Brighton senior sets fastest 5A time in 200-yard medley.

By Bubba Brown

| Special to The Tribune

Provo • Brighton senior swimmer Long Gutierrez walked toward the starting block, moments before the race for the Class 5A boys’ 200-yard individual medley state title. The other swimmers were stoic, but he wore orange headphones, and he bounced his body along with the beat.

This was Gutierrez’s comfort zone. Body gyrating, he peered into the pool and found a sharp focus.

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At a glance

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Storylines

Brighton senior Long Gutierrez breaks his own 5A record in the 200-yard medley with a time of 1 minute, 52.57 seconds.

» West wins the girls’ 200 medley relay, and Lehi wins the boys’ event.

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5A state swimming championships

Thursday, at BYU

Girls’ 200-yard medley relay

1. West, 1:50.33; 2. Brighton, 1:51.69; 3. Alta, 1:52.67; 4. Bingham, 1:53.59; 5. Kearns, 1:57.21; 6. Viewmont, 1:58.09.

Boys’ 200 relay

1. Lehi, 1:40.42; 2. Cottonwood, 1:40.66; 3. Lone Peak, 1:40.79; 4. Brighton, 1:40.97; 5. Bingham, 1:42.47; 6. Alta 1:42.55.

Girls’ 200 freestyle

1. Autumn Wolfgram, West, 1:54.65; 2. Kirsten Mathewson, Bingham, 1:54.99; 3. Rachel Hubert, Lone Peak, 1:55.03; 4. Claire Jackson, Hunter, 2:00.06; 5. Katy Daggett, Brighton, 2:00.66; 6. McKenna King, American Fork, 2:00.80.

Boys’ 200 freestyle

1. Jordan Dahle, Cottonwood, 1:41.37; 2. Jarren Brinton, West Jordan, 1:44.32; 3. Jorgen Jensen, Copper Hills, 1:47.67; 4. Aaron Cookson, Pleasant Grove, 1:47.79; 5. Trick Graf, Brighton, 1:48.28, 6. Devin Froerer, Bingham, 1:48.60.

Girls’ 200 individual medley

1. Brianna Francis, Alta, 2:04.52; 2. Alisa Gouge, Kearns, 2:11.95; 3. Ciera Orr, Bingham, 2:15.77; 4. Maddie Christensen, Riverton, 2:19.06; 5. Diana Olsen, Bingham, 2:20.02; 6. Shae Simonson, Hunter, 2:20.09.

Boys’ 200 individual medley

1. Long Gutierrez, Brighton, 1:52.57; 2. Trevor Blackburn, Lehi, 1:54.82; 3. Ethan Pollock, American Fork, 1:59.66; 4. Matt Templeman, Brighton, 2:00.47; 5. Brendan Nguyen, Cottonwood, 2:02.10; 6. Brian O’Neal, Brighton, 2:03.32.

Girls’ 50 freestyle

1. Kristine Pataray, Copper Hills, 24.20; 2. Amelia Wolfgram, West, 24.28; 3. Alicia May, Alta, 24.42; 4. Abbey Sorensen, Riverton, 24.49; 5. Samantha Scoresby, Lone Peak, 24.50; Katie Smith, Lone Peak, 24.84.

Boys’ 50 freestyle

1. Nathan Bramhall, Pleasant Grove, 21.20; 2. Brock Harries, Brighton, 21.79; 3. Chandler Ward, Weber, 22.40; 4. Bryce Pearson, Kearns, 22.46; 5. Parker Sorensen, Riverton, 22.70; 6. Tristan Spoerri, Kearns, 22.83.

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"That’s just getting in the mood," Gutierrez said. "I get some adrenaline going and just get ready to race."

Just more than two minutes later, Gutierrez had broken his own 5A record with a time of 1:52.57 on Thursday at BYU.

But that doesn’t mean Gutierrez was satisfied. The significance of winning the event for the second straight year wasn’t lost on him, but his goal was to shatter the overall state record of 1:51.47, which Mountain Crest’s Jake Taylor set in 2009.

"I wanted to go a little bit faster, but I was just tired. I don’t know why," Gutierrez said. "... I wanted to go 1:48, but I just didn’t feel it."

Though the overall state record eluded him Thursday, Gutierrez already is in the record books.

He set the overall state mark last year in the 100 butterfly, his best event, and Friday he’ll get a chance to raise that bar. Doing so would close out his illustrious career on a memorable note.

"Swimming in high school has been so fun. I’ve loved it," Gutierrez said. "Having the team behind you, and having team bonding and everything has been a really great experience."

While Gutierrez is wrapping up his high school career, West’s Autumn Wolfgram is just beginning hers. If Thursday is any indication, she may well leave her mark on the state record books, as well. Wolfgram, a freshman, won the girls’ 200 freestyle with a time of 1:54.65, just minutes after helping West win the girls’ 200 medley.

"I’m happy, but then again nervous because of the competition," Wolfgram said. "If I raise the bar, everyone else is going to want to beat that bar."

She admitted to having to fight nerves before the race, though they didn’t show when she dove into the water.

"Going in, I was so scared," said Wolfgram, who will race Friday in the 100 butterfly. "I was just trying to hang in there."

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