Wolves swimmers place 2nd at State meet

The Wolves season ended with a second-place finish at State over the weekend and a champion in the 1-meter diving event. Overall, it was a finish head coach Colleen Seiloff said she expected to see, though the Wolves competition with the favored Lander Tigers came down to the last few events of the meet.

Lander went on to earn its 25th consecutive championship, scoring a total of 342 points and winning nine events. Green River earned 202 while Buffalo took third with 181 points.

Braxton Cordova and River Kirts took first and second respectively in the diving event.

Cordova scored 421.20 in the finals with Kirts scoring 366.30. The two would be Green River’s only All State swimmers this year.

Diving was Green River’s strongest event as well, with five divers competing.

“We haven’t had divers like that in a long time,” Seiloff said.

The diving program also gained attention from other coaches at the event as assistant coach Rick Barker received the Assistant Coach of the Year award at the event.

“It’s really exciting to be recognized by fellow coaches,” he said.

Barker has coached diving for the past seven years, taking over when the previous coach retired.

Barker said he’s worked with the boys divers since middle school, coaching Cordova and Kyle Kight since they were in sixth grade and Kirts since he was in seventh grade.

But, Barker said he couldn’t have earned the award without the talented and dedicated divers he worked with this season.

Seiloff said the 3A division is competitive all around and specifically mentioned Lander’s Johnny Kulow, a junior who set a pair of state records and won two events at the meet.

“He’s a pretty amazing athlete,” she said.

The team loses six seniors to graduation. Seiloff said they served as great leaders and were very strong competitors as well.

“It’s tough to see them go, she said.

State swim results

Team scores

1. Lander, 342

2. Green River, 202

3. Buffalo, 181

200-yard freestyle

6. Brady Young, 1:53.06

200-yard individual medley

3. Jason Richmond, 2:01.66

6. Ryan Fischer, 2:06.93

50-yard freestyle

5. Elijah Kraft, 22.52

9. Araya Finley, 23.15

1-meter diving

1. Braxton Cordova, 421.20

2. River Kirts, 366.30

4. Kyle Kight, 348.30

7. Kayson Snow, 319.00

9. Stone Rubeck, 3.12.45

100-yard butterfly

7. Zeke Reading, 57.59

100-yard freestyle

5. Kraft, 49.02

6. Fischer, 50.22

8. Finley, 50.76

500-yard freestyle

3. Young, 5:05.47

12. Levi Westburg, 5:45.38

200-yard freestyle relay

3. GRHS (Finley, Fischer, Young, Kraft), 1:32.48

100-yard breaststroke

7. Richmond, 1:01.92

11. Devin Bobbit, 1:05.65

400-yard freestyle relay

2. GRHS (Fischer, Brady, Kraft, Reading), 3:20.04