boys 500 free (5:46.07); Thomas Palla in the boys 100 backstroke (1:03.54); and the girls 400 free relay team of Mead, Kiara Morgan, Kissinger and Katie Reeb (3:56.57).

The new state-qualifiers were: Amber Westerberg, with her victorious 100 butterfly time and second-place time of 2:07.39 in the girls 200 freestyle; Luscombe’s winning girls 500 free time; Tabitha May’s third-place time (5:42.92) in the girls 500 free; and Mead for her leadoff leg (57.59) in the girls 400 free relay team’s winning time.

Clovis also had 11 second-place finishers, including Amber Westerberg’s above-listed second in the girls 200 free. Standing out among the other 10 was Mead with two seconds — in the girls 50 freestyle (26.65) and 100 butterfly (1:05.05).

Other second-place finishers for Clovis were: Kissinger in the girls 200 individual medley (2:19.53); Palla in the boys 200 i.m. (2:17.97); Katie Reeb in the girls 500 freestyle (5:32.99); the girls 200 free relay team of Lexi Spears, May, Amber Westerberg and Jakoda Culley (1:54.61); Luscombe in the girls 100 backstroke (1:04.40); the girls 400 freestyle relay team of Luscombe, May, Culley and Zamora (4:00.22); and the boys 400 free relay team of Clayton Hogan, Palla, William Longhenry and Porter Kidd, with a 3:45.80 time that was less than two seconds away from a state-qualifier.

Clovis had 10 third-place finishers: the girls 200 medley relay team of Amber Westerberg, Katie Reeb, Spears and Morgan (2:05.92); the boys 200 medley relay team of Kidd, Palla, Longhenry and Hogan (2:00.0); May in the girls 200 freestyle, where her 2:08.30 time was just a hundredth off a state-qualifying mark; Kriday Andiboina in the boys 200 free (2:14.21); Katie Reeb in the girls 200 individual medley (2:23.43); Hogan in the boys 50 freestyle (25.10); Spears in the girls 100 butterfly (1:13.26); Longhenry in the boys 100 freestyle (57.06); May’s state-qualifying time in the girls 500 free; and Kissinger in the girls 100 breaststroke (1:20.70).

Clovis’ fourth-place finishers were: Culley in the girls 200 individual medley (2:35.48); Longhenry in the boys 200 i.m. (2:30.51); and Hogan in the boys 100 butterfly (1:03.78).

And, the boys 200 free relay team of Aponte, Andiboina, Hayden Stewart and Kidd placed sixth (1:54.03).

Clovis is off this weekend and will resume action at the District 3/4 meet in Carlsbad on Feb. 9.

“We’re going to have a tough fight to win the girls side,” Coach Westerberg said. “That’s always a battle we can win or we can be second.”

Coach Westerberg says Hobbs is likely the favorite in the boys competition.

“We’ve got a shot at second on the boys side,” he said. “Most likely I think it’ll be between us and Las Cruces for second.”