The Fountain Hills swim team just broke a school record a week before the state swim meet. The boys 400 free relay team shaved another six seconds off its previous best at the Husky Invitational and set the new Falcon record at 4:02.97.

The relay team was made up of JP Cahill, Josef Johnson, Brendan Davies and Gunnar Wise. Wise also swam the 200 IM for the first time in an invitational and qualified 24th for state. Wise and Grace Clark have qualified in four individual races for state. The limit is two events, so they will have to decide where they want to focus their efforts early this week. Wise qualified for the 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free and 100 breast. Clark qualified for the 200 IM, 50 free, 100 free and 100 back. Clark set a new PR in the 100 free (1:02.11) at the Husky Invitational.

Ender Trevena dropped four seconds off his 200 IM time, Josef Johnson set a new best of 1:01.32 in the 100 free, and Delilah Hudoba dropped two seconds off her time in the 50 free.

The girls 200 medley relay beat their seed time. Alexis Sommerschield swims butterfly for the relay and she shaved a second off her best 50 free. Elizabeth Franzone swims backstroke for the relay team, Aly Wilson swims breaststroke and Kallista Johnson finishes the relay with freestyle.

Both the boys free relay and the girls medley relay teams are under the provisional qualifying time for state; however they are only in the top 30 of Division 3. The top 24 relay teams go to state, so the Falcons will have to wait and see what other schools select to compete in. Head coach Patti Shultz said swimmers were very fast across Arizona this year.

State starts this Friday, Nov. 5, at Phoenix Country Day School and the Falcons swam there on Oct. 23. They are hitting their stride at the right time, and they know what they have to do this weekend.

“I am so proud of each swimmer for putting in the hard work this season and being resilient after a tough two years of covid restrictions,” Shultz said. “They are fighters, and our Falcons can swim!”