Boys Basketball
Coleman Atwater, Davis (Sr.)
Led by Coleman Atwater, Davis ended the regular season on an eight-game winning streak and earned a share of the Region 1 championship with Layton.
The senior finished the regular season averaging 21.8 points (second in 6A), 4.9 rebounds and 1.8 steals. He made 78 3-pointers.
“Coleman has been the consummate senior leader for our team this year. His practice habits and work ethic have not only made him into an awesome player he is, but he has been a tremendous example to every kid in our program. Coleman believes in his teammates and his teammates believe in him,” said Davis coach Chad Sims.
In the regular-season finale last week Atwater scored 23 points and made three 3-pointers to lead Davis to the 66-61 win at Weber.
Davis has a first-round bye in the 6A playoffs this week before hosting a second-round game on Friday.
Girls Basketball
Ella Seymore, Westlake (Jr.)
In two of the biggest games of the season for Westlake, junior Ella Seymore came up huge and helped her team earn a share of the Region 3 championship last week.
In the second-to-last game of region she scored 10 points in a 58-37 win over Pleasant Grove, and then last week with the region title on the line, she tallied 12 points in a 45-39 win over Lone Peak.
“Ella has an innate sense of leadership that has been huge in our success this season. Ella would run through a brick wall for anyone on our team and they would do the same for her,” said Westlake coach Charlotte MacFarlane.
Seymore finished the regular season averaging 7.4 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.4 assists.
“She’s an incredible scorer, passionate defender, and an ever-learner of the game. One of my favorite things about her is that she genuinely wants to be coached. She knows what she is capable of and will do whatever it takes to get there. She’s the kind of kid that you love having on your team and we are grateful we have her,” said MacFarlane.
Boys Swimming
Luan Barnard, Brighton (Jr.)
In a 5A state meet where records seemed to fall every race, Brighton junior Luan Barnard was right in the thick of things.
Barnard set a new overall state record in winning the 100 backstroke with an elite time of 47.53. He was also crowned the 200 freestyle champion posting a time of 1:38.70, the third-fastest time in the history of Utah.
“Luan is one of those rare athletes that is willing to always find a way to work harder, smarter, faster, stronger, whatever it takes to be the best version of himself that he can be,” said Brighton coach Todd Etherington. “Everything that he has experienced in the sport of swimming has been used as a learning experience to improve upon what he is already doing.”
For the season, he posted top five times in five different individual events (100 back, 200 free, 200 IM, 100 free and 500 free).
Girls Swimming
Veronica Black, Highland (Sr.)
Veronica Black wrapped up her high school career with a bang in a dominant performance at the 5A tournament last weekend.
Black won the 5A state title in the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke, setting new overall state records in both events.
The San Diego State signee posted a 1:00.51 time in the 100 breast, lowering the time from her previous state record from the Region 6 championships. Black accounts for seven of the 10 best times in state history in the record books.
Black also set a new standard in the 200 IM, setting a new state record time of 2:02.33 at BYU.
“I think Utah swimming is evolving as something that used to not be that popular of a sport in Utah. It’s getting bigger and that’s exciting for me to see that and to see the girls in the classes below me, who I hope one day will break the records that I just set. It’s exciting to see Utah swimming grow,” said Black.
Boys Wrestling
Michael Alexander, Uintah (Sr.)
Despite 70-plus years of wrestling history, Uintah High School had never had a four-time individual state champ. Senior Michael Alexander changed all that last week in the 4A state tournament at UVU.
Alexander pinned Stansbury’s Benjamin Ploehn in the first period of the 126-pound final to secure his fourth straight individual title.
“It’s just an example of what wrestling is and the examples that are set all around us,” Alexander said. “I’m just following a path that’s already created for me.”
In adding four more wins to his season haul, Alexander upped his record to an impressive 42-3 this season in helping lead Uintah to a fifth straight state championship.
Girls Wrestling
Keilikki nau Rarick, Westlake (Sr.)
One of the state’s most elite wrestlers the past four years, Westlake’s Keilikki nau Rarick wrapped up her career with another dominant state tournament performance.
The senior went 3-0 in the 235-pound bracket of the 6A state championships, pinning each opponent in under 63 seconds to claim her fourth straight individual state title.
“It’s awesome just to leave the legacy behind and just to show it and be an example for my siblings,” Rarick said. “We just work hard, we mind to ourselves, we don’t compare ourselves to others.”
Rarick finished the season with a 37-2 record, and she wrapped up her career in a Westlake singlet with a 135-4 record.