(From left) Fifth grader Maria Smith, seventh grader Stella Buness and coach Jamie Roberts completed a 1,650-yard freestyle swim in memory of their friend and teammate Kara Heller while at the Southeast Championship in Juneau during the first weekend of April.
Young swimmers from Wrangell joined others from across Southeast, winning some top spots and with most of the team setting personal bests at a regional swim meet in Juneau.
Eight members of the Wrangell Swim Club competed with almost 200 swimmers from across the region April 5-7 at the Dimond Park Aquatic Center in Juneau for the 2024 Savanna Cayce Southeast Championship.
The team swam a total of 45 individual events and two relays, out of which 41 individual swims and relays featured personal-best times. Swimmers who placed in the top eight in a combined total of 12 individual events were Hailey Gablehouse, Ayla Harris, Claire Rooney, Maria Smith, Lily Stearns and Ethan Whitaker.
Swim coach Jamie Roberts joined Maria and Stella Buness to swim the 1,650-yard freestyle in memory of 11-year-old Kara Heller, who had planned to swim the freestyle at this meet. This swimming competition was the first for both Maria and Roberts.
Kara died with her family when the Nov. 20 landslide destroyed their home near 11-Mile Zimovia Highway.
Roberts said she was impressed with the improvements her team made since their last meet. "They did not shy away from challenging swims."
The coach said Ethan was the first swimmer she has trained who competed in all three individual medley races, 100-, 200- and 300-yard, at the same meet.
Results (times marked with "pb" indicate "personal best")
Girls 9-10, 100-yard freestyle: Hailey Gablehouse, 11th place (1:25.46; pb)
Girls 9-10, 200-yard freestyle: Hailey Gablehouse, sixth place (3:20.47; pb)
Girls 9-10, 50-yard backstroke: Hailey Gablehouse, 14th place (47.25; pb)
Girls 9-10, 50-yard butterfly: Hailey Gablehouse, 16th place (50.91; pb)
Girls 9-10, 100-yard individual medley: Hailey Gablehouse, 11th place (1:43.93; pb)
Girls 11-12, 50-yard freestyle: Lily Stearns, 14th place (34.77; pb); Claire Rooney, 26th place (38.73; pb)
Girls 11-12, 100-yard freestyle: Lily Stearns, 10th place (1:14.11; pb); Maria Smith, 20th place (1:23.61; pb); Ayla Harris 28th place (1:32.41; pb)
Boys 11-12, 100-yard freestyle: Ethan Whitaker, 21st place (1:2306; pb)
Girls 11-12, 200-yard freestyle: Lily Stearns, second place (2:44.26; pb); Claire Rooney sixth place (3:04.51; pb); Ayla Harris eighth place (3:12.23)
Boys 11-12, 200-yard freestyle: Ethan Whitaker, 13th place (3:04.95; pb)
Girls 11-12, 500-yard freestyle: Lily Stearns, third place (7:27.06; pb); Claire Rooney eighth place (8:08.79; pb)
Boys 11-12, 500-yard freestyle: Ethan Whitaker, ninth place (8:14.54; pb)
Girls 11-12, 1650-yard freestyle: Maria Smith, third place (29:39.22; pb)
Girls 11-12, 50-yard backstroke: Ayla Harris, 25th place (49.91; pb)
Girls 11-12, 100-yard backstroke: Ayla Harris, 16th place (1:56.80)
Boys 11-12, 100-yard backstroke: Ethan Whitaker, eighth place (1:41.86; pb)
Girls 11-12, 100-yard breaststroke: Lily Stearns, seventh place (1:33.48; pb)
Girls 11-12, 200-yard breaststroke: Lily Stearns, fifth place (3:21.23; pb)
Girls 11-12, 50-yard butterfly: Claire Rooney, 14th place (43.40; pb); Lily Stearns, 15th place (43.46; pb); Ayla Harris, 22nd place (49.50; pb)
Girls 11-12, 100-yard butterfly: Ayla Harris, seventh place (1:58.01; pb)
Girls 11-12, 100-yard individual medley: Claire Rooney, 10th place (1:37.84; pb)
Boys 11-12, 100-yard individual medley: Ethan Whitaker, 14th place (1:48.42; pb)
Boys 11-12, 200-yard individual medley: Ethan Whitaker, ninth place (2:41.20; pb)
Boys 11-12, 400-yard individual medley: Ethan Whitaker, eighth place (7:49.23: pb)
Girls 13 and over, 50-yard freestyle: Stella Buness, 25th place (34.73; pb); Arabella Nore, 26th place (36.04; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 100-yard freestyle: Stella Buness, 27th place (1:19.63; pb); Arabella Nore, 28th place (1:21.00; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 200-yard freestyle: Arabella Nore, 17th place (3:01.76); Stella Buness, 18th place (3:04.42)
Girls 13 and over, 500-yard freestyle: Stella Buness, ninth place (7:53.53; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 1,650-yard freestyle: Stella Buness, 11th place (27:12.45; pb); Jamie Roberts (31:31.45; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 100-yard breaststroke: Stella Buness, 17th place (2:09.55; pb); Arabella Nore 18th place (2:12.37; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 100-yard butterfly: Stella Buness, 11th place (1:57.09; pb)
Girls 13 and over, 200-yard individual medley: Arabella Nore, 15th place (3:36.06; pb)
Girls 14 and under, 200-yard medley relay: Claire Rooney, Lily Stearns, Arabella Nore, Hailey Gablehouse, second place (2:42.88; pb)
Girls 14 and under, 200-yard freestyle relay: Lily Stearns, Stella Buness, Claire Rooney, Arabella Nore, fifth place (2:22.18; pb)
Reader Comments(0)