Rams, Storm swimmers prepare for State Championship

ALBUQUERQUE – The Albuquerque Academy Natatorium was packed on Feb. 8 for the Academy Meet #3 swimming & diving meet as some of the city’s top teams gathered for one final showdown.

Teams from Hope Christian, Sandia Prep, Del Norte, St. Pius, Cleveland and Rio Rancho joined the host school, Albuquerque Academy at the Barney Championship Pool for the meet.

Official results were not posted, as of print time.

With the season winding down, the meet was more about staying in competition shape for the upcoming State championship Feb. 21-22 (also at the Albuquerque Academy Natatorium), but the squads gave it their all, nonetheless.

Heading into the State Championship, the Rams are ranked 11th and the Storm are 12th.

The Rams boys squad is heating up at the right time and will hope for strong showings from team leaders like Sean Bogue and Noah Bratvold, both of whom had standout performances at the APS Metro Tournament last December.

The Rams girls team has numerous strong swimmers who have started to turn heads in prep swim circles. Kendall Moody, for example, had exceptional showings through both the Cleveland Invite and the APS Metro Tournament. Another perfect example is Orla Baiardo, who was the breakout star for the Rams at APS Metros.

The Storm girls squad will look to lock down some early medals in the short distance races, leaning on Ava Schlosser, arguably the City of Vision’s best short-distance swimmer.

While the boys will look to get a boost from their star swimmers in Diego Cavadas Comarella and Dylan Schluep.

For more information about the NMAA State Swimming & Diving Championship, visit nmact.org.