Young swimmers dominate at Northern Area Conference Swim Meet
The Nome Northstar Swim Team wrapped up its 2021-2022 season at the Northern Area Conference Swim Meet at the Hamme Pool in Fairbanks.
A total of 29 swimmers were able to attend this event, which was hosted by the Northern Area Aquatic Committee.
NNST placed third in team points for this event.
NNST has a lot of young swimmers, with 17 of those swimming racing in the age bracket of 10years-old and under events. Several of our young swimmers received awards for highest points. Lexi Blandford (74), Luc Blanchette (58), Mesa Peacock(50), Ari Blandford (45), Casey Ford (36) were all awarded for highest points in their age group.
A notable achievement for NNST 10&under is the efforts of Denali Walrath, who at age 9 was the youngest swimmer in the 500 Free, placing second in her age group.
The 11&Over events were very exciting, with all swimmers successful in at least one final event.
Talan Johnson and Lacey Sherman swam near perfect events, with no DQ’s in any of their individual events. Brandon Ford had a near miss of only two seconds on qualifying for the Junior Olympics in the 50-yard free, taking second place in a nail biting finish against Stingray Swim Team’s Liam Nichols.
The NNST ‘Dream Team’ relay group stole the show with their first place finish of the 200 Medley Relay. The swimmers, Kinley Knipfer (Backstroke), Lexi Blandford (Breaststroke), Jamison EricksonFord (Fly) and Ella Hubert (Freestyle) had practiced their respective relay legs to insure their success during the meet.
The ‘Beast Boys’ Brandon Ford,
Liam Erickson-Ford, Tyler Ellanna and Granite Peacock took second in their 400 Free relay, narrowly missing the win by two seconds. It is worth noting that the Beast Boys were the youngest in aggregate of the event, so watch this team for future relay events.
Northern Area recognized four Nome swimmers for Rising Star awards: Lacey Sherman, Talan Johnson, Lexi Blandford and Tyler Ellanna. These swimmers were recognized for their consistent time improvements, team spirit and positive attitudes.
While the 2021-2022 season is at its end, preparations are already starting for the next swim season. Coaches will be working on getting the new timing system up and running and will be planning a series of summer workshops for swimmers. A new parent board is in place to support the swimmers and coaches, and will take on their new roles this month.