Baylor School, Harpeth Hall Win Team Titles At Tennessee Swimming and Diving Championships

Photo Courtesy: Swimming World

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KNOXVILLE – The Baylor School and Harpeth Hall each won their second-straight swimming and diving team titles at the Tennessee state championships, with Baylor taking the boys championship trophy and Harpeth Hall winning another girls title.

Boys meet

Baylor was no match for Memphis University School, winning by 72 points. It’s a much smaller margin than the 150-point drubbing that Baylor unleased last year, including a national high school record in the 200 medley relay.

Only Christian Selby remains from that record-setting relay, and the senior was the star of Baylor’s victory. Selby was part of all three winning relays this year, starting with the 200 medley relay that posted a 1:32.20. That’s five seconds slower than the national record, but it was more than enough to win over the Memphis Home Education Association’s squad, which was second with a 1:34.20. Selby swam butterfly on the relay, posting a swift 21.38.

Baylor’s competition in the 200 free relay was Memphis University School, but a 20.58 from Selby on the leadoff gave Baylor clean water and helped with the winning time of 1:23.11. Memphis University was tough throughout, finishing second with a 1:24.48.

Selby’s blazing 44.82 leadoff for Baylor’s 400 free relay would have won the individual 100 free final, and it was the key to helping Baylor win the relay with a 3:04.45, with Memphis University School second again with a 3:06.78.

Selby was unable to secure an individual event victory, as Chatham Dobbs of Montgomery Bell Academy posted a 20.28 to win his first national title in the event. Selby was second with a 20.50. Both swam to lifetime bests in the final, with Selby breaking 21 seconds for the first time. He had swum a 20.41 in prelims for the top seed.

Baylor was unable to win any individual events, showing how crucial relay victories are to winning team titles. Baylor swimmers were present in the top three in many events to keep a comfortable cushion over the rest of the field.

Dobbs skipped the 2014 championships, and was set to return to the 100 backstroke, which he had won in 2012 and 2013. Dobbs scratched the 100 back this year, leaving the door open for James Bretscher of L & M Stem Academy to win with a 48.31, almost a full second ahead of runner-up Will Arthur of Hardin Valley Academy and his 49.29. Bretscher won the 100 fly as well, slicing more than two seconds off his lifetime best of 49.72 with a 47.51. Bretscher won the 100 fly by 1.5 seconds, as Caleb Harrington of Bearden High School was second with a 49.02.

Another double winner in the boys’ meet was SMHEA’s Walker Higgins, who started with a 1:37.35 in the 200 freestyle. He won from start to finish, holding off Hayden Burns of Bearden and his 1:38.17. Baylor freshman Trey Freeman was also in the hunt, placing third with a 1:38.96. The same three stood on the top of podium in the 500 free, where Higgins took the win with a 4:23.18. Burns was second again with a 4:24.75, while Freeman was third with a 4:29.17.

Three swimmers cracked 1:40 in the 200 freestyle, led by the 1:37.35 from Walker Higgins of the Smoky Mountain Home Education Association. Hayden Burns of Bearden High School placed second with a 1:38.17, while Trey Freeman of Baylor was third with a 1:38.96.

Freshman Caleb Harrington of Bearden High began his run toward a possible four-year sweep of the 100 freestyle, posting a 45.43 to beat Webb senior Adam Thomas’ 45.51. Two others broke 46 seconds, with Jamie Ragland of Christian Academy of Knoxville third with a 45.68 and Christian Berry fourth with a 45.76.

Daniel Chang of Science Hill High School won the 200 IM with a stunning 1:46.98, cutting nearly two seconds off his personal best that he had swum just last December at the USA Swimming nationals. Chang nearly had the 100 breast title, turning at 50 yards just .11 behind Ethan Browne of Franklin High. Browne turned in a 28.76 in the second 50 to break away and win with a 54.75 to Chang’s 55.16.

In diving, L & M Stem Academy’s Jacob Siler scored 533.40 points to beat Charlie Clifton of Ensworth High School and his 522.10 points. The two distanced themselves from the field quickly, with Baylor’s Ryan Smith scoring 393.05 points for third.

Girls meet

Harpeth Hall was able to win one individual event and one relay to secure the team title, scoring 250 points. Hardin Valley Academy, which won xxx events, was not far behind with 210 points. Girls Preparatory School was third with 194.

Harpeth Hall’s relay win came in the 200 free relay, and it wasn’t an easy victory. Sophie Pilkinton’s 23.65 leadoff gave Harpeth Hall a slight lead over Baylor School, but Baylor took the lead in the second leg and held on after the third leg. A 23.03 from Julia Eskew helped Harpeth pull off the narrow win with a 1:35.20 to Baylor’s 1:35.38.

Pilkinton got the sole individual event win for Harpeth with a 2:02.14 in the 200 IM. The senior led by 1.6 seconds over Girls Prep’s Susanna LaRochelle after backstroke, but LaRochelle was making her move in the second half of the race. LaRochelle ran out of room on freestyle, giving Pilkinton the win. LaRochelle’s 2:02.56 was second ahead of the 2:03.50 by April Forsthoffer of Girls Prep.

Tatum Wade of Christ Presbyterian Academy won two events, starting with a dominating victory in the 200 free. Her 1:45.76 is likely to make the top 16 in the national high school rankings, and is a lifetime best by 1.5 seconds and won the event by 3.5 seconds. In the 500 free, Wade won by nearly eight seconds with a strong 4:44.00 to lower her personal best by three seconds and beat the 4:47.89 posted by Harpeth Hall’s Elizabeth Stinson.

Another double event winner was freshman Riley Gaines from Station Camp. She broke 55 seconds to win the 100 butterfly with a 54.91, ahead of the 55.76 by Forsthoffer. Gaines was back for another win in the 100 freestyle with a 50.31. Another freshman, Julia Eskew of Harpeth Hall, was second with a 50.98 while Brentwood’s Jessica Wingo took third with a 51.08.

Wingo was able secure a win of her own, taking the 50 freestyle with a 23.10. She won by five tenths of a second – a large margin in a 50 free – over Hardin Valley’s Courtney Aycock, who posted a 23.67. Just a tenth back in third was Missy Karman of Baylor with a 23.77.

In the 100 back, Katie Kelsoe of the Memphis Home Education Association won by almost three seconds with a 54.32, with Lauren Mabie of St. Mary’s Episcopal School touching out L & M Stem Academy’s Alli Lapps, 57.08 to 57.30.

Elena Escalas gave the University School of Nashville its sole win of the meet, posting a 1:03.12 in the 100 breast. LaRochelle turned a few hundredths ahead of Escalas at the halfway point, but settled for another runner-up finish with a 1:03.39.

Hardin Valley won the 400 free relay in a close battle with Harpeth Hall. After holding a 1.5-second lead at the halfway mark, Hardin Valley found itself behind Harpeth Hall by seven hundredths of a second going into the anchor leg. A 51.08 from Hardin Valley’s Erica Laning gave her team the slight victory, 3:25.97 to 3:26.27.

Girls Preparatory School beat St. Mary’s Episcopal School by seven tenths in the 200 medley relay with a 1:44.69. St. Mary’s was second with a 1:45.36.

The Bretscher family had reason to celebrate tonight. Not only did James win two events in the boys meet, but sister Emily won the 1-meter diving event with 495.60 points. It wasn’t close, as Lily Schneider of Farragut High School scored 387.45 points for second.

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