From Deseret News archives:
Eagles dominate 5A meet
In all, five of 11 state records were broken over the weekend by the girls, and female swimmers came close to breaking three others.
From that perspective, maybe it was fitting Skyline's girls found themselves at the heart of that blazing speed. The Eagles accounted for four of those records, and those swims helped Skyline leave a lasting impression on the 2006 meet.
As expected, Skyline's girls won their fifth straight title in convincing fashion Saturday afternoon inside BYU's Richards Building, beating Kearns 452 points to 337.5. Meanwhile, the Eagles' boys team defeated Kearns 356-277, accounting for the school's sixth-straight championship.
For Skyline's Sara Nicponski, who broke a state record in the 100-yard breaststroke, it was thrilling to add another set of trophies to the Eagles' collection.
"It means a lot," she said. "We still get really excited to win."
Saturday marked Skyline's first pair of championships won under first-year coach Joe Pereira.
"I'm so glad they accepted me and swam so well," he said.
Besides Nicponski, who won the 200 individual medley Friday night and finished second to Brighton's Ana Agy for Swimmer of the Year, KC Albiston was the other record-breaker Saturday for Skyline.
She won the 500 free, and in the process, Albiston shattered her own previous state record and became the first female Utah prep swimmer to break the five-minute mark in the event. She finished at 4 minutes and 59.05 seconds.
Another highlight for Skyline's girls team was the 400 freestyle relay. Paced by Anna Crandall, Albiston, Julie Lamb and Kristina Evans, Skyline finished less than a second off the state record.
It wasn't just the Eagles' big guns, though, that led them to the girls win. Sophomore Rachel Mosier was seeded 17th in the 100 breast, but she dropped an astonishing four seconds to finish third.
Skyline's boys won Saturday in the 200 free relay. The top four finishers in that event — Viewmont, Skyline, West Jordan and Kearns were within .16 seconds of each other. However, Viewmont was disqualified because one of its swimmers jumped into the pool while other schools were still finishing the race.
Skyline's Tom Ekstrom won the 100 back.
Even though the Eagles' boys did not win many events Saturday, they did enough to preserve a comfortable team win.
Meanwhile, Kearns narrowly beat Brighton to second place on both sides. The Cougars' girls finished 11 points ahead of Brighton, and Kearns' boys team was 20 ahead of the Bengals.
"I'm really pleased," said Kearns coach Chris Horne.
