Las Cruces Aquatic Team

Eight LCAT members traveled to the Senior Western Zones SC Championships in Mesa, AZ and put on an excellent performance. We finished with 251 pts for 18th place out of 71 teams attending from all over the Western Zone. It was unseasonable hot with temperatures hitting 107 degrees during the evening finals sessions, but we kept our cool and did some fast swimming.

We had a total of 53 swims of which 23 were best times. We had 22 swims qualified for finals along with some exciting relay performances. The boys dropped 3+ seconds from their entry times in both relays (200 Medley and 200 Free) while going faster than their state meet times. The girls dropped 3+ seconds in their 200 Medley Relay and 1 second in their 200 free relay.

Some of the highlights included Danial Myers qualifying for 7/7 finals and achieving 4 best times, Isabel Encapera qualified for 6/7 finals with 1 best time, Arabella Richardson made 2/7 finals and had 3 best times, Ryan Ruybal qualified for 5/7 finals and had 4 best times. Izzy Wellborn had 3 best times, Regan Rademacher had 2 best times, James Ferrall made 2/7 finals and had 3 best times and Kieron O’Neill continued his strong swimming with 3/4 best times and an amazing 26 sec improvement in his 1650 for 11th place. Everyone had at least one best time which was exciting.

Four LCAT members traveled to the Mountain West Age Group Championships in Boise, ID and put on an excellent performance. We finished with 113 pts for 16th place out of 31 teams attending from all over the Western Zone. Maya Hammond from the Roadrunners of Albuquerque was our stand-in coach and she really supported our kids in achieving some great results.

We had a total of 24 swims of which 14 were best times. We had 19 swims qualified for finals. Emma Armstrong had 1 – 1st place (200 free, new team record) finish, 5 – 2nd places (50 breast, new team record) finishes and 1 – 3rd place finish. Seth Davenport had 2/4 best times, made 3 finals and finished 6th, 7th and 8th in his finals. Meredith Guikema finished in 2nd place in both of her timed final events the 500 free and 400 IM. She also qualified for 5 finals and ended the meet with 3 – 2nd place (200 free, new team record) finishes, 1 – 3rd place finish and 3 – 5th place finishes. Maliyah Richardson also had a great meet. She did 1 – time trial and achieved a new best time in the 400 IM, and she finished in 6th place in the 1650. She made finals in all four of her other events, achieving 3/4 best times and finishing in 2nd, 6th, 6th and 7th place. She had large time drops in the 100 back and 100 free. Everyone had at least one best time and one placement in finals which was exciting.

LCAT had a great state meet in Albuquerque this past weekend. As a team we finished in 5th place with 513 points. I am proud of our swimmers as we traveled to Albuquerque and pulled together as a team representing Las Cruces. We had 26 swimmers compete in the meet and had 83/160 best times.

Some of the individual highlights were Emma Armstrong winning 6 of her 7 events and recording 6 of 7 best times while earning the 10&Under girl’s high point award. She also broke 2 team records (100 Back and 200 IM) and recorded her first “AAAA” time. Seth Davenport was a state champion in the 100 Breast while swimming 5/7 best times. Dara Ayala was a 2-time state champion (50 and 100 free) and a 6-time finalist. Kieron O’Neill had a monster meet with 7/7 best times and Sanders Ford had 4/4 best times and ended with a monster 50 back lead-off on the 10&Under 200 Mixed Medley Relay good for 3rd place in his final swim on Sunday.

Team accomplishments include 22/25 swimmers who swam individual events scored points for the team. Daniel Myers, Jackson Staples and Maliyah Richardson qualified for finals in all 7 events they swam. Isabel Encapera qualified for 6 of 7 finals in events she swam. Josiah Valencia throwing down an inspiring 4 second drop in the 200 fly Sunday night was inspiring. After qualifying at a last chance time trial in El Paso, Piper Shepan and Rachel O’Neill swam in their first state meet. Izzy Wellborn qualified for her first championship final in her final state meet. Parker Kutinac qualified in 7 events for the first time and in his first year in the 15&Over Age Group. These were also exciting.

We have 2 more championship meets, both the weekend of March 19-22. Eight LCAT swimmers are going to Mesa, AZ for the Western Senior Zones meet, and 4 swimmers are going to Boise, ID for the Mountain West Age Group Regional meet. It’s not quite over, but it’s been a great short course season. Enjoy the upcoming 2-week break and let’s recharge as a team for the long course season that kicks off with our home meet the Suntan Classic May 1-3.

LCAT had a great meet in El Paso this past weekend, the weather was warming and nobody was sick!

LCAT had 38 swimmers entered, with 90/174 best times. 100% best times went to Lorelei Byrnes 2/2, Thomas Davenport 3/3, Sofia Knapp 2/2, Bilal Ksibet 5/5, Bree Lancaster 2/2, Ren Rademacher 2/2, Ryan Rademacher 2/2, Jose Ramirez 2/2. The excitement wasn’t in the number of best, but in the magnitude of some of the times drops. Some of our newer swimmers were knocking large chunks of time but also some of our experienced swimmers had significant drops. We did not get any new swimmers qualified, but we had a lot of already qualified swimmers add events with their swims.

There is a last chance time trial we are planning to attend next Sunday with a hand full of swimmers hoping to be first time state qualifiers. We had a number of swimmers drop an incredible amount of time and come within 1 sec in their specialties from qualifying. It should be a fun test.

New State times for Sanders Ford in the 50 free, Robyn Rademacher in the 400 IM, 200 free and 200 back, Parker Kutinac in the 200 free, 200 fly, 100 free and 100 fly, and Dara Ayala in the 500 free. New Senior Zones qualifying times for Reagan Rademacher and Dara Ayala in the 500 free. New team records by Emma Armstrong in the 200 IM and 500 free, and new ‘AAA’ time standards achieved by Emma Armstrong in the 500 free, 200 IM, 200 free, 100 free and 50 back.

In the high point competition, we earned 4 trophies, Emma Armstrong 3rd in 10 & Under girls, Meredith Guikema 2nd in 11-12 girls, Daniel Myers 3rd in 15&Over boys and Sanders Ford 3rd in 8&Under boys.

Happy Birthday, Coach Elijah! 🎉
Thanks for everything you do for the team and for making practices fun (and productive). We’re grateful for the time and energy you put into coaching and helping the swimmers grow each season.

Hope you have a great birthday and get to enjoy the day — maybe even outside the pool for once! 🏊‍♂️🎂

Happy birthday, Batman

LCAT had a great meet in El Paso this past weekend, even in the snowy weather and with an icy commute Sunday morning.

LCAT had 23 swimmers entered, but we lost 2 for the entire weekend because of snow, 1 swimmer after Friday due to illness, and 3 swimmers on Sunday due to driving issues related to the weather. For those who swam, we had a significant number of best times, first swim meets, new state qualifications, new zones qualifications, and 3 High Point Teddy Bears.

There were 52/87 best times.

100% best times by Emma Armstrong 5/5, Paisley Gorham 3/3, Sofia Knapp 4/4, Rachel O’Neill 3/3, Landon Rosser 5/5, Piper Shepan 4/4, and first-meet swimmer Jose Ramirez 2/2.

New state times were earned by Sanders Ford in the 100 Backstroke and Reagan Rademacher in the 100 Breaststroke. New senior zones times were earned by Reagan Rademacher in the 200 Freestyle and Isabel Encapera in the 200 IM. Additionally, Emma Armstrong earned her first AAA time in the 50 Breaststroke.

High Point Teddy Bears went to:
• Emma Armstrong – 10 & Under IMR
• Meredith Guikema – 11–12 IMX
• Isabel Encapera – 13 & Over IMR

LCAT ended up in 3rd place overall as a team with 1066 points scored. This was a great team effort.

Great weekend, LCAT!!

Time to get signed up for the last-chance state qualifying meet at the BLAST Arctic Valentine. Entries are due February 3rd.

Happy Birthday, Coach Maker! 🎂🎉

Today we’re celebrating the heart of our team, our head coach! Thank you, Coach Maker, for your dedication, leadership, and for pushing our swimmers to be their best in and out of the pool. We’re grateful for everything you do and hope your day is filled with happiness, laughs, and maybe a little time not on deck 😉

Help us wish Coach Maker a very happy birthday! 🎈🏊‍♂️🎈

As our LCAT family says goodbye to Coach Philip, we want to take a moment to celebrate the impact he’s made in such a short time.

Philip has been coaching with LCAT since May 2024, primarily with our Silver Group, and from day one it was clear how special he is. His energy, encouragement, and genuine care made kids excited to come to practice every single day. He built confidence, connection, and a true love for the sport, something every coach hopes to do. He will truly be missed by swimmers, families, and fellow coaches alike.

We are so proud of Philip as he begins an incredible new journey. After graduating with a BS in Biology and a minor in Chemistry, he is heading into an unforgettable spring semester abroad, sailing nearly 7,000 miles from Antigua to Tahiti while studying marine biology and oceanography in the Caribbean and Pacific. What an adventure! 🌍⛵️

Looking ahead, Philip is planning to attend dental school at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, with hopes of also receiving an offer from Texas Tech or Texas A&M. Wherever he lands, we know he will continue to make a difference, just as he did here at LCAT.

Thank you, Coach Philip, for everything you’ve given to our team. Once LCAT, always LCAT. 💙 We wish you fair winds, calm seas, and so much success in all that’s ahead!

—Your LCAT Family

Merry Christmas from LCAT 🎄🎅

So much holiday fun!

Black, White & Silver splashed their way through an epic team swim, while Maroon & Senior enjoyed their annual Dion’s dinner and White Elephant gift exchange earlier this week🎁🍕

Leo Cancellare Summary –

LCAT had 33 swimmers and one out of retirement Masters swimmer participating in the LEO Cancellare swim meet this weekend at the Westside Natatorium in El Paso, TX. This has been an annual tradition prelim/final meet intended to flex and show-off how hard we worked all fall before going into the Christmas Holiday training block. We got bit by the flu-bug with 5 entrants not participating and 1 swimmer making a single Friday evening swim before succumbing to the flu. All in all it was a great meet for those who did swim. We had 92/143 best times and scored 674.5 pts, good for a 4th place team finish before some pretty stiff competition.

We also had some great individual performances in the high point races. Meredith finished 2nd in the 11–12 girls, Isabel Encapera earned 1st place, and Dara Ayala took 3rd place in the 15 & over girls high point awards.

5 swimmers had 100% best times; Alex Farrell (6/6), Parker Kutanic (1/1) (15 sec drop in the 400 IM before exiting with the flu), PJ Lackey (3/3), Robyn Rademacher (4/4) and Paxton Rogers (3/3). Great Meet LCAT! Let’s enjoy the holidays and roll up your sleeves for some great Christmas Break training.

Calling all black, white, and silver group swimmers. Come join us for some reindeer relays!