CARLSBAD — Clovis High’s swim teams finished second behind Las Cruces High Saturday in district competition.

Las Cruces finished with 181 points to 110 for CHS in boys competition, and 201 to 117 for the Lady Wildcats in girls team standings.

CHS coach Nick de Maio said his team swam about as well as it could, but were simply outnumbered.

“We have nine girls and 11 booys,” he said. “Las Cruces has about 40 kids, so that’s about as good as we could hope for.”

The boys got two wins from sophomore Nick de Maio — 1:56.22 in the 200 freestyle and 1:00.38 in the 100 backstroke. Both were state qualifying times; the 200 was a school record and the 100 a district record.

“It was a real breakout day for Nick,” coach de Maio said of his son. “He really swam to the level he’s capable of.”

Lucas Brock was first in the 500 free style in a school record 5:19.20 and second in the 200 freestyle (1:56.35), a state-qualifying mark. The Wildcats also won the 400 freestyle relay in a district and school-record time of 3:38.99 and placed second in the 200 medley relay (1:52.31).

The girls’ lone win came from Jill Southard, who set school and district records with a time of 2:02.35. She beat top-seeded Sam Harding of Las Cruces High in that event, then finished second to harding in the 500 free tstyle in a school record 5:29.50.

The girls were also second in the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays.

“Obviously, they all swam well, with three district championships and three district records,” coach de Maio said. They are really set up for the state championships (next weekend at Albuquerque Academy).”

DISTRICT SWIMMING MEET
Friday, Saturday at Carlsbad
Boys standings: 1. Las Cruces High 181; 2. Clovis 110; 3. Hobbs 104; 4. Carlsbad 72; 5. Artesia 37; 6. New Mexico Military 36; 7. Alamogordo 9.
Clovis top 3 finishes
200 medley relay: 2. Nick de Maio, Ryan Waters, Lucas Brock, Kenan Bussen 1:52.31. 200 freestyle: 1. de Maio 1:56.22 (SR, SQ); 2. Brock 1:56.35 (SQ). 200 individual medley: 3. Waters 2:20.29. 500 freestyle: 1. Brock 5:19.20 (SR). 100 backstroke: 1. de Maio 1:00.38 (DR, SQ). 400 freestyle relay: 1. de Maio, Waters, Brock, Bussen) 3:38.99 (DR, SR, SQ).

Girls standings: 1. Las Cruces High 202; 2. Clovis 117; 3. Alamogordo 61 1/2; 4. Artesia52; 5. Carlsbad 40 1/2; 6. Mesilla Valley 30 1/2; 7. Hobbs 27 1/2.
Clovis top 3 finishes
200 medley relay: 2. Martha Chace, Portia Gibbons, Jill Southard, Chelsea Carter 2:05.47. 200 freestyle: 1. Southard 2:02.35 (DR, SR). 100 butterfly: 3. Gibbons 1:09.43. 500 freestyle: 2. Southard 5:29.50 (SR). 100 backstroke: 3. Gibbons 1:07.80 (SR, SQ). 100 breaststroke: 3. Amelia Langsten 1:22.59. 400 freestyle relay: 2. Southard, Carter, Chace, Gibbons) 4:06.99 (SQ).
SR — school record. SQ — state-qualifying time. DR — district meet record.