Storm, Rams battle at home pool for Eye of the Storm Invite Meet

RIO RANCHO - “The Rio Rancho/Cleveland rivalry is alive and well in the water.”

Storm swim head coach Patrick Dorman said this following the first annual “Eye of the Storm” swim meet Dec. 20, hosted at Rio Rancho Aquatic Center by Cleveland High School. The smaller meet meant only one thing stood in the way of big performances from the Storm and Rams: each other.

“It was fun to see everyone battling it out,” Rio Rancho head coach Jeremiah Stanton said. “Coach Dorman had a great plan of attack for us this time around and really pushed us.”

Cleveland took home first on the girls' side, while the Rio Rancho boys took the top spot to give each school a first-place finish on the weekend. It was a true shootout between the two crosstown competitors, with either the Storm or Rams taking first in every event but just one.

Lucia Pena led the charge for the Storm girls, winning the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle on top of competing in Cleveland’s relay medley team. 

For the Ram boys, Charlie Scott took home the 200-yard IM and 500-yard freestyle.

In relays, Rio Rancho dominated and took first place in all six relays on the weekend, but Cleveland would get their revenge on the diving board, with Alyssa Hall and Guha Hari taking first in both one-meter diving events.

Other notable performances include Cleveland’s Lucas Espinosa taking the boys' 100-yard butterfly, along with RR’s Orla Baiardo and Elli Garcia taking one and two in the girls’ 200-yard IM. Mason Ewan almost posted a sub-two-minute 200-yard freestyle, just seconds from a state qualifying time in his victory.

A big meet for both schools made it an even bigger one for the city, as the Rams and Storm put on a show at their home pool. 

While the rivalry is fierce in the water, it is nothing more than friendly competition on land.

“The Rio Rancho/Cleveland rivalry is alive and well in the water, but that's where we leave it, though,” Dorman said. “We're all good friends when the competition's over.”

With this dazzling display of City of Vision talent to close out the calendar year, the question of “will a Rio Rancho school win a swimming championship” may be changed to “which school will win one first?”

 “Iron sharpens iron,” Stanton said. “We are looking to go into January stronger than ever.”

After the holiday break, both schools will be back in action for the Scorpion Invite meet on Jan. 3