Scorpions swimmers set school records at state meet in Mesa2 min read

By
Jeff Bear
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With the state swimming meet now in the rearview mirror for the Sedona Red Rock High School swimmers, it’s time to start making the placards with the names of the new school record holders.

Both the Scorpions boys and girls teams competed in the state Division II swimming meet on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 8 and 9, at the Skyline Aquatics Center in Mesa, with the boys team finishing 18th overall and the girls team finishing 37th overall.

Although no purple-clad state champions were crowned, one boy and two of the girls’ relay teams broke SRRHS school records.
Senior Colin Hurkett, who spent the early part of the season rehabilitating a torn labrum which he suffered last summer, tied the school record in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 22.68 seconds in the preliminary round and went on to finish seventh in the finals.

“It’s the fastest he’s gone,” said Scorpions swimming coach A. Jay Bronson. “He’s done an amazing job this year after his injury. He’s been able to come back and lead the team.

“He wanted to break [the record] but one of the big things was he wanted a school record of his own and now he gets his name up there not just on a relay, but with his own accreditation.”

Hurkett also finished sixth in the final of the boys 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.29 and anchored the boys 400-yard freestyle relay team, which included juniors Cedar Gardener and Jakob Carter and senior Nick Morgan, that finished in 11th place in 3 minutes, 30.58 seconds — a full eight seconds faster than its state-qualifying time.

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“You always expect good times [at the state meet],” Bronson said. “But that was pretty fantastic.”

For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Nov. 13, issue of the Sedona Red Rock News.

Jeff Bear

Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.

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Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear
Jeff Bear began his journalism career in 2003 as a graphic designer and sports reporter at the Weekly Register Call in Central City, Colorado. In 2007 he began working at the Canyon Courier in Evergreen, Colorado, as a graphic designer, but soon transferred into the editorial department where he worked as a copy editor and sport reporter under Editor Doug Bell. After a stint as a graphic designer at American Classifieds in 2009-10, Bear began working in 2011 as a copy editor at the Arizona Daily Sun, in Flagstaff. While at the Daily Sun, Bear was tapped by the late Randy Wilson to report on local sports including Northern Arizona University and Olympic medalists training in Flagstaff for the 2012 Olympics. In 2013 Bear began working at the Red Rock News in Sedona, Arizona, where he was an assistant editor and sports editor. Bear has two daughters, Angela and Jessica, with his wife Nina. He is a singer and guitarist, an avid cyclist and hiker, and enjoys camping with family and friends.