Reigning champs repeat with historic performances at Region IV swimming in Anchorage

The depth went up a notch this weekend as regional motion for the 2025 highschool swimming season obtained underway throughout the state.

Highlighting the Region IV championship finals in Anchorage on the Bartlett High pool on Saturday have been a pair of elite swimmers who took their video games to the subsequent stage.

Seniors Reese Woodward of Eagle River and Blake Fazio of Chugiak didn’t solely declare a number of particular person titles and assist propel relay groups to first-place finishes — they etched their names into historical past.

Woodward secured her fourth and fifth area titles with a pair of first-place finishes. Her profitable mark of two:05.96 within the ladies 200 IM is the third-fastest all-time within the occasion at the highschool stage, and her mark of 55.66 within the 100 butterfly is the second-fastest ever recorded.

“It’s exciting for sure, but I think I’m just hungry to keep this momentum going forward into next week,” she mentioned. “We’re technically only half-tapered, which is when you wax before state, so it definitely gives me a lot of confidence for not only myself but for the team.”

Next weekend, she’ll goal to efficiently defend her particular person titles because the reigning state champ within the 200 IM and two-time defending champ within the 100 butterfly.

Her contributions in serving to the Wolves win the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay have been integral to the women program securing back-to-back crew titles for the primary time ever.

“I’m just proud of this team,” Woodward mentioned. “We’ve been working so hard all season, and to get to these moments and see everyone’s effort paying off is really special. Our team has so much good energy and are so supportive of each other, and that’s what makes these moments so special.”

While the identical teammates she swam with on relays at areas gained’t replicate the identical lineup for the state meet, her confidence within the group as a complete is unwavering.

“We all work so hard and I think that no matter who steps behind the block for us, they’ll be hungry and want it, and that’s something that’s rare,” Woodward mentioned.

Fazio had one of the crucial dominant performances of the finals slate, incomes a first-place end within the boys 200 freestyle with a mark of 1:44.40. He was additionally a part of probably the most thrilling end within the 100 butterfly when he narrowly edged out high seed Clint Kopp of Dimond with a program file and private greatest time of 49.99.

“I love Clint. That man’s an angel, an awesome guy, I love him and a really good-hearted guy,” Fazio mentioned. “It was close and I will say that I was scared in that race a little bit. I dug deep down and toughed it out, really trusted my training and the people behind me and everything that came along with it.”

While most swimmers would fairly not need to sweat out a victory, he welcomes and appears ahead to dealing with fierce competitors.

“I need a race like that every now and then,” Fazio mentioned. “People like that is what I need more. It’s harder when you get to a level like mine.”

He’s often not happy with first-place finishes until he’s capable of shave off time and set a private greatest, which is why he feels blessed when somebody is ready to push him like Kopp did.

“It’s good to be able to get in those moments where it’s a die-trying type of feeling,” Fazio mentioned.

His profitable time of their race marked a brand new private greatest and set a brand new program file as effectively.

“I finally broke 50 (seconds),” Fazio mentioned. “I’m insanely happy. I thought I was going to touch and get close for state and break sub-50, but I broke it today and I’m extremely happy.”

Since he’s solely half-tapered, he’s assured that he’ll be capable of swim even sooner when he eliminates extra drag heading into subsequent weekend.

He was 4 seconds off his private greatest within the 200 freestyle however is aware of what he did fallacious and is set to do higher subsequent time.

“My confidence has tripled, if not quadrupled,” Fazio mentioned. “I’m grateful to be able to get this feeling in my final season.”

He hopes to defend his state title within the 200 freestyle and needs to compete for the crown within the 100 butterfly as effectively. For that occasion, he’s anticipating stiff competitors from swimmers in different areas of the state, together with reigning state champion Isaiah Hulien of Colony.

“Hopefully, I’ll be able to snatch that and claim another victory,” Fazio mentioned.

2025 Cook Inlet Conference Championship

Girls – Team Scores

1. Eagle River, 510. 2. Dimond, 336. 3. Service, 301.

Boys – Team Scores

1. Dimond, 405. 2. Chugiak, 329. 3. Eagle River, 327.

Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay

1. Eagle River (Keira Gust, Bryn Baldwin, Reese Woodward, Sophia Trembath), 1:51.31; 2. Dimond, 1:53.05; 3. West, 1:56.86.

Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay

1. Dimond High School (Drew Dittman, Creed Cvancara, Andy Zhang, Clint Kopp), 1:40.87; 2. Eagle River, 1:41.55; 3. Service, 1:46.22.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle

1. Lelaina Trembath, Eagle River, 1:55.22; 2. Sophia Trembath, Eagle River, 1:55.55; 3. Caitlyn Rumph, Eagle River, 1:58.76.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle

1. Blake Fazio, Chugiak, 1:44.40; 2. Dax O’Brien, Dimond, 1:52.17; 3. Colin Russian, Eagle River, 1:52.99.

Girls 200 Yard IM

1. Reese Woodward, Eagle River, 2:05.96; 2. Anna Heaphy, Eagle River, 2:13.73; 3. Anna Brooks, Service, 2:15.64.

Boys 200 Yard IM

1. Nate Shockley, Eagle River, 2:02.36; 2. Andy Zhang, Dimond, 2:08.51; 3. Noah Unks, Eagle River, 2:10.13.

Girls 50 Yard Freestyle

1. Charlotte Griffith, South, 24.76; 2. Keira Gust, Eagle River, 24.89; 3. Maizy Kass, Dimond, 25.05.

Boys 50 Yard Freestyle

1. Clint Kopp, Dimond, 20.74; 2. Griffin Fencil, South, 22.37; 3. Matthew Baker, Eagle River, 22.92.

Girls 1 mtr Diving

1. Kensley Denmon, Service, 451.10; 2. Genevieve Sperbeck, Dimond, 334.20; 3. Natalie Arima, Dimond, 309.70.

Boys 1 mtr Diving

1. Reubin Williams, Service, 400.85.

Girls 100 Yard Butterfly

1. Reese Woodward, Eagle River, 55.66; 2. Anna Heaphy, Eagle River, 1:00.07; 3. Ireland Kass, Dimond, 1:03.03.

Boys 100 Yard Butterfly

1. Blake Fazio, Chugiak, 49.99; 2. Clint Kopp, Dimond, 50.73; 3. Andy Zhang, Dimond, 54.97.

Girls 100 Yard Freestyle

1. Sophia Trembath, Eagle River, 53.33; 2. Payton Curtis, West, 55.29; 3. Molly Wirschem, East, 55.68.

Boys 100 Yard Freestyle

1. Matthew Baker, Eagle River, 48.06; 2. Dax O’Brien, Dimond, 49.77; 3. Drew Dittman, Dimond, 51.55.

Girls 500 Yard Freestyle

1. Lelaina Trembath, Eagle River, 5:09.51; 2. Caitlyn Rumph, Eagle River, 5:23.18; 3. Sasha Rosko, Eagle River, 5:34.74.

Boys 500 Yard Freestyle

1. Nate Shockley, Eagle River, 4:53.88; 2. Colin Russian, Eagle River, 5:04.85; 3. Luke Whitford, Chugiak, 5:08.82.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. Eagle River (Reese Woodward, Lelaina Trembath, Anna Heaphy, Keira Gust), 1:38.94; 2. Dimond, 1:43.34; 3. South, 1:45.61.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. Dimond (Dax O’Brien, Creed Cvancara, Cameron Posey, Clint Kopp), 1:29.65; 2. Eagle River, 1:31.24; 3. Chugiak, 1:31.48.

Girls 100 Yard Backstroke

1. Keira Gust, Eagle River, 58.29; 2. Payton Curtis, West, 1:00.46; 3. Lizzie Russian, Eagle River, 1:04.47.

Boys 100 Yard Backstroke

1. Packer Lowell, Chugiak, 54.84; 2. Zander Walker, Eagle River, 57.43; 3. Noah Unks, Eagle River, 58.17.

Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke

1. Anna Brooks, Service, 1:07.41; 2. Maizy Kass, Dimond, 1:09.07; 3. Tui Stanbury, South, 1:12.35.

Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke

1. Griffin Fencil, South, 1:01.33; 2. Creed Cvancara, Dimond, 1:03.78; 3. CJ Rollins, Eagle River, 1:04.65.

Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. Eagle River (Lelaina Trembath, Anna Heaphy, Caitlyn Rumph, Sophia Trembath), 3:40.70; 2. Service, 3:51.11; 3. Dimond, 3:51.49.

Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1. Chugiak (Blake Fazio, Corbin Wolz, Gavin Heath, Packer Lowell), 3:23.27; 2. Dimond, 3:23.82; 3. Eagle River, 3:30.78.