Swimming: Cain’s state title highlights Millennium shine at state

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

MESA — Ewan Cain really wanted to break 1-minute, 50-seconds in his first individual state championship swim race Nov. 7.

“I really wanted to be under 1:50,” CaiN said, minutes after winning the Division I state title in the 200 boys individual medley. “When you’re in the water, you’re just trying to go fast. But leading up to it, I tried to prepare to break that time.”

Cain’s time of 1:48.35 in the 200 IM gave the Millennium senior the title by more than 4 seconds over the runner-up, Beckam Patience of Highland. It also helped the Tiger boys place sixth overall by scoring 168 team points with strong performances at the state championships, held at the Skyline High School facility.

Cain was a close runner-up to Patience in the 100 backstroke final, less than a second behind.

“I pride myself, really, on how all-around fast I can be in all my events, but mainly the IM,” Cain said.

Cain said he plans to compete on the NCAA Division II men’s swim team next year at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colo.

Tiger freshman Tyler Hart was third in the 200 IM final and placed sixth in the backstroke. He and Cain were joined by seniors Caleb Ellison and Alex Arnold on the 200 medley relay team that was a close runner-up to the Brophy Prep quartet.

The same four Tigers placed sixth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Brophy Prep easily won the Division I boys team title, outpacing runner-up Arizona College Prep by a margin of 575 team points to 306.5.

The Millennium girls placed eighth in Division I as a team. They were led by the fourth-place 200 freestyle relay team of Norah Suaverdez, Katelynn Kastanes, Rio Appenzeller and Alania Padilla.

Padilla, Suaverdez, Appenzeller and Cora Roberts were on the 400 girls freestyle relay team that placed seventh.

Padilla, a sophomore, was also ninth in the 100 freestyle final and placed 10th in the 200 freestyle. Appenzeller, a freshman, place 11th in the 100 freestyle.

Suaverdez, a junior, placed seventh in the 50 freestyle and was 13th in the 100 backstroke.

Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.