Trinity swim coach looks to next year after good regionals performances
The 2015-16 swim season ended last weekend, but it’s understandable that Trinity coach Dawn Chagnon is already looking forward to next season.
A look at the team’s roster reveals a lot of youth which performed well at both the District 8-6A and Region II meets.
At district, the Lady Trojans tied for second with L.D. Bell and the Trojans were fourth.
Trinity sent 13 swimmers to regionals from district, highlighted by first-place finishes by junior Riley Burhow in the boys 200-yard individual medley and senior Ashton Nelson in the boys 100 backstroke.
“When you put in the kind of time that these guys do, it is so nice to see it pay off,” Chagnon said. “Every season will have ups and downs, and this group of kids have overcome a lot of adversity and performed extremely well.”
At regionals, Buhrow qualified for the finals in four events, including a pair of individual events.
In his specialty, the 200 IM, he set a school record with a time of 2 minutes, 00.73 seconds, placing sixth. It eclipsed the previous mark set in 1994. In addition, Buhrow reached the finals and placed 12th in the 100 freestyle, again with a personal-best time of 49.25 seconds.
Nelson also had a personal-best showing in the 100 back at regionals, finishing ninth with a 56.01.
Another underclassman regional finalist is freshman Ryan Powell, who was 16th in the 500 free.
Four relays advanced to regionals that also featured numerous underclassmen. All four reached the finals.
The girls 200 medley relay of sophomore Tiffani Tanaka, junior Kenzie Crews and seniors Marisa Pouiphanvongxay and Ashley Torres placed 13th with a season-best clocking of 2:10.07. The same quartet finished 16th in the 400 free relay.
Also, the boys 200 medley relay of Nelson, Buhrow, freshman Ryan Powell and junior Scott Painter took 12th with a season-best time of 1:46.67. Likewise, the boys 400 free relay of Buhro, junior Scott Painter, freshman Jackson Adcox and Nelson placed 14th with their best time of the season, 3:30.62.
“We will be losing six seniors, that will be very hard to replace but I am confident that our juniors will fill their shoes and be great leaders for the team,” Chagnon said. “Our freshman class looked really good this year as well, so I am excited to see how they continue grow as people and athletes next year.
“I am hopeful that we will also have another great freshman class come in again next year. With a young team, there is a lot of building that can be done, and I know this group will reach new heights with each year to come.”
This story was originally published February 22, 2016 at 12:42 PM with the headline "Trinity swim coach looks to next year after good regionals performances."