The smallest team at last weekend’s 3A State Swimming and Diving Championships in Gillette made sure the rest of the state paid attention, as the Kemmerer High School boys’ swimming and diving team finished seventh, shattering a pair of individual state records and scoring a Top 3 finish in diving.

“The state meet for us was great,” said KHS head coach Amanda Aimone. “We performed well, and I am very happy with every kid’s performance.”

Lander won its 29th 3A team title in a row with 355 points, followed by Buffalo in second with 254 and Cody in third, with 189. Lyman was fourth with 170, Powell fifth with 91, Newcastle sixth with 87 and Kemmerer seventh, with 86.

KHS junior Malachi Villarreal had a meet for the ages, setting new state records in winning both the 200 freestyle (1:42.17) and the 500 freestyle (4:37.94).

“I am so very proud of Malachi and what he accomplished over the weekend,” Aimone said. “He’s finally found the confidence that we have always known was there, and he used it to his advantage. He trusted the process — and himself — and that helped him to be as successful as he was. I have to remind myself that he is a junior and he has more to give next year, which is very exciting.”

Villarreal’s margin of victory over the runner-up in the 500 free — Lyman’s Trey Buckner, with a time of 5:17.01 — was a whopping 39 seconds, and he was named the 3A Athlete of the Meet for his efforts.

“[Malachi’s] goals this year were to break those two state records, and it was great to be a part of that with him,” Aimone said. “The 200 free record was the oldest record 3A had, and it was 27 years old – it took that long for it to be broken, and I think that speaks volumes for what Malachi is doing. Now for him is to look at swimming All-American times.”

Ranger diver Bowman Sandall also had a meet to remember, placing third in diving with a score of 396.35. Sandall also made the finals in the 100 breaststroke, finishing 11th, with a time of 1:07.85.

“I think that the sky’s the limit for Bowman,” Aimone said. “Coach Willoughby is looking at Bowman throwing a lot more dives this next year that include things such as a back 2 1/2 , reverse 2 ½ and more twisters. Bowman is really great at twisters, and I think that helped him a lot at the state meet. Not a lot of kids can stack up to Bowman when it comes to twisters.”

While Villarreal and Sandall were the only Rangers to make it to the finals in individual events, the three relay teams consisted of swimmers who are slated to return next season. Aimone said she’s excited for the future with the young swimmers on the team.

“All of the boys held a piece of the puzzle for us this week, and without each kid, we couldn’t have been as successful as we were,” Aimone said. “Some standouts were definitely Jacob Platt and Thomas Symons. They had to fill big roles in the relays. Both Jacob and Thomas swam lifetime bests, and you cannot ask for more than that. For Thomas, being a senior, he really laid it all out for the medley and the 400 free relay. I had never seen him go as hard as he did there. Great time to decide to give it your all, I think.”

In the relay events, the team of Malachi Villarreal, Bowman Sandall, Thomas Symons and Jacob Platt finished fifth in the 200 medley relay, posting a time of 1:47.85.

The 200 freestyle relay team of KJ Walker, Jade Villarreal, Gabe Platt and Jacob Platt placed 10th, with a time of 1:46.86, while Malachi Villarreal, Jacob Platt, Bowman Sandall and Thomas Symons finished seventh in the 400 freestyle relay, posting a time of 3:39.02. Two of the swimmers in the 200 free relay — KJ Walker and Jade Villarreal — are just freshmen, who got their first taste of 3A State competition.

“For our freshman to be involved in the state meet it is very important,” Aimone said. “It not only shows them what it is like, but also shows them that they are just as good as everyone else, and that they could be swimming individual events next year. That it is not far out of their reach. It’s not impossible for them. That helps build a program, and build each kid’s confidence.”

With 2024-25 now in the books, the season could aptly be described as a roller coaster, though all the hard work paid off in the end, according to Aimone.

“It was a fun season, but it wasn’t without its trials and tribulations,” she said. “We had things that we had to overcome as individuals, and as a team. With those things, I think it helped us to be our best at the state meet. That has to be one of the best things about sport. You see kids work through tough situations and learn how to come out on top of them and you know they have gained a lifelong skill. That’s what I love about it — we look at this sport as not an individual sport, but a full-on team sport. Everyone is important — from the kid who broke a state record, to the kid who only swims on one relay. The boys really embraced that, and it made us successful. Everyone was important.”

3A State Swimming and Diving Championships

Team Scores

1. Lander 355, 2. Buffalo 254, 3. Cody 189. 4. Lyman 170, 5. Powell 91, 6. Newcastle 87, 7. Kemmerer 86, 8. Rawlins 70, 9. Worland 35, 10. Sublette County 22, 11. Douglas 20

200 Meter Medley Relay

5. Malachi Villarreal, Bowman Sandall, Thomas Symons, Jacob Platt 1:47.85

200 Meter Freestyle

1. Malachi Villarreal 1:42.17

50 Meter Freestyle

17. Jacob Platt 24.70

1 Mtr Diving

3. Bowman Sandall 396.35

100 Meter Butterfly

19. Thomas Symons 1:05.10, 24. Gabe Platt 1:08.39

500 Meter Freestyle

1. Malachi Villarreal 4:37.94

200 Meter Freestyle Relay

10. KJ Walker, Jade Villarreal, Gabe Platt, Jacob Platt 1:46.86

100 Meter Breaststroke

11. Bowman Sandall 1:07.85, 17. Jade Villarreal 1:14.30

400 Meter Freestyle Relay

7. Malachi Villarreal, Jacob Platt, Bowman Sandall, Thomas Symons 3:39.02