Valdese Torpedo swimmer Daynesa Gonzalez competes in a girls butterfly event at the Valdese Aquatic Center on June 27. Gonzalez was part of four Valdese wins both on June 27 and again on Tuesday as the team swam in a meet at Black Mountain.
PHOTOS BY KELLY HARMON PHOTOGRAPHY / FOR THE PAPER
Valdese Torpedo swimmer Daynesa Gonzalez competes in a girls butterfly event at the Valdese Aquatic Center on June 27. Gonzalez was part of four Valdese wins both on June 27 and again on Tuesday as the team swam in a meet at Black Mountain.
PHOTOS BY KELLY HARMON PHOTOGRAPHY / FOR THE PAPER
The Valdese Torpedo youth swimming team hosted McDowell, Shelby, and Watauga in a four-team Tarheel Swim League meet on June 27 at the Valdese Aquatic Center and swept the day’s action.
The Valdese boys scored 253 points, followed in order by Shelby (131), Watauga (56), and McDowell (13), while the girls also won by a wide margin, scoring 204 points to finish ahead of Watauga (108), Shelby (87), and McDowell (22).
“The kids swam really well,” Torpedo coach David Andersen said, “and they are continuing to show improvement as we reach our midpoint in the season.”
Two Valdese swimmers won three individual events apiece, including Daynesa Gonzalez (girls 13-14 50 freestyle, 100 free, 100 butterfly), who also keyed a fourth victory alongside teammates Braylee Bollinger, Bella Buchanan, and Desiree Gonzalez in the girls 13-14 200 free relay.
Dawson Kirkland (boys 11-12 50 free, 50 fly, 50 backstroke) also won three times individually, while Bollinger (girls 13-14 100 back, 100 breaststroke), Graham Gravel (boys 8U 25 back, 25 fly), Nash Greene (boys 9-10 50 free, 50 back), and Mason Boice (boys 13-14 50 free, 100 free) each won twice in solo fashion and once with a relay.
Torpedo’s Dawson Kirkland swims in a boys backstroke event on June 27 in Valdese.
Gravel teamed up with Truman Davis, Tabor Parris, and Elym Reasoner on the winning boys 8U 100 free relay, Greene won the boys 9-10 200 free relay alongside John-Mark Gagliardo, Ezra Platt, and Luke Gravel, and Boice, William Bowman, Gabriel Platt, and Andrew Harmon claimed the boys 13-14 200 free relay.
Isabella McDaniel (girls 15-18 100 free, 100 breast) also won two individual events, and other Valdese event winners were Charlotte Gouge (girls 6U 25 free), Allie Childers (girls 8U 25 back), Luke Gravel (boys 9-10 100 free), Paisleigh Kirkland (girls 9-10 50 fly), Lauryn Turner (girls 9-10 50 breast), Desiree Gonzalez (girls 11-12 100 individual medley), Lyra Davis (girls 11-12 50 breast), William Bowman (boys 13-14 100 back), Walker Bowman (boys 15-18 100 back), Jaron Davis (boys 15-18 100 breast), and Noah Harmon (boys overall 200 free).
Additionally, the Torpedo got relay wins via the girls 9-10 200 free and 200 medley units of Paisleigh Kirkland, Leila Bowman, Lauryn Turner, and Adeline Parris; the girls 11-12 200 free relay of Abby Gouge, Aria Ledford, Julia Gagliardo, and Lydia Falls; the boys 15-18 200 free relay of Noah Harmon, Jacob Harmon, Jaron Davis, and Walker Bowman; and the boys 15-18 200 medley relay of Davis, Jacob Harmon, Malachi Falls, and Noah Clontz.
Torpedo’s Braylee Bollinger swims in a girls breaststroke event on June 27 in Valdese.
Valdese then swam in a Tuesday night meet hosted by Black Mountain, with the boys (116) placing second behind Black Mountain (238) and ahead of Shelby (61) following a one-hour lightning delay to start, while the girls placed third (126) behind both Black Mountain (222) and Shelby (146).
Luke Gravel (boys 9-10 50 breast, 100 free, 100 IM) and Daynesa Gonzalez (girls overall 200 free; 13-14 100 back, 100 free) won three times apiece to highlight the Torpedo’s effort, with Gonzalez also winning alongside Desiree Gonzalez, Isabella McDaniel, and Tenley Turner in the girls 15-18 200 medley relay.
Turner (girls 15-18 50 free, 100 back) won twice on her own, and other Valdese individual event winners were Charlotte Gouge (girls 6U 25 free), Truman Davis (boys 6U 25 free), Elym Reasoner (boys 8U 25 back), Adeline Parris (girls 9-10 50 free), Lauryn Turner (girls 9-10 50 breast), John-Mark Gagliardo (boys 9-10 50 free), Lydia Falls (girls 11-12 50 free), Andrew Harmon (boys 11-12 50 free), and Walker Bowman (boys 15-18 50 free).
Bowman, Turner, Parris, and Lola Reasoner swept the girls 9-10 200 free and 200 medley relays, and William Bowman, Gabriel Platt, Andrew Harmon, and Mason Boice won the boys 13-14 200 medley relay.
“The kids did well, and there were some great races,” Andersen said. “We’re excited to have a little break for (July 4) and get back in to work hard in July to wrap the season up.”
Next up, Valdese is at Granite Falls for a July 9 meet before heading to a sprint/distance meet in Forest City on July 11. The Torpedo’s final home meet is scheduled for July 18.
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