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Pueblo County takes S-CL regular season swim and dive title

chris abdelmalek, the pueblo chieftain
·2 min read
The start of the girls' 100-yard breaststroke at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.
The start of the girls' 100-yard breaststroke at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.

Pueblo County's girls swim and dive team took the top spot in Friday and Saturday's South-Central League finals, scoring 369 points to finish as the best among the five Pueblo-area schools and second-place Sargent. Pueblo West finished third.

The meet booked individual tickets to the upcoming state swim meet in Thornton, with many of the area's premier swimmers advancing to represent their schools.

Pueblo County's 200-yard medley relay team of Maggie Jagger, Tate Lanham, Jo Jo Essenburg and Lily Knudsen qualified for the state meet. The same team also qualified in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Lily Knudsen of Pueblo County shakes hands with Nicole Abraham of Pueblo South after the 400-yard freestyle relay at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.
Lily Knudsen of Pueblo County shakes hands with Nicole Abraham of Pueblo South after the 400-yard freestyle relay at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.

More:Leading with laughter: Pueblo Central diver leads Wildcats with fun, laid-back approach

Jagger also qualified for the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke. Lanham qualified for the 100-yard breaststroke and Essenburg and Lanham also qualified for the 100-yard butterfly with Lanham taking first and Essenburg second. Knudsen finished second in the backstroke behind Jagger but also qualified for the event for state.

Lana Kastner of Pueblo County and Taylor Jones of Pueblo West qualified for the 100-yard freestyle and Hailey Maurer of Pueblo West qualified for the butterfly and breaststroke. Maurer, along with Lauren Staples, Jordan Lucero and Jones qualified for the 200-yard freestyle relay.

Autumn Zumpf of Pueblo Central enters the water on her dive during the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.
Autumn Zumpf of Pueblo Central enters the water on her dive during the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.

Pueblo West had diver Kenzee Pfiefer take home first with a final score of 373.60. She, along with Central's Autumn Zumpf and Molly Charles, will join Centennial freshman Novalee Ahyo as the four Pueblo athletes who will compete in the dive competition at the state finals.

To go along with the athletes earning their spot in the state finals, individual regular-season awards were handed out at the end of the league finals on Saturday.

2023 South-Central League Diver of the Year

Kenzee Pfeifer of Pueblo West High School completes her dive at the South-Central League finals held Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023
Kenzee Pfeifer of Pueblo West High School completes her dive at the South-Central League finals held Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023

Kenzee Pfeifer, Pueblo Wet

2023 South-Central League Swimmer of the Year (tie)

Maggie Jagger of Pueblo County smiles as she exits the pool after winning the 100-yard backstroke at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.
Maggie Jagger of Pueblo County smiles as she exits the pool after winning the 100-yard backstroke at the South-Central League finals held at Pueblo County High School on Feb. 4, 2023.

Maggie Jagger, Pueblo County; Jo Jo Essenburg, Pueblo County

2023 South-Central League Coach of the Year (tie)

Pueblo Centennial head coach Camille Arnold, left, speaks with divers Austyn Webb, center, and Novalee Ahyo during a dual at Pueblo South on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.
Pueblo Centennial head coach Camille Arnold, left, speaks with divers Austyn Webb, center, and Novalee Ahyo during a dual at Pueblo South on Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2022.

Pueblo Centennial Camille Arnold, Pueblo Centennial; Dan Radiff, Pueblo County

More:Head first: Pueblo Centennial diver has sights set on state stage

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Hornets earn regular season S-CL title; West's Pfeifer first in dive