Editors Note: This article was originally published in the Feb. 21, 2024 issue of the Chronicle Progress. Some information may be outdated.
Karston Keele & Mary Stephenson
Special to the Chronicle Progress
The Millard Lady Eagles capped off their latest season in the water with their first ever state championship this past weekend.
With the restructured classifications in swim, Millard was finally able to compete solely in the 2A division with winning results. Additionally, MHS was still competitive compared to many 3A schools; the Lady Eagles outscored seven 3A schools in total points.
Historically, swimmers in the 2A classification were required to compete against swimmers in the 3A division. As the sport gained in popularity and participation amongst 2A schools the Utah High School Activities Association finally sponsored a championship meet for 2A participants. The meet was held at the BYU pool in Provo.
Millard was aided by strong performances from the entire team. The senior-led 200-meter Medley Relay team claimed the top spot, while the 200-meter Freestyle team landed in second. Senior Lizzy Despain claimed first in both the 100-meter Breaststroke and the 50-meter Freestyle. Fellow senior Kailey Thurman finished second in both the 100-meter Backstroke and the 200-meter Individual Medley.
The competition was intense amongst the top three schools. After the final race of the two-day meet, Millard bested second and third place finishers Grand County and Rowland Hall. Millard was well positioned after placing first in its region a couple of weeks ago and Coach Chelton Spendlove knew that the final tally would be tight.
Special recognition belongs to Despain, who was named 2A Female Swimmer of the Year for her stellar performances all season long, capped off by those two individual first-place finishes at state.
She has been on the swim team and drill team all four years of high school. She placed 7th in the 50-meter Freestyle and 6th in the 100-meter Breaststroke. Thurman placed 7th in the 100-meter Backstroke and 10th in the Women’s 200-meter Individual Medley. The Medley Relay team also placed 4th. Emma Koyle, Thurman, Kallie Whitaker, and Despain took 9th in the 200-meter Relay. Emma Koyle took 10th in the 100-meter Backstroke. Kadi Dearden took 15th in the 100-meter Breaststroke. The relay team also took 15th in the 400-meter Freestyle Relay. They ended up with 104 points to Grand County’s 101 points.
Millard’s boys were also competitive in their own right, earning a 5th place finish in 2A. Sophomore Kamdyn Frampton scored for Millard in both the 200-meter and 100-meter Freestyle events, while fellow sophomore Taden Davies earned a second-place finish in the Mixed 50-meter Freestyle Unified event.
Hats off to Millard’s swim program for this crowning achievement. Over the last several years, Millard’s coaches have worked to grow this relatively new program in MHS athletics.
Coach Spendlove says what makes this season and state championship special is that it is the first. He paid tribute to past teams and athletes who have competed for Millard. They laid the foundation that helped establish 2A swim, he said. Their legacy has pushed and inspired this year’s team to reach the pinnacle.
Spendove established the program nine years ago. Jared Higgs has served as his assistant coach the past eight years. When he first started the program, there were six kids. Now, between 40 and 50 kids come out every year. He credits that to the original team who recruited friends and the supportive MHS community.
For him, coaching isn’t a career. It is what grounds him. Winning is great, but the most rewarding thing is when former athletes thank him for the lessons learned in the pool.
