Northern Wyoming News - Serving the Big Horn Basin for over 100 years

From start to finish, the Worland Lady Warriors swimming and diving season was a positive step forward for the program.

The team had a lot of individual success. Shae Whitlock had a standout season, winning the 3A East 200-yard individual medley, finishing top 12 at state in the 200 IM and 100-yard backstroke and swam the third fastest backstroke in program history (1:04.96).

Seniors Elena Gunderson and Maci Newell closed out their Lady Warrior swimming careers with top 12 finishes at state - Gunderson in the 200-yard freestyle and Newell in the 100-yard and 50-yard freestyle.

On the diving board, Haley Kinghorn finished 12th at state, and at the 3A East conference meet, Delanie Johnson came in fourth when she scored a career-high 281 points on 11 dives.

Even for the Lady Warriors who didn't make it to state, progress was made by each swimmer.

"How far they came this year and everything they've learned throughout the season has been so fun," said Warren. "Having more time in the water and starting that much further ahead was big for us. Even before the season, I had 10 girls consistently at the pool, the entire summer at 6 o'clock in the morning."

The successes in the pool and on the diving board this season were exciting. Yet, what Warren enjoyed most about this team was being around this team every day.

"How far they came as far as their learning curve and their positivity toward each other and constantly wanting to get better," said Warren. "I say just all the giggles. They always wanted to be around each other, and I enjoyed being around them, too. That includes [assistant] Coach [Justin] Howe. They all took to each other and wanted to be around each other. That camaraderie, for sure, was so much fun."

The Lady Warriors' two seniors, Gunderson and Newell, were tremendous leaders for their team. With complimenting styles, the seniors showed how much work it takes to compete at a high level at each meet.

"Maci's definitely an outgoing leader who uses her voice and is able to share a lot. They both care so much about how they perform and what that looks like. Elena, every person voted for her to be team captain. To me, that speaks a lot about who she is, and that is awesome. She is definitely the quiet leader who leads by example, and shows the girls what she expects of them by working twice as hard as them," said Warren. "I just love that."

With Gunderson and Newell graduating, the Lady Warriors will turn to a new group of swimmers to lead the way. The team will have a great group of juniors to take up that mantle, with the likes of Warren, Whitlock and Lila Ramirez, to name a few.

On the diving side of things, freshman Johnson and sophomore Haley Kinghorn are back on the board for Worland in '24

The success of the summer swimming program has Warren thinking of ways to expand it, whether that's through participation or starting sooner.

"Now, how do we get 10 girls consistently at the pool all season long, at 6 o'clock in the morning. We'll start doing more two days, and like taking them to the next level now that they have a year under their belts and know what to expect," said Warren. "Our juniors were really excited about that prospect and getting back in the water and being ready for next year."