Leah Mount, Andrew Tate and Emma Warner all took home high points awards in their age groups to propel the Sedona Swordfish to second place Saturday, July 26, at the Verde Valley Invitational.
“We had a number of top finishes in every age group,” Swordfish head coach A. Jay Bronson said. “Every single swimmer had at least one time drop.”
These swimmers included Sedona Red Rock High School graduates Haley Holverson and Laura Clark, who placed second and third, respectively, in the girls 15- to 18-year-old age group. Incoming junior Isaiah Wright, Sarina McCullough, 8, and 9-year-old Carlos Lattanzi also swam their way to high-point awards and a top three finish in their age groups.
“I was incredibly impressed by those swimmers,” Bronson said. “They did awesome. Carlos started this year in swim lessons, which is a huge accomplishment, and Sarina just started swimming at the beginning of the summer.”
Following the Sedona Splash on June 21, a Sedona Community Pool lifeguard saw Lattanzi at the pool, told Bronson he should be on the swim team and the rest was history, as he won the 50-yard freestyle and finished second in the 50-yard breaststroke among all 9- to 10-year-old boys.
“We were all so proud of him and really surprised, since he just joined the swim team a few weeks ago,” said Carlos’ mother Nancy Lattanzi, Sedona arts and culture coordinator. “It was a very happy day for all of us. Carlos was thrilled and he definitely wants to continue in the fall.”
Mount, Tate and Warner finished first or second in all events they were entered — the maximum, four each. Tate, 11, and Warner, 12, each took the 100-yard freestyle in less than 1 minute, 15 seconds and also swept the 200-yard individual medley and 50-yard breaststroke events, with Warner finishing the latter in just over 37 seconds.
“I am so impressed with how hard the coaches and kids work at this, and they start at 7 a.m.,” Lattanzi said. “It really paid off, watching them compete at the meet.”
Mount, Sarah Reed and Clark finished first through third to beat all other girl swimmers 15 to 18 years old at the invitational in the 200-yard IM, with Mount topping Holverson and Sedona Red Rock High School senior Emily Aitken in the 50-yard and 100-yard freestyles — swimming the latter event in under a minute.
For the full story, please see the Friday, Aug. 1, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.
