Last Monday, January 22, the Deseret News released its high school “Star Athletes of the Week.” They highlighted a 6 foot 7 senior basketball player from Weber, who had scored 25 points to go with 11 rebounds. They also reported on a 145-pound sophomore wrestler from Salem Hills, who recently won 3 matches in a row.
While stellar, there’s an argument to be made that none could compare to Judge Memorial’s own Delaney Dolan. Dolan, a junior, is cruising so far this season.
Dolan owns the fastest times in 3A for the 50, 100, 200, and 500 meter freestyles. And according to her, she’s even better.
“The times that they wrote down, those aren’t my best times, they’re just my high school times,” said Dolan. “My best times are at club meets.” She’s hoping to chip away at each by the end of the season.
Historically, the Bulldogs have been exemplary. The girls team hasn’t lost in two years, while the boys team continues an onslaught of three consecutive seasons without a loss. Last year, the team won its fourth championship in a row. And this year, under new head coach Will Reeves, the group looks poised and ready.
“As far as in season meets go, this year we’ve been very strong. We went up against a couple 5A schools – Skyline, they won 5A state last year – so we got demolished.” But Dolan pointed to the bright side: “It’s also really good for us to race against bigger schools. It’s really good for everyone to see, like, this is what we have to push for.”
When asked about the potential for another title, Dolan was optimistic.
“Right now we have a very young team, but I think all the underclassmen are very promising. We have a few club swimmers that are really doing great and will carry the team for the next two to three years. I think we’re looking to be in pretty good shape.”
The Judge Memorial swim team has one final meet before state. This year’s 3A region meet is at the Draper Rec Center on Feb. 3. For individuals who qualify, the swim state meet is on Feb. 17.
First reported on by the Deseret News in the “Larry H. Miller Week 24 high school star athletes of the week” by James Edward.
