High School State Championships: Mississippi Boys, Girls Divisions 1, 2

CLEVELAND, Mississippi, November 1. FOR the first time since the Mississippi High School Athletic Association recognized swimming in the 1990s, state championships were held in two divisions. Also, prelims were held in the morning session and finals were contested at night. More than 500 swimmers were thus able to take part in the championships.

Division 1 (1A-4A)
St. Andrews took the combined team title with 185.5 points, ahead of St. Joseph Catholic's 166. St. Aloysius grabbed the third spot away from Cleveland, 154-153, and St. Stanislaus rounded out the top five with 123 points. St. Andrews was the top girls school with 119 points, and St. Aloysius was first among the boys with 125.

Ripley's Rachel Dees was the only double-event winner among the girls, taking first in both the 100 breast in 1:09.78 and the 100 fly in 1:01.57. St. Andrews' Carly Good was victorious in the 200 IM with her 2:15.65; sister Alex grabbed the 200 free title in 1:56.84, and Maggie Gleason nabbed the 100 back in 1:01.04 over Lewisburg's Gabrielle Sanchez (1:01.27). Sanchez picked up a win in the 500 free (5:11.05). Niijor May from St. Joseph Catholic nabbed the 50 free title from teammate MariMac Collins, 25.32-25.54; Collins again placed second in the 100 free to St. Joseph-Greenville's Emily Mansour, 55.14-55.29.

St. Andrews' quartet of Gleason, Carly Good, Alex Good and Mollie Sheppard combined for firsts in both the 200 medley in 1:55.43 and 3:45.41 in the 400 free relays. St. Joseph's 200 free relay spoiled the sweep with their 1:46.40, put together by May, Sophia Waddingham, Anna Brunini and Collins.

St. Aloysius' Wally Wibobo and St. Joseph Catholic's Riley Collins each picked up two event wins. Wibobo took care of the spint frees with his efforts of 22.81 in the 50 free and 50.49 in the 100 free. Collins was first in both the 500 free with his 5:16.31 and the 200 IM in 2:08.80.

Wibobo's teammates Morgan Stone and Chris Luke also were tops in their events. Stone claimed the 100 back in 1:01.20, and Luke picked up the 100 breast win with his 1:08.89. Sacred Heart's Mikhail Dixon was first in the 200 free (1:58.14) and Aaron Ng of Missisippi Math and Science was tops in the 100 fly (55.87).

The St. Aloysius team of John Phillips, Luke, Winston Hayes and Wibobo were first in the 200 free relay in 1:37.02; Andy Bell joined Stone, Hayes and Wibobo for first place in the 400 free relay with their 3:35.68. As in the girls' relays, St. Joseph Catholic was the spoiler, claiming the 200 medley relay title in 1:51.32 with the team of Stewart Inman, Collins, Walker Burrow and Matthew McKinley.

Division 2 (5A/6A)
Tupelo High School was the top team with a combined total of 282 points. Their girls team scored 144 points, with the boys adding 138 points. Madison Central came in second overall with 157 points, followed by Oxford's 135, Starkville's 106 and Biloxi's 66.

Tupelo was led by individual state record setter Bailey Scott, who crushed the previous mark of 24.59 from 2004 with his 23.97, and the 200 medley relay team of Scott, Chelsie Gray, Cris Roberts and Lauren Bean, who took down Madison Central's 2008 mark of 1:53.64 with their 1:52.69. Scott picked up a second individual title with her 1:00.59 in the 100 back. Also contributing first-place points for Tupelo were Lacy Russell, who doubled in the 100 (53.37) and 200 (1:56.56) free, and Roberts in the 100 fly with her 58.88.

Christine Field of Biloxi picked up the 500 free title with her 5:34.00 swim. Laken Vickers, swimming for Starkville, was tops in the 100 breast in 1:07.85, and Ocean Springs' Ashley Moore was first in the 200 IM in 2:14.81.

Tupelo swept the relay wins. Besides their state record in the 200 medley, the team of Scott, Gray, Rachel Wilson and Russell picked up the 200 free relay in 1:43.95, and Russell, Roberts, Taylor Greer combined for a 3:46.50 in the 400 free relay.

The only state record among the boys was set by the Tupelo 400 free relay squad of Colton Fremont, Michael Ray, Connor Chase and Eli Jones, who combined for a 3:21.79, breaking the 2004 record of 3:22.36 set by Tupelo. As with the girls, the boys claimed all three relays. The 200 medley relay of Jones, Rick Deaton, Jesse Ware and Connor Anderson cruised to a 1:42.77, and the 200 free team of Ray, Deaton, Ware and Fremont combined for a 1:31.17.

Individual titles were claimed by Tupelo's Fremont in both the 100 fly (52.54) and 200 IM (1:58.54), Deaton in the 100 breast (1:01.75) and Jones in the 100 back (55.38). Madison Central's Parker King was tops in the sprint free events via his 22.25 in the 50 free and 48.92 in the 100 free. Teammate Jackson Kojima was first in the 500 free in 4:51.81. Oxford's Andrew Mullen was victorious in the 500 free in 4:51.81.

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