Jonny Kulow Leads Lander Valley to 24th-Straight Wyoming Boys 3A State Championship Title

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Photo Courtesy: Lander Valley HS Twitter (@Fremont1_LVHS)

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The 2020 Wyoming Boys 3A State Swimming and Diving Championships took place on Friday, Feb. 21 at the Campbell County School Aquatic Center in Gillette, Wy.

A total of three Wyoming state records fell during the meet, all from Lander Valley:

  • Lander Valley – 4×50 free relay (1:27.15)
  • Lander Valley’s Jonny Kulow – 100 free (44.69)
  • Lander Valley’s Jonny Kulow – 100 back (50.08)

Lander Valley dominated the meet, winning all but three events. The Tigers used their impressive depth to secure their 24th-consecutive championship title with 353 points ahead of Powell (177) and Buffalo (175).

Click HERE for full results.

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Lander Valley – 353
2. Powell – 177
3. Buffalo – 175
4. Warrior – 140
5. Rawlins – 115

Lander Valley began their winning ways as Nolan McFadden (25.31), Jonny Kulow (25.68), Ryan Brinda (24.06), and Teancum Whiting (22.48) won the opening 4×50 medley relay in 1:37.53. Powell took a distant second in 1:40.54 while Buffalo was third in 1:42.88.

Shortly after helping his medley relay time to victory, Brinda was back in the pool to win the 200 free in 1:48.47. It proved to be a tight race as Buffalo’s Brogan Byram was right behind him in 1:48.74 for second while Rawlins’ Dalton Coleman raced to third in 1:51.85.

Lander Valley freshman Dylan Huelskamp cruised to first in the 200 IM, earning his first-ever individual state title with a final time of 2:03.97. Powell’s Nate Johnston raced to second place in 2:05.75 while Warrior’s Traeten Quigley took third in 2:11.82.

Nick Kulow gave Lander Valley another gold medal after he splashed-and-dashed his way to the wall in a final time of 21.35 for the win. Buffalo’s John Wonka (21.53) and McFadden (22.32) finished second and third, respectively.

After finishing third on the 1-meter board a year ago, Buffalo’s Seth Felbeck found himself with the gold medal this season after posting a final score of 360.10 for the win. Defending champion Preston Plaisted of Lander Valley was second with 355.05 points and Kemmerer’s Raydin Scigliano took third with a score of 352.50.

Brinda flew to the top of the podium in the 100 fly, getting his hands to the wall in a swift 53.86 after placing second in this event last season. Powell’s Spann was the runner-up with a time of 55.27 while 55.44 was fast enough for Huelskamp to take third.

J. Kulow  successfully defended his state title in the 100 free, sprinting to the wall in a fast 45.36 to win the event by just over three seconds. His time of 44.69 during prelims set a new state break, breaking the old mark of 45.94 set by Rawlins’ Jake Rehard in 1996. Wonka again took silver in 48.53 while bronze belonged to Warrior’s Zayne Cooper with a time of 49.74.

Lander Valley secured another win after rookie Brayden Brown stopped the clock in 4:59.67 as the only athlete in the race to crack the five-minute barrier. Byram was close behind in 5:00.77 while defending champion N. Kulow wound up a close third in 5:00.95.

Powell’s Jay Cox (23.79), Nate Johnston (23.72), Tarren Blackmore (22.84), and Richard Spann (23.06) joined forces to win the 4×50 free relay in a time of 1:33.41, just slightly ahead of runner-up Warrior’s 1:33.78. Kemmerer completed the top three in 1:36.34. Lander Valley’s J. Kulow (20.97)m McFadden (22.20), Brinda (22.76), and N. Kulow (21.22) swam a 1:27.15 during prelims to break the old state record of 1:28.07 set by Rawlins in 1996.

J. Kulow added another individual gold to his hardware collection and even more points to Lander Valley’s total after powering home in 50.08 in the 100 back. His time crushed the Wyoming state record of 53.01 set by Newcastle’s Terry Rolfe in 2008. It was a 1-2 punch for the state champions as McFadden was second in 54.84, and Spann finished third in 54.86.

Soon after helping Powell win the 4×50 free relay, Johnston dove back in the water to claim an individual state title in the 100 breast with a final time of 1:00.53. Coleman (1:01.66) and Wonka (1:01.69) completed the top three podium finishers.

Lander Valley sealed the deal as the quartet of Kulow (46.86), Plaisted (49.76), Huelskamp (51.05), and Whiting (50.83) concluded the meet by winning the 4×100 free relay in 3:18.50. They were 10 seconds ahead of runner-up Buffalo (3:28.01) and Rawlins took third in 3:31.18.

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