Dvdaya Swimmer, Cherokee sophomore, repeated as the 1A West Regional girls cross country champion in a meet at Kituwah on the morning of Saturday, Oct. 28. She finished the race with a time of 17:55.37. (SCOTT MCKIE B.P./One Feather photos)
By SCOTT MCKIE B.P.
One Feather Asst. Editor
KITUWAH – On the foggy morning of Saturday, Oct. 28, Dvdaya Swimmer, Cherokee High School (CHS) sophomore, repeated as 1A West Regional girls cross country champion. She won the race with a time of 17:55.37 – almost a minute faster than her winning time last year of 18:52.88 – and was named to the All-Region team.
Following the race, Swimmer, a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, said, “It feels amazing. I thought I was under training so much because I was focused on volleyball, but I always told myself, ‘if you’re going to PR (personal record), let it be at regionals’.”
Swimmer came in ahead of Nicole Alfers, Christ the King Catholic School, who finished second with a time of 17:58.83 and Annie Lewis, Swain Co., who came in third place with a time of 18:46.17.
Ogana Swimmer, Cherokee freshman, finished in sixth place with a time of 16:16.92. He was named to the All-Region team and qualified for the 1A state meet.
On the race itself, Swimmer noted, “I just told myself not to lose.”
A two-sport athlete in the fall, she is also a member of the Lady Braves varsity volleyball team and said that helped prepare her for Saturday’s race. “Running is something that I like to do, but volleyball, right now, is something that I love to do. It’s fun for me, especially getting away from the running part. So, being able to play volleyball is my getaway from this. I think volleyball is so much fun for me.”
Swimmer is the 1A State girls cross country defending champion – a title she will defend on Saturday, Nov. 4 in Kernersville, N.C.
Ogana Swimmer, Cherokee freshman and Dvdaya’s brother, came in sixth place in the boys race with a time of 16:16.92 and was also named to the All-Region team and qualified for the 1A state meet.
Also qualifying for the state meet from Cherokee High School are: Aizen Bell, Livia Crowe, and Letsi Burgos. Bell placed 12th in the boys race with a time of 17:00.11. In the girls race, Crowe placed 11th with a time of 19:45.75 and Burgos placed 13th with a time of 19:57.98.
The following results, per nc.milesplit, show the top seven finishers in each race plus all CHS runners:
Cherokee’s Livia Crowe finished in 11th place with a time of 19:45.75 and qualified for the 1A state meet.
Cherokee’s Letsi Burgos finished in 13th place with a time of 19:57.98 and qualified for the 1A state meet.
High School Girls
1 – Dvdaya Swimmer, Cherokee, 17:55.37
2 – Nicole Alfers, Christ the King Catholic School, 17:58.83
3 – Annie Lewis, Swain County, 18:46.17
4 – Shea Roche, Christ the King Catholic School, 18:54.44
5 – Angelina Lomelli, Swain County, 19:14.85
6 – Stella Friedman, Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy, 19:17.49
7 – Fern Crayton, Tri-County Early College, 19:33.80
11 – Livia Crowe, Cherokee, 19:45.75
13 – Letsi Burgos, Cherokee, 19:57.98
65 – Yvonne Saunooke, Cherokee, 24:40.00
101 – Deanna Long, Cherokee, 31:28.50
Team Scores
1 – Swain County 49
2 – Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy 87
3 – Christ the King Catholic School 97
4 – Bradford Prep Charter School 115
5 – Cherokee 162
6 – Mountain Island Charter School 163
7 – Langtree Charter Academy 188
8 – NC School of Science and Math – Morganton 213
9 – Hayesville 222
10 – Draughn 243
11 – Tri-County Early College 247
12 – Avery County 275
Cherokee’s Aizen Bell finished in 12th place with a time of 17:00.11 and qualified for the 1A state meet.
High School Boys
1 – Blake Nicholson, Christ the King Catholic School, 15:03.29
2 – Cole Fiorillo, Corvian Community School, 15:29.71
3 – O’Malley Salinas, Andrews, 15:55.44
4 – Ethan Russell, Hiwassee Dam, 16:10.49
5 – Carl Baird, Swain County, 16:12.21
6 – Ogana Swimmer, Cherokee, 16:16.92
7 – Kane Jones, Swain County, 16:38.35
12 – Aizen Bell, Cherokee, 17:00.11
92 – Kaden Stephens, Cherokee, 20:53.85
96 – Brandon Blankenship, Cherokee, 21:00.87
97 – Levi Oocumma, Cherokee, 21:01.90
99 – Utsela Saunooke, Cherokee, 21:10.41
128 – Isaiah Ledford, Cherokee, 25:15.50
Team Scores
1 – Swain County 68
2 – Bradford Prep Charter School 110
3 – Corvian Community School 114
4 – Christ the King Catholic School 120
5 – Hayesville 137
6 – Thomas Jefferson Classical Academy 170
7 – Mountain Island Charter School 187
8 – NC School of Science and Math – Morganton 198
9 – Avery County 231
10 – Cherokee 280
11 – Hiwassee Dam 331
12 – Langtree Charter Academy 341
13 – Draughn 351
14 – Polk County 366
15 – Murphy 390
16 – Mountain Heritage 405
17 – Tri-County Early College 455
18 – Mitchell 486
