MOSES LAKE – On Thursday, the Mavericks were productive in their dual meet against Eisenhower and Davis. Head coach Tony Preston said success in a meet comes down to the fourth- and fifth-place swimmers; those who place there make a significant difference in the point differential.   

“It's really nice to see everybody come together, those swimmers that weren't necessarily at the top of the event, but they were still out there, battling hard, doing their thing. It's just fun to see them excited when they do well,” Preston said.   

The Mavericks outscored Eisenhower 93-86 and Davis 134-31. The meet began with a 1-meter dive, during which only Mavericks swimmers participated. Chloe Saxton took the top score with 120.65 while Mia Thompson was right behind her with 96.05.   

Though Saxton is a senior, this is her first season on the swim team, Preston said. With her gymnastics background, he said she has a lot of fun diving. In league meets, they usually only do six dives, but as they gear up for districts, Preston is eager to see how Saxton does in the 11-dive meet.   

“Bummer (that) she didn't start earlier, but we get her now, so that's great, and we'll see what kind of competition stacks up the next two Thursdays,” Preston said. “As we progress here, we're going to see how she stacks up against that competition, doing all 11 dives.”  

In the 200-yard medley relay, the Mavs took first, fourth and sixth place. Brianne Bodenman, Paysyn Torrey, Ellen Center and Dallie Cobb made up the top team in that race. Preston praised each swimmer's contribution to their success on Thursday.   

Preston said Torrey is competitive and has been trying different events throughout the season. He said she has shown a lot of grit and determination this season. Dallie is considered the Mavs sprint person and has returned to the water recently after some missed time. Preston is confident she will pop some times in the coming weeks.   

Center is a solid all-around swimmer that can get points for the Mavs in several events, Preston said. Preston considers Bodenman a key contributor to lead the Mavs to success in events.   

“She's the engine of our team. She keeps us going, and she has results, like she's tops in that 200 and 500 for us. (We) really like having her,” Preston said.   

Bodenman also finished second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:06.85. Right behind her was Taylor McKay in third place with 2:24.16 and Kolby Cobb in fifth at 2:45.16. In the 200 individual medley, Torrey took first with a time of 2:32.86, in fourth was Clara Larkin at 2:59.04 and Ashlynn Aronsohn in fifth place at 3:38.44.   

In the 50-yard freestyle, the Mavs had three swimmers place in the top 10. Dallie scored 27.08 for first place, Kimball Roylance placed third with 29.41, and Ciara Quilter finished in seventh place with a score of 33.39.   

Center and McKay placed second and fourth in the 100-yard butterfly competition. In the 100-yard freestyle, Dallie, Larkin and Ava Robinson finished in the top ten to score for the Mavericks. In the 500-yard freestyle, Bodenman (first), Torrey (third) and Center (fourth) finished top five to add to the Mavericks' score.   

The energy throughout the meet was high for the Mavericks swimmers, Preston said. Even spectators noticed. He said this is intentional. He aims to create a fun environment for the swimmers to help them compete better, he said.   

“Just knowing that those girls are out there and they're having fun, I had two people at the meet last night say, ‘Hey, your girls are having a lot of fun.’ I'm like, ‘Oh yeah, we have fun first, and we compete later,’ because I find if they're having fun, they'll get hungry and they'll compete,” Preston said.   

Preston said he gets more out of his swimmers when they’re happy when competing.   

Preston said while he may be guilty of thinking multiple meets ahead, he likes to have his swimmers focused on one competition at a time. To him, it takes some weight off their shoulders when they hit the water.   

“Don't get me wrong, I have my eyes on state, I have my eyes on district finals, district prelims, I’m thinking those steps ahead because it’s my job. Their job is to focus on the job at hand, which is the next meet,” Preston said.  

The Mavericks return to the pool at the Tony St. Onge Pool of Dreams next Thursday at 5 p.m. 

    River Spees pushes through the water with a backstroke during Thursday’s meet at home. Head Coach Tony Preston said he wants his swimmers to focus on one meet at a time.
  

    Chloe Saxton does a flip during the 1-meter dive on Thursday. Saxton placed first for the Mavericks and improved her score in the same competition from the previous meet.
  

    Zoe Rasmussen competes in the 200-yard medley relay for the Mavericks in Thursdays meet.