(EL PASO INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT – Jan. 25, 2024) — Dozens of swimmers from El Paso ISD high schools will continue their hunt for a state title at the regional competition in Lubbock after claiming medals at the district meets last week.
High school teams competed in the UIL District 1-4A, 1-5A, and 1-6A championship events in January. The District 1-6A Championship was held Friday, Jan. 26. The Coronado High School swimming team led the way with seven gold medals. Individual swimmers also earned six silver and three bronze medals.
Here’s a look at the results of the District 1-6A championships:
Girls
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. Mariangel Guerrero, Abby Hernandez, Isabella Hidalgo, and Ashley Tang of Coronado; 2. Larissa Ordorica, Ani Aidinian, Giselle Franco, and Abigail Vazquez of Franklin; 3. Stella Torres, Jazmin Valdon, Julia Macias-Mendez, and Jacqueline Baltazar of Pebble Hills
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Nadia Phelps of Franklin; 2. Samirah Avila of Socorro; 3. Siena Cameron of Montwood
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. Mikaela Soto-Ruiz of Eastwood; 2. Viba Marrero of Coronado; 3. Abby Hernandez of Coronado
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Mariangel Guerrero of Coronado; 2. Victoria Miller of Franklin; 3. Ashley Tang of Coronado
• 1M diving: 1. Nicole Balderrama of Eastwood; 2. Isabel Peralta of Eastwood
• 100 fly: 1. Samirah Avila of Socorro; 2. Luisa Valverde of Coronado; 3. Julia Macias-Mendez of Pebble Hills
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Isabella Hidalgo of Coronado; 2. Victoria Miller of Franklin; 3. Mari Pallares of Eastwood
• 500-yard freestyle: 1. Nadia Phelps of Franklin; 2. Mikaela Soto-Ruiz of Eastwood; 3. Valeria Garcia of Coronado
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Ashley Tang, Luisa Valverde, Isabella Hidalgo, and Mariangel Guerrero of Coronado; 2. Mia Mata, Cienna Fernandez, Nadia Phelps, and Victoria Miller of Franklin; 3. Janeen Morales, Elizabeth Moran, Abigail Hernandez, and Siena Cameron of Montwood
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. Luisa Valverde of Coronado; 2. Mariangel Guerrero of Coronado; 3. Mari Pallares of Eastwood
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Isabella Hidalgo of Coronado; 2. Athena Slater of Coronado; 3. Abby Hernandez of Coronado
• 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Mia Mata, Cienna Fernandez, Nadia Phelps, and Victoria Miller of Franklin; 2. Jacqueline Baltazar, Jazmin Valdon, Stella Torres, and Julia Macias-Mendez of Pebble Hills; 3. Alexzandria Lopez, Irene Frias, Sofia Cuanda, and Viba Marrero of Coronado
Boys
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. JP Cardenas, Nicolas Ramirez, Eric Hernandez, and Demian Hidalgo of Coronado; 2. Nicholas Bock, Andres Garza, Abe Crum, and Chase Peach of Franklin; 3. Surkhab Virdi, Andres Salazar, Liam Manuel Caldera, and Noah Salem of Eastwood
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Nicolas Pinal of Franklin; 2. Pedro Valverde of Coronado; 3. Abe Crum of Franklin
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. Fer Gonzalez of Eastwood; 2. David Diaz of Coronado; 3. Nicolas Ramirez of Coronado
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Demian Hidalgo of Coronado; 2. Eric Hernandez of Coronado; 3. Sebastian Olivas of Eastwood
• 1M diving: 1. Jon Paiz of Eastwood
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Nicolas Pinal of Franklin; 2. Demian Hidalgo of Coronado; 3. Joe Gonzalez
• 500-yard freestyle, 1. Fer Gonzalez of Eastwood; 2. Pedro Valverde of Coronado; 3. Abe Crum Franklin
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Demian Hidalgo, Joe Gonzalez, Eric Hernandez, and JP Cardenas of Coronado; 2. Sebastian Olivas, Seth Santiago Smith, Noah Salem, and Jeremiah Siebert of Eastwood; 3. Ezra Fuentes, Chase Peach, Nathan Plesant, and Nicolas Pinal of Franklin
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. JP Cardenas of Coronado; 2. Nicholas Bock of Franklin; 3. David Diaz of Coronado
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Nicolas Ramirez of Coronado; 2. Andres Salazar of Eastwood; 3. Sebastian Olivas of Eastwood
• 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. David Diaz, Mateo Ramirez, Pedro Valverde, and Joe Gonzalez of Coronado; 2. Abe Crum, Nathan Plesant, Ezra Fuentes, and Nicolas Pinal; 3. Fer Gonzalez, Liam Caldera, Abraham Garcia, and Sebastian Olivas of Eastwood
District 1-5A
Five other El Paso ISD high schools competed in the 2024 UIL District 1-5A Championship. The event was held Thursday, Jan. 25. The schools that took part in the competition included Andress, Burges, Chapin, El Paso and Jefferson/Silva high schools.
El Paso High School led the way in both the boys’ and girls’ matchups. The district competition marks the end of the season for the swimmers and signifies the beginning of championship aspirations for some of the students who will soon be heading off to college.
“For some of our seniors, it’s a sentimental time because this is the last district meeting for them,” said El Paso High School Assistant Swimming Coach Betsy Ighnat. “Our seniors are really excited that they’re here with their teammates and parents today, but overall, the competition is kind of warm and fuzzy for them.”
Burges Junior Isaac Cuanalo earned a bronze medal during one event. He said his next goal is to go on to state finals. You must follow your dreams and work hard even through the hard times because it helps build you up into a better person over time, so keep believing,” Cuanalo said.
“These events are just fun to be a part of because a lot of people come out here to support each other and you meet a lot of nice people,” said El Paso High sophomore Diego Naranjo. “The competitions are also fun because you get to see where you’re at competitively.”
Here’s a look at final results of the District 1-5A championships:
Girls
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. Natalia Ramirez, Sarah Wallen, Ava Valles, and Leila Untereker of El Paso High; 2. Riley Smith, Camila Aguirre, Alicia Montoya, and Kalena Quitugua of Chapin; 3. Catalina Gutierrez, Juliana Solis, Natalie Clancy, and Lynda Valerio of Burges
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Brianna Elliott of Jefferson/Silva; 2. Natalia Ramirez of El Paso High; 3. Camila Aguirre of Chapin
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. London Napoles of El Paso High; 2. Quincy Hughes of El Paso High; 3. Ella Goeldner of El Paso High
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Leila Untereker of El Paso High; 2. Ava Valles of El Paso High; 3. Chloe Duchouquette of El Paso High
• 100-yard butterfly: 1. Sarah Wallen of El Paso High; 2. Ava Valles of El Paso High; 3. Camila Aguirre of Chapin
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Brianna Elliott of Jefferson/Silva; 2. Leila Untereker of El Paso High; 3. Chloe Duchouquette of El Paso High
• 500-yard freestyle: 1. Natalia Ramirez of El Paso High; 2. Natalie Clancy of Burges; 3. Daniela Limon of El Paso High
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Ava Valles, Sarah Wallen, Chloe Duchouquette, and Leila Untereker of El Paso High; 2. Valerie Villar, Camila Pena, Olivia Carson, and Kimberly Pineda of Andress; 3. Isabella Sims, Alejandra Sanchez, Juliana Solis, and Victoria Dominguez of Burges
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. Riley Smith of Chapin; 2. Heyra Casanova of El Paso High; 3. Kimbery Pineda of Andress
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Sarah Wallen of El Paso High; 2. Ella Goeldner of El Paso High; 3. London Napoles of El Paso High
• 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. London Napoles, Quincy Hughes, Jordan Scott, and Natalia Ramirez of El Paso High; 2. Natalie Clancy, Lynda Valerio, Catalina Gutierrez, and Isabella Sims or Burges; 3. Carolina Maldonado, Carolina Burciaga, Desiree Chavez, and Camila Pena of Andress
Boys
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. Zev Benjamin, Luke Lawhon, Michael Saucedo, and Denny Adams of El Paso High; 2. Ruben Favela, Carlos Albidrez, Jaime Corral, and Zaccaria Linggi of Chapin; 3. Benjamin Brewster, Isaac Cuanalo, Pablo Chavez, and Daniel Esparza of Burges
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Ethan Orr of El Paso High; 2. Diego Naranjo of El Paso High; 3. Adrian Pena of Burges
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. Michael Saucedo of El Paso High; 2. Robert Ivey of El Paso High; 3. Carlos Albidrez of Chapin
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Denny Adams of El Paso High; 2. Luke Lawhon of El Paso High; 3. Ethan Gales of El Paso High
• 100-yard butterfly: 1. Zev Benjamin of El Paso High; 2. Massimo Alarcon of El Paso High; 3. Erik Vergara of Jefferson/Silva
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Denny Adams of El Paso High; 2. Demetrio Morales of El Paso High; 3. Diego Naranjo of El Paso High
• 500-yard freestyle: 1. Ethan Orr of El Paso High; 2. Adrian Pena of Burges; 3. Ethan Gales of El Paso High
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Luke Lawhon, Ethan Orr, Keller May, and Zev Benjamin of El paso High; 2. Carlos Albidrez, Jaime Corral, Zaccaria Linggi, and Ruben Favela of Chapin; 3. Pablo Chavez, Seth Magana, Benjamin Brewster, and Adrian Pena of Burges
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. Zev Benjamin of El Paso High; 2. Massimo Alarcon of El Paso High; 3. Robert Ivey of El Paso High
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Michael Saucedo of El Paso High; 2. Luke Lawhon of El Paso High; 3. Carlos Albidrez of Chapin
• 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Ethan Orr, Massimo, Michael Saucedo, and Denny Adams of El Paso High; 2. Jaime Corral, Karter Phillips, Zaccaria Linggi, and Ruben Favela of Chapin; 3. Adrian Pena, Angel Delgadillo, Isaac Cuanalo, Daniel Esparza of Burges
District 1-4A
The 2024 District 1-4A Championship was held Friday, Jan. 19. The results from those races are below:
Girls
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. Devina Maynez, Troi Agness, Valentina Robles, and Sophia Medina of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Jesenia Esquivel, Jayleen Johnson, Lauren Gotthardt, and Paloma Ramos of Austin; 3. Briana Trejo, Regina Torres-Cordova, Genesis Gonzalez, and Dana Vazquez-Sandoval of Bowie
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Dalena Cedeno of Austin; 2. Arianna Espino of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Harlee Villalobos of EP Young Women’s Leadership
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. Sophia Medina of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Suryne Montoya of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Liana Garcia of Irvin
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Troi Agness of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Valentina Robles of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Ximena Gutierrez of Riverside
• 100-yard butterfly: 1. Harless Villalobos of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Katelyn Rivera of EP Young Women’s Leadership;
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Valentina Robles of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Ximena Gutierrez of Riverside; 3. Mia DeLa O of Irvin
• 500-yard freestyle: 1. Dalena Cedeno of Austin; 2. Arianna Espino of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Alexa Burgoa of EP Young Women’s Leadership
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Suryne Montoya, Troi Agness, Sophia Medina, and Krystal Legarda of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Dalena Cedeno, Paloma Ramos, Lauren Gotthardt, and Jesenia Esquivel of Austin; 3. Liana Garcia, Khrysta Garney, Alicea Sakil, Mia DeLa O of Irvin
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. Sophia Medina of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Khrysta Garney of Irvin; 3. Zoe Estrada-Moreno of Irvin
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Troi Agness of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 2. Suryne Montoya of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Alicea Sakil of Irvin
• Women 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Dalena Cedeno, Paloma Ramos, Lauren Gotthardt, and Jesenia Esquivel of Austin; 2. Harlee Villalobos, Arianna Espino, Krystal Legarda, and Valentina Robles of EP Young Women’s Leadership; 3. Liana Garcia, Khrysta Garney, Aitzel Armendariz, Mia DeLa O of Irvin
Boys
• 200-yard medley relay: 1. Tenoch Pena, Enrique Pedroza, Jacob Ramirez Jr., and Christian Aguilar of Austin; 2. Nick Acevedo, Emmanuel Hernandez, Adrian Perez, and Brock Reeder of Irvin
• 200-yard freestyle: 1. Joshua Hernandez of Austin; 2. Diego Reyes of Riverside; 3. Karel Garcia-Rosales of Austin
• 200-yard individual medley: 1. Emmanuel Hernandez of Irvin; 2. Cesar Chavez of Austin; 3. Aaron Castruita of Austin
• 50-yard freestyle: 1. Jacob Ramirez of Austin; 2. Nick Acevedo of Irvin; 3. David Perez of Riverside
• 100-yard butterfly: 1. Jacob Ramirez of Austin; 2. Christopher Gamez of Austin; 3. Karel Garcia-Rosales of Austin
• 100-yard freestyle: 1. Tenoch Pena of Austin; 2. David Perez of Riverside; 3. Adrian Perez of Irvin
• 500-yard freestyle: 1. Brandon Rojas of Austin; 2. Gabriel Ramirez of Austin
• 200-yard freestyle relay: 1. Tenoch Pena, Enrique Pedroza, Christian Aguilar, Jacob Ramirez of Austin; 2. Nick Acevedo, Adrian Perez, Brock Reeder, and Emmanuel Hernandez of Irvin; 3. Sebastian Guadian-Martinez, Miguel Martinez-Villa, Ricardo Lopez, and Christopher Alvarado of Bowie
• 100-yard backstroke: 1. Tenoch Pena of Austin; 2. Nick Acevedo of Irvin; 3. Cesar Chavez of Austin
• 100-yard breaststroke: 1. Emmanuel Hernandez of Irvin; 2. Adrian Perez of Irvin; 3. Enrique Pedroza of Austin
• 400-yard freestyle relay: 1. Christopher Gamez, Cesar Chavez, Enrique Pedroza, and Christian Aguilar of Austin; 2. Sebastian Guadian-Martinez, Stephen Martinez, Miguel Martinez-Villa, and Christopher Alvarado of Bowie
