Bailey Yost took first place in the 100 m free with a time of 58:19. Second place went to Emily McLaughlin with 1:00.29 and third place to Ada Tripp with 1:03.15. Courtesy photo
BY STU CORLISS
Hilltoppers Swimming Coach
The swimming Hilltoppers travelled to the Belen Invitational at Belen High School Natatorium Saturday where they continued their winning ways.
The Topper girls won team honors with 354 points, ahead of Belen 243, Las Lunas 109, and Hope Christian 101.
The boys claimed the team title with 322 points, followed by Belen 155, Hope Christian 122, Las Lunas 60, and Valencia 42.
In conjunction with the Belen Invitational, junior Kyle Hatler set a Los Alamos high school record for diving on Friday night at Walkup (468.20 points for 11 dives). The old mark was 426.40 points.
Picking up new state provisional standards in the Hub City were junior Sylvia Holesinger (200 free, 100 back), senior Bailey Yost (100 free), senior Katherine Elton (100 breast), and middle schooler Sophia Pieck (500 free).
On the boys’ side, junior Wayne Williams eclipsed the state standard in the 50 free with a quick relay leadoff (23.39). Senior Konstantin Nelson posted a state qualifying mark in the 100 fly (54.15), an event in which he was state runner-up in 2021. Rookie Duncan Henderson dominated the 200 IM (2:06.26), and collected his fourth provisional state time.
Senior co-captain Takuma Shiina beat the state standard in 100 fly and chopped considerable time off his state seed in the 100 breast.
Junior Andy Corliss improved his 100 breast state seed in his winning effort. Corliss led a 1-2-3-4 sweep for the Toppers in the 100 freestyle (50.07), ahead of Konstantin Nelson, Caleb Kerstiens, and Wayne Williams.
Since the Toppers were allowed only limited Belen entries due to health orders, some of Los Alamos’ top-ranked boys took a week off from competition in preparation for the Academy dual meet on May 1.
Taking a break from the Belen meet was junior Orion Henderson who leads the NMAA in 6 of the 11 swimming events this season: 200 free, 500 free, 200 IM, 100 fly and two relays. Senior breaststroker Max Corliss and junior sprinter Matias Rougier also took the week off from competition.
Belen Invitational
April 24, 2021 Belen, NM
Girls
200 medley relay: Los Alamos 2:03.63 (SQT) (Pieck, Yost, Ronning, Elton), Belen 2:17.28
200 free: Sylvia Holesinger LAHS 2:06.94 (SQT), Sienna Nordquist HOPE 2:09.09, Emily McLaughlin LAHS 2:14.35
200 individual medley: Olivia Johnson HOPE 2:45.77, Rio Romero LLUN 3:00.67
50: Katherine Elton LAHS 27.30, Kamaya Ronning LAHS 27.64, Samantha Gallegos BELE 28.06, Ada Tripp LAHS 29.07, Gabriella Sanchez BELE 29.26, Jazlynn Garcia LLUN 29.74, Isabella Landavazo BELE 29.92, Annebelle Zonotti LLUN 30.24
1m dive: Anna Clark LAHS 209.45 (SQ), Annie Beus LAHS 203.35, Olivia Schmidt LAHS 167.25, Heidi Sheppard LAHS 150.60
100 fly: Sienna Nordquist HOPE 1:05.49,Kamaya Ronning LAHS 1:07.63, Phoebe Davis HOPE 1:07.89
100 free: Bailey Yost LAHS 58.19 (SQT), Emily McLaughlin LAHS 1:00.29, Ada Tripp LAHS 1:03.15, Isabella Landavazo BELE 1:09.43, J. Garcia LLUN 1:10.83, Rio Romero LLUN 1:13.35
500: Sophia Pieck LAHS 5:37.16 (SQT)
200 free relay: Los Alamos 1:51.96 (McLaughlin, Ronning, Clark, Elton), Belen 1:58.08, Belen B 2:44.11
100 back: Sylvia Holesinger LAHS 1:04.17 (SQT),Sophia Pieck LAHS 1:06.25, Bailey Yost LAHS 1:10.12, Anna Clark LAHS 1:10.43, Iris Silva BELE 1:12.43, Olivia Johnson HOPE 1:16.64
100 breast: Katherine Elton LAHS 1:12.89 (SQT), Annebelle Zonotti LLUN 1:30.08, Samantha Barela LLUN 1:30.34, Felicity Barela LLUN 1:33.74
400 free relay: Los Alamos 3:59.47 (SQT) (Tripp, Holesinger, Yost, Pieck), Belen 4:45.05
Girls Team Scores: Los Alamos Hilltoppers 354, Belen 243, Las Lunas 109, Hope 101.
Boys
200 medley relay: Los Alamos 1:44.70 (SQT) (Sutton, A Corliss, K Nelson, Williams), Belen 1:59.60
200 free: Eric Burns LAHS 1:58.45, Victor Porta HOPE 2:00.86, Mateo Gallindo HOPE 2:06.18
200 individual medley: Duncan Henderson LAHS 2:06.26 (SQT), Dylan Jones BELE 2:18.70
50: Charlie Gibbs HOPE 23.25, Cristofori Sanchez BELE 24.76, Connor Matthews VALE 25.47
1m dive: Kyle Hatler LAHS 276.20 (6 dives), 468.20 (11 dives = new Los Alamos HS school record, old 426.40 points)
100 fly: Konstantin Nelson LAHS 54.15 (SQT), Takuma Shiina LAHS 57.83 (SQT), Joshua Jones 1:00.17, Duncan Henderson LAHS 1:03.50
100 free: Andy Corliss LAHS 50.07 (SQT), Konstantin Nelson LAHS 51.44 (SQT), Caleb Kerstiens LAHS 53.26, Wayne Williams LAHS 53.49, Charlie Gibbs HOPE 53.54, Hayden Sutton LAHS 53.59, Cristofori Sanchez BELE 53.61
500: Eric Burns LAHS 5:42.56
200 free relay: Los Alamos 1:36.63 (SQT) (Williams, Burns, K Nelson, Henderson)
100 back: Joshua Jones LLUN 1:01.74, Hayden Sutton LAHS 1:01.90,Connor Matthews VALE 1:02.11
100 breast: Andy Corliss LAHS 1:02.21 (SQT), Takuma Shiina LAHS 1:04.76 (SQT), Wayne Williams LAHS 1:08.06
400 free relay: Los Alamos 3:31.31 (SQT) (Sutton, Kerstiens, Takuma Shiina, Andy Corliss)
Boys Team scores: Los Alamos Hilltoppers 322, Belen 155, Hope 124, Las Lunas 60, Valencia 42