Months of hard work and effort have paid off for 10 members of the Evanston High School swimming team, who are in Laramie today (Friday) for the start of the 4A State Swimming and Diving Championships.

“This will be the big one,” said EHS head coach Jim Levine. “We have eight individual qualifiers, and two are going for relays. It should be an exciting weekend.”

Though the Red Devils have a couple of swimmers who have qualified for multiple events, each swimmer is allowed to compete in only two events. It’s up to Levine and assistant coach Kate Schmidt to decide who swims what.

“We try to put kids in the events they’ll have the best opportunity to finish strong and score team points for us,” Levine said.

The Red Devils’ eight individual qualifiers are led by senior Colter Camphouse. Camphouse qualified for seven events, including the 200 freestyle, the 200 IM, the 50 freestyle, the 100 butterfly, the 100 freestyle, the 500 freestyle and the 100 backstroke.

Camphouse finished eighth in the 500 freestyle and 10th in the 200 freestyle at last year’s state meet, and is hoping to make a couple of trips to the podium in his final high school competition.

“I’m kinda nervous going in,” Camphouse said. “I want to set a good example for the rest of the swimmers.”

Camphouse has qualified for state in each of his four high school seasons — asked what he looks forward to the most about making the trip, he points to the camaraderie with his teammates, as well as the swimmers he competes against.

“I also like staying in the hotel,” Camphouse added with a laugh. “But for the swimming, the competition is extremely difficult. Where I’m sitting right now, there are a lot of good swimmers next to me. All of us will push each other and make each other faster.”

Other individual qualifiers include Jaxon Nicholls (200 IM, 100 butterfly, 100 backstroke), Ben Cook (200 IM, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly), Jayden Cornell (100 butterfly), Timmy Bloomfield (100 butterfly), Connor Fackrell (500 freestyle), Michael Tobin (500 freestyle) and Gage Beachler (50 freestyle, 100 freestyle).

The Red Devils were hit with bad news earlier this week, when Cornell came down with the flu; he will be unable to compete at state this weekend. Scheduled to swim the 100 butterfly, Cornell finished 16th in the same event last year at state.

“That’s a tough loss for us,” Levine said. “Jayden is a really good butterfly swimmer for us, as well as part of our relay teams. This is the second time this season he’s been sick, and you hate to see his season end that way. He will be missed this weekend.”

Hunter Jensen and Vince Bloomfield are also making the trip, with Jensen swimming a leg in the 200 medley relay with teammates Nicholls and Fackrell. Vince Bloomfield will swim a leg in the 200 freestyle relay with teammates Beachler, Nicholls and Camphouse; he’ll replace Cornell as a member of the 200 medley relay team.

Nicholls was the Red Devils’ top placer at state last season as a freshman, posting a third-place finish in the 100 backstroke; he also finished ninth in the 200 IM.

“The state meet is just an all-around fun meet,” Nicholls said. “You get to swim against the best in the state, as well as see how you improved throughout the season.”