Arizona Interscholastic Association State Championships – Division II
- November 3-4, 2023
- Skyline Aquatic Center, Mesa, AZ
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
- Division I Recap
The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) State Championships for Division II were held at the Skyline Aquatic Center in Mesa this weekend. The Millennium boys put on a dominating performance to secure their 2nd-straight title, while Desert Mountain defeated the defending champions to take the top spot on the girls’ side for the 4th year in a row.
Boys’ Recap
After narrowly winning their first-ever state championship title last year, the Millennium boys tallied an impressive 439 points this time around to win by a 169-point margin over Canyon del Oro.
Top 5 Teams:
- Millennium High School – 439
- Canyon del Oro High School – 270
- Desert Mountain High School – 265
- Catalina Foothills High School – 195
- Verrado High School – 126
Millennium won eight of the eleven events contested, led by the D2 Swimmer of the Year, Bartek Bednarz. The senior secured 1st in the 100 freestyle with a personal best time of 46.79, then went on to capture the 100 breaststroke in 57.72, also good for a personal best. Bednarz was the runner-up in both of these events last year.
In addition to his individual victories, Bednarz teamed up with Landon Suaverdez, Marcos Bravo, and Cole Faut to take 1st in the 200 medley relay (1:34.64), then closed with Suaverdez, Karsten Eichler, and Camden Hart to win the 400 freestyle relay (3:11.68).
Also contributing 1st-place finishes for Millennium was Suaverdez in the 100 back (51.33), Eichler in the 200 free (1:42.62), and Bravo in the 100 fly (50.83). The team also went three-for-three on relay titles as Faut, Bravo, Shane Stevens, and Eichler logged a 1:27.38 to top the field in the 200 freestyle relay.
Rounding out the individual winners was Catalina Foothills’ Kyle Dowe, who decisively won the 200 IM in a personal best time of 1:51.67, while Canyon del Oro senior Scott Edminston got his hand on the wall 1st in the 50 (21.02) and Desert Mountain’s Peter Shih touched 1st in the 500 (4:33.39). The diving event going to Ironwood senior Johnathan Cary, who scored a total of 457.95 points
Girls’ Recap
The girls’ side of the meet was a two-way battle between Desert Mountain and Catalina Foothills. Desert Mountain ultimately defended their title for the 4th straight year, outscoring Catalina Foothills by over 50 points.
Top 5 Teams:
- Desert Mountain High School – 365
- Catalina Foothills High School – 312
- Campo Verde High School – 231
- Canyon del Oro High School – 218
- Millennium High School – 180.5
Desert Mountain kicked things off with a dominating performance in the 200 medley relay, as the quartet of Ellie Horning, Gabbie Primiano, Emmy Therrien, and Juliette Daigneault posted a 1:44.20 to win the event by over seven seconds. The same group teamed up to capture the 400 freestyle relay, going a 3:29.47 to close out the meet.
Primiano successfully defended her individual state titles in the 200 IM in the 100 breaststroke. The Richmond commit logged a 2:03.95 in the 200 IM to come within a few tenths of her personal best, while in the 100 breast she clocked a 1:03.49, also just missing her personal best.
Therrien was another double-event winner for Desert Mountain. The junior dropped almost a second in the 100 fly to win in 54.59, then broke 5:00 for the first time to take 1st in the 500 (4:58.20). Her teammate, Daigneault was the runner-up finisher in the 500 (4:59.97) and champion in the 200 free (1:51.57).
Catalina Foothills junior Amber Janky was named this year’s D2 Swimmer of the Meet after completing a sweep of the sprint freestyle races. She won the 50 freestyle for the second year in a row with a time of 23.51, while in the 100 she clocked a personal best time of 50.97. Janky was also the anchor leg of Catalina Foothills’ 200 freestyle relay, where she joined Wren Smith, Julia Beskind, and Leila Stafford to take 1st in 1:37.85.
Willow Canyon’s Ryley Clark rounded out the individual winners in the pool with a victory in the 100 backstroke, clocking a 56.48.
The 1-meter state record fell during the diving portion of the meet, as Cactus Shadows junior Iona Moffat scored 520.45 points to improve on Delaney Schnell’s previous mark of 504.14 from 2013.
D3 anyone….anyone?
I was lap swimming with a lady whose son swam on a one of the Tucson High schools. He swam a 1:43 200 freestyle and a 4″36 500 yard freestyle. he might get to go the U of A with those times. I don’t know much about the winner Desert Mountain. but its good to know.