Laredo ISD made history by qualifying a record number of swimmers to the Region 8-5A Swimming and Diving Championship this weekend in Corpus Christi. LISD is advancing 27 swimmers in individual and team events making this the largest group of LISD students to advance to regionals after competing in the district 30-5A Swimming and Diving Championships held at the UISD Carroll Summers Aquatic Center.
Leading the way for LISD, is the Nixon High School swim team who qualified the largest number of competitors to regionals. Nixon will be sending 16 swimmers including the boys 200-Medley swim team who set a new school record for the 200-Medley at the District Swim Meet last weekend. Enrique Gaytan Miguel Araus, Logan Garcia and Nicolas Ferrara set the new school record.
Also advancing to regionals for Nixon in individual events were Valeria Montemayor, first place in the 200 freestyle and first place in the 100 freestyle; Dana Lescas, second place in the 200 freestyle and first place in the 500 freestyle; Alejandra Rodriguez, fifth place in the 200 freestyle and fourth place in the 500 freestyle; Faith Gomez, third place in the 200 individual medley and fifth place in the 100 freestyle; Andrea Santiago, sixth place in the 50-freestyle and eighth place in the 100 breaststroke; Yeikol Chapa, eighth place in the 50 freestyle; Isabella Gomez, sixth place in the 100 freestyle and fifth place in the 100-backstroke; Oliverio Balderas, sixth place in the 200 freestyle and sixth place in the 100 backstroke; Nicolas Ferrara, sixth place in the 50 freestyle and seventh place in the 100 freestyle; Enrique Gaytan, first place in the 100 freestyle and first place in the 100 breaststroke; Maximilliano Trevino, seventh place in the 100 backstroke; and Rodrigo Ramos, eighth place in the 100 backstroke.
In the team events, Faith Gomez, Valeria Montemayor, Dana Lescas, and Andrea Santiago placed third in the girl’s medley relays and second place in the 200 freestyle relays, while Isabella Gomez, Daisy Buford, Yeikol Chapa and Alejandra Rodriguez finished third in the 400 freestyle relays. The boy’s 400-yard freestyle relay team of Logan Garcia, Matthew Ramon, Oliverio Balderas and Miguel Araus came in third, while the boys 200-freestlye relay team of Nicolas Ferrara, Logan Garcia Miguel Araus and Enrique Gaytan finished second.
At the District Championship, the Martin girls and boys placed fourth overall. The top finishers in individual and team events were Carlos Sanchez who placed first in the 50-freestyle and second place in the 100-buterfly and the boy’s 200 Medley Relay team of Aaron Luna, Angel Hernandez, Andres Mendoza, Carlos Sanchez came in third.
The Cigarroa High School swim team will be sending nine swimmers to the regional meet, The Toros were led by the men’s 200 Medley relay team of Sergio Sosa, Hugo Banda, Damian Carrizales and Valentin Barrios who came in fourth place. The men’s 200 Freestyle relay team of Hugo Banda, Valentin Barrios, Sergio Sosa, and Lethan Solis placed fourth. Lethan Solis also placed fifth and eight in the 100 Freestyle. The girl’s 200 and 400 freestyle relay team of Jocelynn Ramos, Alessandra Hernandez, Maria Figueroa, and Linda Ramos came in fifth.
This season the Mustangs swim team, under the direction of Coach Maritza Gomez. The Martin High swim team is led by Basillo Salas, while the Cigarroa swim team is coached by Albert Gonzalez.
The swim teams, who are now in 5A Division compete in the same District with schools from the Rio Grande Valley,
The team’s practices at the Dr. Cecilia May Moreno Aquatic Center. They follow a schedule that accommodates all three LISD high schools and the high school’s tutorial schedules. On average the swim teams practices four days out of the week.