The Fountain Hills High School swim team has two meets this week, including a state qualifying meet this Saturday, Sept. 17. The Falcons swam fast in their first meet on Sept. 1, and several swimmers beat the state provisional cut, but they’ll need to swim that fast or better this weekend to officially qualify for state.

According to head coach Patti Schultz, every Falcon set a new personal record at the season opener against Basis Phoenix and Paradise Honors. The boys 200 freestyle relay team comprised of seniors Gunnar Wise and Dylan Horsfall, and juniors Keian Evans and Space Kingphakorn, put together a 1:43.09 relay time. The provisional cut for free relay in Division III is 1:47.17.

Wise swam four seconds better than his previous best on 200 free (1:56.60) and beat his 100 free PR by one second (52.32). Horsfall set a new PR in 50 free (29.4) and had a 29.1 split in the 200 free relay.

Evans set a new PR in 100 backstroke (1:02.22) and came close to his previous best on 100 butterfly (55.35). Kingphakorn set a new PR in the 200 IM (3:02.04) and had a 26.95 split in the 200 free relay.

Fellow juniors Elizabeth Franzone (3:18.53) and Brendan Davies (2:53.42) joined Kingphakorn in setting PRs in the 200 IM. Franzone also had a 31.78 split in the 200 freestyle relay and swam the 100 backstroke (1:36). Davies (1:01.69) was part of the 400 freestyle relay team that nearly beat the provisional time on its first try.

Senior Alexis Sommerschield set a PR in 100 butterfly (1:21.6), and sophomore Jacob Sommerschield set a PR in 50 free (31.4). Fellow sophomore Landon Beatty set a PR in 50 free as well (34.3).

The Falcons have four freshmen, and Ryan Miller, Colby Wright and Jacob Jones swam in a competition for the first time. Miller swam in the individual 50 free race (50.74) and then dropped four seconds during the girls 200 free relay (46.67). Wright is also on the cross country team and swam the 100 free (1:04.98), and Jones swam the 50 free (34.5) and 100 backstroke (1:30).

Freshman Natalie Owers is not like the other freshmen. She does club swimming and beat two provisional state times in her first high school race. Owers swam the 500 free (5:52.68) 16 seconds faster than her previous best and beat the provisional time (6:24.61). Owers set a PR in 200 freestyle (2:09.27) and beat the provisional time (2:20.72).

“Only qualifying meets make you eligible for state, but these are good times early in the season,” Schultz said. “[We’re] so excited for the invite in Flagstaff this weekend.”

The Falcons travel to Chandler tomorrow, Thursday, Sept. 15, to take on Mountain Point in a dual meet. The Falcons will tune up their skills and two days later, they head up to Flagstaff to race in the Fast Times in Cool Pines state qualifying meet on Saturday, Sept. 17. The qualifying meet will be held at Northern Arizona University and start at 1 p.m.