The Carson High boys swim team did everything it could to defend its title and came up just short at the Northern 4A Championships on Saturday at the University of Nevada.
Carson placed second with 273 points as it was edged out by Reno High (298). Carson's girls also turned in a strong effort, placing third with 225 points behind Galena (247) and Reno (551.50).
Carson swept the 500-yard freestyles with Justin Barber winning the boys race (four minutes, 57.19 seconds) and Lauren Costella winning the girls race (4:57.19). Tara Theilemann was a double winner for the girls, winning the 200 free (1:53.91) and the 100 free (52.97). Barber also placed second in the 200 individual medley (1:58.05).
Galena's Michael Damonte won the boys 50 free (22.60) and the Douglas boys team of Trevor Schaff, Justin White, Scott Cronk and Andy Sturgess won the 400 free relay (3:26.23). Carson's boys of Andrew Cardinal, Kiel Costella, Jake Oxoby and Barber placed third (3:32.28) and Galena's team of Adam VanAntwerp, Jonathan Garvey, Michael VanAntwerp and Damonte also qualified for state by placing fifth (3:41.03).
In the boys 500 free, Carson's Kiel Costella placed third (5:06.82) and the Senators' Adrian Zeh took fifth (5:33.22).
The Tigers' Schaff, Scott Cronk, Justin White and Sturgess placed second in the 200 free relay (1:33.55). Galena's Adam VanAntwerp, Anthony Aguilar, Garvey and Damonte took third (1:37.53) and Carson's Cardinal, Kevim Milim, Todd Stroup and Jeff Stroup took seventh (1:44.74).
Carson's Jessica Goddard, Hilary Schlager, Emily Johnson and Lauren Metcalf placed eighth in the girls 200 free relay (1:51.78). Brent Server also placed second in boys diving (334.55) and Lauren Costella took third in the 100 butterfly (59.41).
Carson's girls 200 medley relay team of Theilemann, Schlager, Costella and Wandel took second (1:56.53) and the team of Theilemann, Costella, Jessica Goddard and Wandel placed second in the 400 free relay (3:47.55). Others competing for Carson included Ila Bottoms in diving.
Other local state qualifiers included: Girls 50 free -- Mandee Busch, Galena, third, 25.82; boys 50 free -- Sturgess, third, 22.71; girls diving -- Trisha Wesner, Galena, third, 367.50, Dominique Stedham, Galena, fourth, 349.25; boys diving -- Nick Lazzarino, Douglas, third, 295.10; J.P. Wood, Galena, fourth, 258.95.
Boys 100 fly -- Cronk, second, 55.78, Oxoby, Carson, third, 58.91, Schaff, fifth, 59.58; boys 100 free -- Sturgess, third, 49.89; girls 500 free -- Natalie Wall, Galena, fifth, 5:31.02; boys 100 breaststroke -- Damonte, third, 1:03.22; girls 100 backstroke -- Janelle Lasko, Galena, fourth, 1:03.88; girls 100 breaststroke -- Jesse Bunch, Douglas, fifth, 1:12.34.
Girls 200 free relay -- Douglas (Kaitlin Young, Bunch, Sarah Lilegard, Josefina Sigala), fifth, 1:59.91; boys 200 medley relay -- Carson (Costella, Barber, Jeff Stroup, Oxoby), fourth, 1:51.00; girls 200 free -- Wall, fifth, 2:01.84; boys 200 free -- Cronk, third, 1:50.00, Costella, fourth, 1:56.00; boys 200 I.M. -- Garvey, fourth, 2:10.48.