Olivia McPherson’s State Record Guides Laramie to Three-Peat at Wyoming Girls 4A State Championships

Photo Courtesy: WHSAA Twitter (@WHSAA_307)

The Wyoming girls 4A State Swimming & Diving Championships took place on Nov. 8 at the Campbell County School Aquatic Center in Gillette, Wy.

For the first time in school history, Laramie swept all three relays en route to winning their third-consecutive championship title. The meet was highlighted by Laramie senior Olivia McPherson, who was named Athlete of the Meet and Athlete of the Year for the second-straight year, breaking the state record in the 100 breast.

Click HERE for full results.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Laramie – 348
2. Green River – 208
3. Cheyenne Central – 191
4. Campbell County – 172
5. Sheridan – 98

Laramie began their winning ways as Katie McPherson (26.00), O. McPherson(28.59), Therese Richardson (26.60), and Anna Roesler (24.84) opened the meet as 4×50 free relay champions in 1:45.93, well ahead of runner-up Green River (1:49.76) and third-place finisher Campbell Country (1:53.40).

Campbell County sophomore Berkely Christensen won the 200 free for the second-straight year by three seconds in 1:54.64 ahead of Laramie’s Sage Morton (1:57.58). Laramie’s Ashlyn Mathes also was under the two-minute mark in 1:59.31. Christensen then continued her winning ways by defending her 100 fly title in 56.87. Roesler also snuck under the minute barrier in 58.66 for second and Richardson (1:00.46) took third.

After taking second in the 200 IM last year, Rock Springs’ Abi Robinson-Kim found herself on top of the podium this year and won the event in 2:08.72. Sheridan’s Zoe Robinson (2:12.88), who earned the meet’s Sportsmanship Award, and Roesler (2:14.68) finished second and third, respectively. Robinson-Kim, who finished second in the 100 back in 2018, won the race this year in 58.70. Brownell (59.02) and Green River’s Lauren Jensen (59.69) also snuck under the 60-second barrier.

After taking second in the 200 free, Morton dominated the 500 free to post a 21-second victory with a quick 5:04.17. It was a Laramie sweep of the event as Madie Jablin (5:25.90) and Mathes (5:26.64) rounded out the podium. Natrona’s Gabriella Haigler dove to first place on the 1-meter board with a final score of 387.20 to defend her state title. Laramie’s Natalie Six finished second in 383.80 while Cheyenne’s Emma Reed was third with a score of 374.45.

O. McPherson, who has verbally committed to South Carolina, won the 50 free for the fourth-straight year after splashing-and-dashing her way to the wall in 23.29. Her teammate and sister K. McPherson followed in 23.90 for second while CEN’s Kira Brownell took third in 24.53. K. McPherson then found herself with the gold medal in the 100 free, sprinting to the wall in 52.97 for the win ahead of Cheyenne’s Porscha Cavanaugh (54.19) and Laramie’s Heidi Schroeder (54.99).

O. McPherson posted a convincing win in the 100 breast, getting her hands to the wall in 1:02.65 to lower her own state record she set during prelims. The previous mark was set by herself in 2018 with a time of 1:03.31. Green River’s Hailey Uhrig raced to second in 1:05.12 while her teammate Lilly Munoz finished third in 1:06.16.

Laramie’s O. McPherson (23.15), Schroeder (25.03), Morton (24.96), and K. McPherson (24.09) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in 1:37.23 ahead of Campbell County (1:41.70) and Green River (1:43.76). It was a Laramie relay sweep as Roesler (54.43), Schroeder (55.03), Mathes (55.02), and Morton (53.65) won the 4×100 free relay in 3:38.13, four seconds ahead of Cheyenne (3:42.09).

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