Idaho state swimming: Boise boys are 5A champs again. Bishop Kelly sweeps 4A titles
A trio of juniors powered the Boise High boys swim team to its seventh consecutive state championship Saturday at Boise’s West YMCA. And with all three returning next season, there’s no sign of the Brave swim dynasty ending anytime soon.
Ben Stucky, Tyler Quarterman and Milo Shue led the charge as Boise ran away with the 5A boys team title. The Brave finished with 256 points, leaving them 84 points ahead of second-place Timberline.
The staggering point total came even though Boise’s 200-yard freestyle relay team was disqualified in Friday’s preliminary round, costing the Brave a shot at the bounty of points available in the relays.
“I’m so happy for the boys,” Boise coach Jeff Erwin said. “They just swam out of their minds.”
Stucky admitted he left Friday’s preliminaries disappointed with his performance. But he credited the team for picking him up Friday night, and he rewarded them with four first-place medals Saturday.
He repeated as the 100-yard backstroke champ (51.62 seconds), adding another individual title in the 200 individual medley (1:57.14). He also teamed with Quarterman and Shue to lead Boise to the 400 freestyle relay title (3:16.38) and an all-time state record in the 200 medley relay (1:37.02).
The Idaho High School Activities Association only began sponsoring an official state tournament in 2018. Boise’s 200 medley relay time broke all records even before the IHSAA became involved, Erwin said.
“We just have pretty good chemistry and we’re all pretty good friends,” Stucky said. “... We’re all there to support each other, which is really important, especially in swimming.
“If you do bad in prelims, you can get down. That was me yesterday. But they really helped me a lot.”
Quarterman and Shue added individual medals of their own too. Quarterman bested the field in the 100 butterfly (52.08), and Shue reached the wall first in the 100 freestyle (47.62).
The trio led Boise to 154 points. Boise added 109 more points with nine other swimmers getting on the scoreboard, including Alexander Patrick, Evan Jordan, Christopher Beckley, Evan DiVittorio, Sean Rethy, Blake Ediss, Connor Pentzer, Seth Carrell and Mason Lawyer.
Idaho crowned state champions last season. But it did not host a state meet due to the coronavirus pandemic, instead using times from districts to award virtual state titles.
Swimmers returned from around the state to Boise’s West YMCA. But fans were not allowed into the swim center.
Clutching the state championship banner, Stucky said this year’s title meant more.
“This one is way better because we can see our competition,” Stucky said. “This state (meet) has probably been one of the fastest states that I’ve seen. … It’s nice to see that Idaho is getting bigger and better.”
LAKE CITY GIRLS END BOISE’S REIGN
The Boise girls’ run of eight state titles ended Saturday, with Lake City edging the Brave by nine points with 230.5 points for the 5A girls team championship.
The Timberwolves dethroned the Brave with just two first-place medals, instead using their depth to overwhelm the field.
Lake City sophomore Gabrielle Garasky scored a first-place finish and 16 points in the 100 freestyle (53.54). She then swam the anchor leg of Lake City’s championship 400 freestyle relay team (3:37.17) in the final event of the meet, adding 32 points to the Timberwolves’ total and clinching the title.
But Boise didn’t leave empty handed. Junior Kayla Wieckowski added two more individual state medals to her growing haul. She won the 500 freestyle for the third time at 5:06.46, and she went back-to-back as the 200 freestyle champ at 1:54.29.
She also swam the anchor leg of Boise’s winning 200 freestyle relay (1:40.03).
TIMBERLINE’S FOUR-TIME STATE CHAMP
Jillian Moses ended her high school career back where she belongs, standing atop the 100 breaststroke podium at the 5A girls meet.
The Timberline senior won her fourth state title in the event Saturday, touching the wall at 1:05.39 — 1.52 seconds ahead of freshman teammate Kathy Nie.
Moses described the moment as a mix of emotions. She was proud of the accomplishment, but also sad that it marks the end of her high school career.
“It’s a crazy thought to me,” Moses said of winning four state titles in a single event. “I’m kind of speechless. To me, it shows the hard work I’ve put into it. It makes me proud that I’ve been able to accomplish this.”
Moses also left with another prize Saturday, an elusive state championship in 200 individual medley (2:08.20). She finished second in the race each of the past two years, and entered the meet as the second overall seed.
“That was my favorite race, actually,” Moses said. “I was super surprised because I knew it was gonna be a tight race going in. But I was super excited. So, it was a good senior year for me.”
BISHOP KELLY SWEEPS 4A TITLES AGAIN
The Knights brought home the first-place boys and girls team titles for the second straight year, continuing their run of dominance.
The Bishop Kelly girls ran away with a second straight team title, winning eight of the 11 races to rack up 224.5 points, 73.5 points of second-place Sandpoint. And they did it largely with a group of underclassmen.
Freshman Lucy Penna and juniors Emma Conger, Gabriella Stanton and Grace Gunther each left with several first-place medals around their necks.
Conger won a pair of individual medals for the second straight year, defending her title in the 100 backstroke (1:03.20) and adding a first-place finish in the 100 butterfly (1:02.79).
Penna also won a pair of individual races, taking first place in the 50 freestyle (25.32) and 500 freestyle (5:19.63).
Stanton added a 200 individual medley title (2:21.18). And all three swam legs of Bishop Kelly’s 200 medley (1:56.53) and 400 freestyle (3:51.35) championship relay teams.
Gunther rounded out Bishop Kelly’s first-place finishers with a 100 breaststroke title (1:11.33). She also swam a leg of the 200 medley relay team.
Saturday also marked the third consecutive state title for the Bishop Kelly boys, who finished with 179 points, 17 ahead of Moscow in second place.
Sophomore Shae Stratton carried the Knights, winning the 100 backstroke (53.23) and leading Bishop Kelly to wins in the 200 medley relay (1:42.19) and the 400 freestyle relay (3:21.63).
He helped the Knights rack up 80 points, and Bishop Kelly used its depth to add 99 more for the title.
MORE LOCAL STATE CHAMPIONS
Skyview brought home three titles from the 5A girls meet to finish third as a team. The Hawks won the opening 200 medley relay (1:49.79). Sophomore Brianna Ruark and freshman Nicole Dumitrascu both swam legs of the relay, and Ruark added a 100 butterfly title (56.72) and Dumitrascu won the 100 backstroke (58.36).
Rocky Mountain senior Ansley Pittard won the 5A girls 50 freestyle (24.57) after finishing second in the event a year ago.
Timberline senior Max Wolf repeated as the 5A boys 100 breaststroke champ at 57.31 seconds. He also led the Wolves to the 200 freestyle relay title (1:31.59) as the anchor leg.
Centennial senior Terungwa Tardzer edged Shue for the 5A boys title in the 50 freestyle at 21.48 seconds, 0.16 seconds ahead of Shue.
Idaho 5A State Swim Meet
Friday-Saturday
At West YMCA, Boise
Girls team scores: 1, Lake City 230.5. 2, Boise 221.5. 3, Skyview 179.5. 4, Rocky Mountain 159. 5, Timberline 136. 6, Eagle 69. 7, Capital 56. 8, Coeur d’Alene 46. 9, Mountain View 39. 10, Highland 32.
11, Meridian 19. 12, Thunder Ridge 18.5. t-13, Borah 13. t-13, Owyhee 13. 15, Centennial 10. 16, Lewiston 9. 17, Rigby 8. 18, Post Falls 4. 19, Idaho Falls 3.
Girls individual results
200 medley relay: 1, Skyview 1:49.79. 2, Boise 1:52.11. 3, Lake City 1:52.25.
200 freestyle: 1, Kayla Wieckowski, Boise, 1:54.29. 2, Gabrielle Garasky, Lake City, 1:56.52. 3, Ella Bureau, Boise, 1:58.40.
200 IM: 1, Jillian Moses, Timberline, 2:08.20. 2, Riley Taylor, Lake City, 2:09.58. 3, Nicole Dumitrascu, Skyview, 2:10.45.
50 freestyle: 1, Ansley Pittard, Rocky Mountain, 24.57. 2, Ellie McFarland, Timberline, 24.94. 3, Analee Schaffer, Skyview, 24.99.
100 butterfly: 1, Brianna Ruark, Skyview, 56.72. 2, Abigayle Jones, Capital, 58.55. 3, Aubrey Bureau, Boise, 59.45.
100 freestyle: 1, Gabrielle Garasky, Lake City, 53.54. 2, Ansley Pittard, Rocky Mountain, 53.65. 3, Keegan Near, Rocky Mountain, 54.01.
500 freestyle: 1, Kayla Wieckowski, Boise, 5:06.46. 2, Pema Anain, Lake City, 5:33.56. 3, Ellie Braun, Rocky Mountain, 5:37.89.
200 freestyle relay: 1, Boise 1:40.03. 2, Lake City 1:42.32. 3, Rocky Mountain 1:42.81.
100 backstroke: 1, Nicole Dumitrascu, Skyview, 58.36. 2, Riley Taylor, Lake City, 58.39. 3, Sofia Shuler, Boise, 1:00.04.
100 breaststroke: 1, Jillian Moses, Timberline, 1:05.39. 2, Kathy Nie, Timberline, 1:06.91. 3, Madelynn Johnson, Meridian, 1:07.92.
400 freestyle relay: 1, Lake City 3:37.17. 2, Boise 3:41.32. 3, Skyview 3:41.63.
Boys team scores: 1, Boise 256. 2, Timberland 172. 3, Lake City 154. 4, Idaho Falls 132. 5, Thunder Ridge 98. 6, Meridian 95. t-7, Eagle 77. t-7, Coeur d’Alene 77. 9, Centennial 57. 10, Mountain View 37.
11, Lewiston 30. 12, Post Falls 26. 13, Madison 16. 14, Owyhee 11. 15, Rocky Mountain 7. 16, Capital 3.
Boys individual results
200 medley relay: 1, Boise 1:37.02. 2, Timberline 1:40.27. 3, Idaho Falls 1:42.38.
200 freestyle: 1, Logan Robillard, Lake City, 1:44.10. 2, Evan Jordan, Boise, 1:54.42. 3, Alexander Patrick, Boise, 1:56.26.
200 IM: 1, Ben Stucky, Boise, 1:57.14. 2, Holton Bundy, Thunder Ridge, 2:02.53. 3, Mason Groth, Coeur D’Alene, 2:03.39.
50 freestyle: 1, Terungwa Tardzer, Centennial, 21.48. 2, Milo Shue, Boise, 21.64. 3, Luke Mastroberardino, Lewiston, 22.23.
100 butterfly: 1, Tyler Quarterman, Boise, 52.08. 2, Mason Groth, Coeur D’Alene, 52.69. 3, Blake Ediss, Boise, 54.62.
100 freestyle: 1, Milo Shue, Boise, 47.62. 2, Terungwa Tardzer, Centennial, 47.93. 3, Max Wolf, Timberline, 48.48.
500 freestyle: 1, Logan Robillard, Lake City, 4:42.28. 2, Tyler Quarterman, Boise, 4:43.94. 3, John Fritz, Lake City, 5:10.18.
200 freestyle relay: 1, Timberline 1:31.59. 2, Thunder Ridge 1:31.87. 3, Eagle 1:33.00.
100 backstroke: 1, Ben Stucky, Boise, 51.62. 2, Ethan Grimes, Idaho Falls, 52.10. 3, Benjamin Linford, Lake City, 56.27.
100 breaststroke: 1, Max Wolf, Timberline, 57.31. 2, Holton Bundy, Thunder Ridge, 59.10. 3, Bryant Cox, Meridian, 1:01.30.
400 freestyle relay: 1, Boise 3:16.38. 2, Lake City 3:23.50. 3, Idaho Falls 3:25.28.
Idaho 4A State Swim Meet
Friday-Saturday
At West YMCA, Boise
Girls team scores: 1, Bishop Kelly 224.5. 2, Sandpoint 151. 3, Lighthouse Christian 138. 4, Skyline 83. 5, Twin Falls 74. 6, Declo 58. 7, Century 55.5. 8, Moscow 54. 9, Minico 53. t-10, Burley 44. t-10, Wood River 44.
12, Cole Valley Christian 43. t-13, Kimberly 35. t-13, Lakeland 35. 15, Canyon Ridge 29. 16, Mountain Home 23. t-17, Columbia 23. t-17, Vallivue 23. 19, Nampa Christian 21. 20, Jerome 18. 21, Middleton 10. 22, Cascade 5. 23, Hillcrest 4. 24, Ridgevue 3. 25, Bonneville 1.
Girls individual results
200 medley relay: 1, Bishop Kelly 1:56.53. 2, Lighthouse Christian 2:01.30. 3, Twin Falls 2:06.66.
200 freestyle: 1, Julia Miller, Twin Falls, 2:02.82. 2, Julia Hill, Cole Valley Chri, 2:07.37. 3, Emily Ballard, Sandpoint, 2:07.78.
200 IM: 1, Gabriella Stanton, Bishop Kelly, 2:21.18. 2, Charlotte Loomis, Wood River, 2:24.95. 3, Gianna Cervantes, Vallivue, 2:26.44.
50 freestyle: 1, Lucy Penna, Bishop Kelly, 25.32. 2, Asha Thomson, Lighthouse Chris, 25.64. 3, Ryleigh Bamer, Sandpoint, 26.27.
100 butterfly: 1, Emma Conger, Bishop Kelly, 1:02.79. 2, Ryleigh Bamer, Sandpoint, 1:04.56. 3, Morea Taitai, Lighthouse Chris, 1:05.62.
100 freestyle: 1, Asha Thomson, Lighthouse Chris, 55.53. 2, Courtney Thueson, Columbia, 57.91. 3, Natalie Baker, Mountain Home, 59.07.
500 freestyle: 1, Lucy Penna, Bishop Kelly, 5:19.63. 2, Julia Miller, Twin Falls, 5:35.71. 3, Julia Hill, Cole Valley Chri, 5:43.85.
200 freestyle relay: 1, Sandpoint 1:48.83. 2, Bishop Kelly 1:49.11. 3, Lighthouse Christian 1:50.37.
100 backstroke: 1, Emma Conger, Bishop Kelly, 1:03.20. 2, Charlotte Loomis, Wood River, 1:04.59. 3, Alisa Hill, Nampa Christian, 1:05.51.
100 breaststroke: 1, Grace Gunther, Bishop Kelly, 1:11.33. 2, Gabrielle Thomson, Lighthouse Chris, 1:15.03. 3, Sydney Garrity, Lakeland, 1:17.00.
400 freestyle relay: 1, Bishop Kelly 3:51.35. 2, Sandpoint 3:55.00. 3, Skyline 4:07.31.
Boys team scores: 1, Bishop Kelly 179. 2, Moscow 162. 3, Skyline 121. 4, Sandpoint 116. 5, Century 106. 6, Twin Falls 83. 7, Burley 81. 8, Middleton 60. 9, Canyon Ridge 56. 10, Jerome 49.
t-11, Minico 47. t-11, Lighthouse Christian 47. 13, Wood River 32. 14, Declo 26. 15, Oakley 22. 16, Nampa Christian 16. t-17, Lakeland 10. t-17, Bonneville 10. 19, Riverstone 9. 20, Kimberly 8. 21, Ridgevue 4. t-22, Vision Charter 1. t-22, Hillcrest 1.
Boys individual results
200 medley relay: 1, Bishop Kelly 1:42.19. 2, Moscow 1:43.60. 3, Century 1:45.53.
200 freestyle: 1, Gavin Dustin, Skyline, 1:46.19. 2, Caleb Norling, Sandpoint, 1:49.11. 3, Reid Johnson, Moscow, 1:49.98.
200 IM: 1, Caleb Daniel, Skyline, 2:05.97. 2, Tylar Pittock, Lighthouse Chris, 2:07.13. 3, Carson Reis, Twin Falls, 2:09.89.
50 freestyle: 1, Jackson Rasmussen, Burley, 21.95. 2, Hayden Leavitt, Sandpoint, 22.02. 3, Micah Wolbrecht, Moscow, 22.12.
100 butterfly: 1, Reid Johnson, Moscow, 53.06. 2, Austin Knowles, Declo, 55.20. 3, Brec Thomas, Canyon Ridge, 58.14.
100 freestyle: 1, Jackson Rasmussen, Burley, 48.61. 2, Hayden Leavitt, Sandpoint, 49.18. 3, Caleb Norling, Sandpoint, 49.36.
500 freestyle: 1, Gavin Dustin, Skyline, 4:56.24. 2, AJ Schnitzeler, Lighthouse Chris, 5:17.59. 3, Cameron Schauer, Bishop Kelly, 5:18.88.
200 freestyle relay: 1, Century 1:33.10. 2, Skyline 1:34.62. 3, Sandpoint 1:35.18.
100 backstroke: 1, Shae Stratton, Bishop Kelly, 53.23. 2, Ethan Baird, Moscow, 56.44. 3, Ian Schlater, Moscow, 58.92.
100 breaststroke: 1, Micah Wolbrecht, Moscow, 1:01.71. 2, Austin Knowles, Declo, 1:01.73. 3, John Kaiser, Century, 1:02.81.
400 freestyle relay: 1, Bishop Kelly 3:21.63. 2, Moscow 3:27.73. 3, Sandpoint 3:29.24.
This story was originally published November 7, 2021 at 4:00 AM.
