Sports wrap: Spartan swimmers enjoy luxury of depth, wrestlers preparing
In a sport like swimming, the more skilled athletes you have, the more you can have them compete in specific events to fill team needs. Murray High expects to benefit from that luxury this season.
The Spartans might be short on experience, but the talent pool is spread throughout the boys and girls divisions. Case in point – four different swimmers are leading at least one individual event for Murray’s girls, while five different swimmers lead one or more events for the boys. Places and times were current through dual meets and tournaments as of Nov. 20.
Girls
Sophomores McCall Mash, Alexis Walker and Alexis Bagley and junior McKenzie Pollei each lead at least one event for the Spartans. Mash leads four events altogether and Pollei two.
Mash paces Murray in the 200 individual medley (2:25.40, 27th in state), 50 freestyle (27.75), 100 butterfly (1:06.20, 24th in state) and 100 backstroke (1:05.85, 20th in state). Pollei is tops on the team in the 200 free (2:06.59, 17th in state) and 100 free (57.87, 25th in state).
Walker leads the 500 free (6:09.09) and Bagley leads the 100 breast (1:17.57, 45th in state).
Murray’s girls finished 10th at the 5A state championships last season, but will now compete in 4A. Lizzie Hammond and Riley Buckner are among those who have since graduated.
Boys
The talent is even more spread throughout the boys team. Freshman Tyler Nielson, sophomore Nate Taylor, juniors Jayden Beardall and Chris Ruben and senior Steven Long each lead the Spartans in at least one individual event. Ruben, Long and Beardall each have two top times.
Taylor holds Murray’s best state ranking, ninth overall in the 100 breast (1:04.90). He established the time during a dual meet with Kearns on Oct. 13, and is slightly more than four seconds behind state leader Nathan Brimhall of Pleasant Grove (1:00.25).
Long leads Murray in the 200 free (1:56.35, 46th in state) and 500 free (5:24.36, 46th in state), Ruben is tops in the 50 free (23.54, 30th in state) and 100 free (51.55, 24th in state) and Beardall paces the Spartans in the 200 IM (2:12.99) and 100 back (58.38, 20th in state). Nielson has the other individual fast time for Murray, leading the 100 fly (59.66).
Murray’s boys finished 12th in the 5A state championships last season. The team will attempt to replace the contributions of Hayden Green and Conner Mash, who have graduated. Green was second in the 100 fly and seventh in the 50 free at state last season.
Wrestling
Murray’s wrestling team placed 19th as a team at the 5A championships last season, as Jackson Lightfoot (112 pounds) and Brandon Benson (285) each reached the quarterfinals in their respective division. Brad Brockbank (160), Raul Aguilar (215) and Dallas Howard (285) also earned team points.
For the first time since 1988, the National Federation of State High School Associations has shifted wrestling weight classes this season, opting for more weights at the heavier end. The shift was made to include bigger athletes. The changed weights are: 106, 113, 120, 126, 132, 138, 170, 182, 195 and 220. The weights that remain intact are: 145, 152, 160 and 285.
