By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

MESA — Cole Faut is used to being in or near the lead in races.

That’s where Faut was, in the final meters of winning the boys 100 freestyle state title Nov. 8 at the Division 1 swimming championships — in the lead.

The Millennium senior’s triumph, by almost 1.5 seconds over runner-up freshman Nolan Guidry of Brophy College Prep, was one of the strong efforts that helped the Tiger boys place fourth in D-1 as a team.

“I do have a sense of where I’m at in terms of the lead, especially compared to the lanes next to me,” Faut said after getting his 100 freestyle first-place medal. “But really, I was focused on getting my best time.”

The senior-led Tiger boys team’s 217 points placed them behind champion Brophy Prep, runner-up Mountain View and Arizona College Prep.

Faut, who recently signed his letter of intent to swim at the University of Arizona, also placed a close second in the 50 freestyle at state, helped the boys 400 freestyle relay win a state title and helped the medley relay place third.

“I was a little slower in the 50 (freestyle) finals than in the prelims, but I’ll take it,” he said.

Faut’s medley relay teammates were juniors Ewan Cain and Justus Heilshorn and senior Zac Clark. His 400 freestyle relay teammates were Cain, Clark and junior Alex Arnold.

Clark placed third in the 200 freestyle and was seventh in the 500 freestyle on the final day of his Tiger swimming career.

Cain placed second in the 200 individual medley final and was third in the backstroke.
The Millennium girls placed 12th in D-1 as a team, though they were among the top West Valley squads. Pinnacle placed ninth.

Their highlights included sophomore Norah Suaverdez placing 12th in the 50 freestyle. Suaverdez and 200 freestyle teammates Katelynn Kastanes, a junior; senior Kori Junas and freshman Alania Padilla placed ninth in their event.

Faut said the Tigers peaked at the right time in terms of getting to state and performing well there. He said senior leadership is part of that effort.

“As a captain, I’ve experienced that,” Faut said. “We had more girls qualifiers this year. And our top guys got a lot stronger.”

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 those 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.