Storm boys relay takes Metros; city schools gear up for home invite

ALBUQUERQUE — Another weekend, another meet where the city teams came ready to swim.

In a competitive field, Rio Rancho and Cleveland took two of the top four spots in this past weekend's boys APS Metro meet, with the Rams in third and Storm in fourth.

After a strong showing in the girls metros, the programs once again upped the ante, posting multiple state-qualifying times and Cleveland’s first metro title of the year.

Cleveland’s Dylan Schluep, Mark McLaughlin, Devin Harris and Guha Hari took home the metro championship in the 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:34.65.

“The Cleveland boys had an amazing meet on Saturday,” Storm head coach Patrick Dorman said. “The energy at this meet is always something that the swimmers draw from.”

While there were no overall winners for Rio, a plethora of Rams secured their spot at states, from seniors all the way to freshman Ewan Mason, who qualified in the 100-meter backstroke.

“Our B-relays are qualifying for state, too,” Rams head coach Jeremiah Stanton said. “That speaks to the depth of our team.”

Out of the 12 events, 10 of them included Rio Rancho or Cleveland taking a top-three spot, with some events featuring both schools on the podium.

Hari, on top of being the anchor of the Storm’s winning relay, placed second in the 50-meter freestyle with a time of 22.19.

Hari also placed third in 1-meter diving, runner-up to Rio’s second-place finisher Jacob Rice.

“Jacob continues to just get better and better at diving,” Stanton said.

Rice also took second place in the 100-meter butterfly on top of his newfound role on the diving board, one of several Rio upperclassmen to take a top-three individual event spot.

Senior Caleb Solis finished third in the 100-meter freestyle, along with Junior Sean Bogue taking third in the 100-meter breaststroke. These two paired up with Mason and Rice to take another third place in the 200-meter medley relay.

Overall, it was another big showing for the young programs, still keeping that city spirit for each other on the pool deck in fashionable fashion.

“The girls dressed up as pirates,” Dorman said. “The support that both the Cleveland and Rio Rancho girls gave the swimmers was evident, the city of Rio Rancho came and represented.”

“The girls dressed up in a cops and robbers theme to come out and support the boys. The energy they provided helped us produce some fantastic swims,” Stanton said. “Our friends and rivals in the pool, Cleveland, did amazing, too. We were cheering them on as well. We both look really fast.”

Whatever the costume is next week, another big test awaits the Storm and Rams. This time, on their home turf for the Cleveland Invite on Jan. 24.