Five Fernley swimmers qualify for 3A State meet

In a season that presented more obstacles than conveniences, the Fernley High School swimming team has five swimmers qualified for the 3A State Meet this Saturday in Las Vegas.

Paul Schaeffer qualified in two individual events and a third as part of a relay team, while Rylie Pearson has the team’s best individual finish to lead the Vaqueros in the 3A Northern Regional Meet last Friday and Saturday at the Moana Springs Community Aquatic Center in Reno.

Pearson placed second in the girls 500-yard freestyle in a time of 6:25.72 and later finished fifth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:13.19, missing a state berth by less than a tenth of a second behind Truckee’s Kiersten Shepp, who swam 1:13.12.

Schaeffer placed third in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:10.35 and added another third in the 500-yard freestyle in 6:19.81. The boys’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Matthew Walker Coghlan, Brett Vanderkelen, Schaeffer and Nicholas Romero finished fourth in 1:48.94.

Walker Coghlan also finished fifth in the 100-yard freestyle in 58.76 and sixth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:13.98. The girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay took sixth in 2:17.74 and the boys’ 200-yard medley relay placed sixth in 2:06.40. Vanderkelen placed seventh in the 100-yard freestyle in 1:04.02 and eighth in the boys’ 50-yard freestyle in 28.91. The boys’ 400 freestyle relay rounded out the meet with a seventh-place finish in 5:20.10.

The girls’ 200-yard medley relay and 400 freestyle relay were both disqualified.

Fernley placed fifth in the boys team standings with 162 points, and the girls finished seventh with 57 points.

The Vaqueros had 26 swimmers on the team this season, more than double the number of last season. Of those, 16 qualified for the regional meet by achieving the minimum qualifying time at any meet during the season.

The team had to practice in Fallon all season and was unable to host any meets because the Fernley Swimming Pool has been closed since February while the roof is being replaced.

“Watching them compete and win this season has made all of the changes and struggles worth it,” coach Daria Powell said.

State qualifiers:
Rylie Pearson – 500-yard freestyle
Paul Schaeffer – 100-yard breaststroke, 500-yard freestyle
Boys 200-yard freestyle relay (Matthew Walker Coghlan, Brett Vanderkelen, Paul Schaeffer, Nicholas Romero)