For about 15 years, swimming simply hasn’t been a sport in which Bingham High School was historically competitive. 

But times may be changing at Bingham, because the boys swim team coached by Clint Sorensen put on a heck of a show at the 6A state tournament Feb. 17-18. 

That resulted in a number of firsts for the Miners boys who had their best-ever finish at state in over a decade despite only bringing seven total swimmers to the BYU Natatorium in Provo. 

As a team, Bingham’s boys finished in 6th place overall at state with 125 points. 

One team in particular was leading that surge in the water. 

In the 400 freestyle relay, Coach Sorensen turned to sophomore Lincoln Hymas to lead the way, followed by senior Tyler Rock, and freshman Graden Tennant. Senior Neil Bennett anchored the team that finished in second place in the 400 freestyle relay. 

For Bennett, this was his last state tournament swim. The senior finished fifth in the 100 freestyle in a time of 49.23, and touched the wall in seventh place, arching his back at the right moment with a time of 55.76 in the 100 backstroke race. 

Another Bingham boys swimmer who had a nice meet was Hymas, who finished in fifth [1:49.09] in the 200 freestyle race and then had a sixth-place finish in the 500 free [4:54.31]. 

Hymas was then paired up with freshman Graden Tennant, and junior Caleb Scott in a 200 freestyle relay team anchored by the coach’s son himself, sophomore Caleb Sorensen and they finished 13th in the 200 freestyle relay at the BYU Natatorium. 

For the women who are also coached by Clint Sorensen, a total of six student-athletes had high enough scores to qualify for the state tournament. 

None finished in the top eight in any of the races from an individual or team standpoint, but senior Shaye Anderson led the 400 relay team that featured sophomore Amelia Black and seniors Natalie Hymas and Aubrey Goates to a 13th place finish. 

For Anderson, the senior swam one of her final races, earning a personal-best 21st in the 100 free, while Goates touched the wall for two personal-best finishes in the 200 free [17th place] and 500 free [20th]. Natalie Hymas also closed out her career as a Bingham swimming student-athlete with a 19th place finish in the 100 back.