CHS Swimmers at District

By Don Eskins

The New Mexico prep swim season is winding down, but not over.

On Saturday, February 7, Carlsbad High’s Cavemen and Cavegirl aquatic squads will compete at the District Championships in Artesia. It will be the final outing of the season for CHS swimmers to qualify for state.

This year’s state championships will be held at Albuquerque Academy on Friday and Saturday, February 20-21.

“As we head into district, our kids are looking strong and focused. However, it has been difficult,” said CHS swim head coach Samantha Segura. “Many of our kids have faced sickness over the past couple of weeks and are trying to gain their strength back. Continuing to travel to Artesia every night to train due to our pool being down has only compounded the difficulty.

“Through it all, though, they’ve continued to work very hard, and we have seen some steady improvement,” she said. “I like where both our boys’ and girls’ programs are going into this week. Now we just have to keep focused on the big picture, as there’s a lot riding on our kids’ performance at district.”

Currently, five CHS swimmers have qualified for the New Mexico Big Dance.

“Overall, I’m really proud of how well these kids have responded to the pressure we’ve faced and how well they’ve embraced all of the craziness that’s been happening this season,” said Segura. “This group of young men and young ladies is very special.”

CHS Swimmers @ Artesia

The CHS swim teams participated in the Artesia Invitational on Saturday, January 31, in Artesia. Overall, both the Cavemen and Cavegirls placed third.

Olivia Jang, with 14 total points, paced the Cavegirls’ effort while Benjamin Jang, with 11, led the Cavemen.

Artesia results:

High point scorers: Olivia Jang, 14 points; Benjamin Jang, 11 points; Samuel Vega, 10 points; Constantine Gonzalez, 8 points; Bennett Mitchell, 7 points; Kason Longbine, 6 points; Brennan Reed, 3 points; Mason Shott, 3 points; Julia Comer, 3 points; Taitum Lindsey, 2 points; Paisley Johnson; 1 point.