Bears swim to metro championship title

La Cueva’s girls last weekend captured first place at the Albuquerque Metro Swimming/Diving Championships at the West Mesa Aquatic Center.

The Bears scored 500 points, followed by Eldorado (401), Albuquerque High (305), Rio Rancho (249) and Volcano Vista (163).

La Cueva sophomore Margaret Meek was one of three multiple individual champions at metros, as she swam to victories in the 100-yard freestyle (54.87 seconds) and 100-yard backstroke (59.26).

Kendal Moody of Rio Rancho (24.81) was first in the 50 free, and swam second to Meek in the 100 free.

Another Bears sophomore, Isabella Tovar, also won a pair of events, taking the 100 butterfly (1 minute, 0.13 seconds) and the 200 individual medley (2:15.41), where she won by over seven seconds. The 100 butterfly provided the day’s most exciting finish, as Eldorado’s Elena Busani touched in 1:00.15. Busani also finished second in the 50 free.

Matilda Nethery, an AHS junior, won the two distance freestyle events, the 200 (2:01.50) and the 500 (5:24.58).

Arianna Salazar of Eldorado captured the 100 breaststroke title, and Dorothy Young of La Cueva placed first in the 1-meter diving event, scoring 351 points. The Bears also won two of the three relays, the 200 Medley and 400 Free.

The boys metro meet begins at 10 a.m. Saturday.