The Kemmerer 200-yard medley relay team (right) finished 5th at the 3A state meet. Relay members were Benjamin Wergin, Aiden Runnion, Grady Killian and Brayden Dearden.

The Kemmerer boys’ swim team finished its season at the 3A state meet in Gillette last weekend.

The Rangers earned 99 points at state, placing them 6th out of 12 schools.

Head coach Amanda Aimone said the boys were successful this season because they supported each other and made the most of every situation. The Rangers did not have an indoor pool to practice at home this season — an issue the Lady Rangers also faced in the fall season.

“They overcame challenges this season by having faith in the process and being supportive of one another,” Aimone said. “They also did not let their situation define how they were going to perform, and that’s the biggest thing. They were not going to use it as an excuse.”

Lander Valley took the 3A title, Rawlins was 2nd, Sublette County was 3rd, Powell was 4th and Lyman was 5th.   

Aimone said she was impressed with the team’s state performance. She said “they had each other’s backs” no matter the situation.

“The biggest thing I saw was their grit — their ability to dig down and go a little faster or move up a place or two the second day,” Aimone said. “We talked about that Friday night and Saturday morning, that they had opportunities through the meet to move up, and they took it and ran with it. They were not going to go down without a fight.”

Sophomore Brayden Dearden earned 4th place at state in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:06.35. Freshman Aiden Runnion finished 11th in the breaststroke in 1:09.06 and junior Grady Killian was 12th in 1:10.69.

Grady Killian finished 12th in the in 100-yard breaststroke at state last weekend. 

Brayden Dearden (second from left) finished 4th in the in 100-yard breaststroke at state last weekend. 

Aimone said the team made the most out of each workout this season.

“One great example of that was Brayden Dearden,” Aimone said. “He worked his tail off and we saw him earn 3 top-6 performances.”

Dearden finished 5th in the 100-yard butterfly race with a time of 59.66. Freshman Raydin Scigliano took 5th place in the diving event.

In the 200-yard medley relay, the Kemmerer relay team of junior Benjamin Wergin, freshman Aiden Runnion, sophomore Brayden Dearden and junior Grady Killian took 5th place with a time of 1:50.64.

Brayden Dearden finished 5th in the in 100-yard butterfly at state in Gillette on Feb. 16, 2019. 

Wergin was 6th in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 23.35. In the 100-yard freestyle, Wergin swam to a 7th-place finish in 51.42.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the team of Wergin, Dearden, Killian and junior Easton Rydstrom earned 7th place with a time of 1:40.28. Runnion took 8th place in the 200-yard IM race at state with a time of 2:17.43.

In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the team of junior Collin Smith, sophomore Matt Garver, freshman Aiden Runnion and sophomore Noah Hankin took 8th place with a time of 3.54.05.

Benjamin Wergin earned 6th place in the 50-yard freestyle at the 3A state meet. 

Benjamin Wergin dives in for the 100-yard freestyle at state on Feb. 16. Wergin earned 7th place with a new personal record in the race. 

Aimone is already looking forward to the next swim season.

“We get all the guys back because we had no seniors this year. I am so excited for that and the guys are too,” Aimone said.

The coach said she would encourage her swimmers to stay in shape during the off-season so they can prepare for another successful season.

“We actually had a conversation after state that they need to come into the season in shape and not come into the season to get in shape. That will be key,” Aimone said, adding that she will encourage the swimmers to go to swim camps in the off-season.

“If they take those two suggestions as a team, who knows where they will end up? It’s actually really exciting to think about,” Aimone said.