Carlsbad High swim teams finish regular season poised for postseason glory in February

Mike Smith, Carlsbad Current-Argus
·3 min read

A broken school record and two more qualifiers for the state swim meet next month in Albuquerque left Carlsbad High School swimming and diving coach Moranda Madero satisfied after wrapping up the regular season Saturday at a swim meet in Artesia.

The Cavemen and Cavegirls competed at the Artesia Invitational along with Alamogordo, Lovington, Artesia, New Mexico Military Institute (NMMI) and Gateway Christian School from Roswell.

The Cavemen won the boys title and the Cavegirls placed second behind the host Artesia Lady Bulldogs.

More:Cavegirls take 8th at NM Swimming Championships

Cavegirls set school record in relay event

Carlsbad broke a four-year-old school record in the girls 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:54.20. Sophia Corder, Olivia Jang, Payton Jones and Colette Dhenin propelled the Cavegirls to victory.

Corder was a freshman when the Cavegirls set the school record in 2019.

“It’s my senior year and I finally broke it again,” she said.

Swimmers hit the pool during the Artesia Invitational Jan. 21, 2023.
Swimmers hit the pool during the Artesia Invitational Jan. 21, 2023.

Corder and her 400 teammates placed second in the 200-yard freestyle relay at 1:48.03. She also took home first place in the 200-yard intermediate with a time of 2:15.52. Dhenin was second at 2:20.77 and Jang finished fourth.

Corder finished second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:10.55, and said she was excited watching her teammates qualify for state.

“It really just made me happy. This is the best meet I’ve ever been in,” she said.

Madero was pleased with Corder’s performances during the Artesia meet.

More:Cavegirls win at 2022 Wildcat Invitation swim meet

“She was one of the loudest cheering people there as well and had fun and raced great. She needed this weekend to feel confident and move on into championship season,” Madero said.

Cavemen earn first place medals

Gabe Wittmayer won the boys 200-yard freestyle race with a time of 2:05.45. Cale Corbin placed fifth at 2:26.85.

Mason Dhenin won the boys 500-yard freestyle event with a time of 5:30.05. He and Wittmayer along with Dane Naylor and Ty Longoria won the boys 400-yard freestyle relay with a time of 3:48.05.

Coach Madero analyzes season

Madero said 11 Carlsbad swimmers qualified for the New Mexico Activities Association Swimming and Diving Championships Feb. 17 and Feb. 18 in Albuquerque.

Swimmers compete at the Artesia Invitational Jan. 23, 2023. The Carlsbad Cavemen finished first and the Cavegirls took second.
Swimmers compete at the Artesia Invitational Jan. 23, 2023. The Carlsbad Cavemen finished first and the Cavegirls took second.

Madero said the season was “super emotional” after starting off on rough footing.

“We finally got our bearings racing wise. At the beginning of the season, it’s one or two people you expect to make time. Now we’re more of a cohesive team and dropping time and swimming faster. That’s what I like to see,” she said.

Madero said the swimmers will have a break this week as the team prepares for the district championships Feb. 4 in Hobbs.

“They’ll start resting all their energy and hopefully they’ll swim even faster and then we’re good,” she said.

More:Cavegirls swim team to compete in state championship

Mike Smith can be reached at 575-628-5546 or by email at MSmith@currentargus.com or @ArgusMichae on Twitter

This article originally appeared on Carlsbad Current-Argus: Carlsbad High School swim team ends regular season in Artesia