High School State Championships: Ohio Division 1 and 2 Boys and Girls

CANTON, Ohio, March 1. THE Ohio State Swimming and Diving Championships provided plenty of excitement, several close races and more than a few state records were erased. The swimmers and divers competed in two divisions from Feb. 22-25 in Canton. (Note: Diving events took place Feb. 22, 23 and 25)

Division 1 – Feb. 24-25
Girls
Upper Arlington's 300 points earned them the girls team title. Ursuline claimed second with 233 points. Eight points separated third from fifth between Turpin (140), Centerville (134) and Bishop Watterson (132).

Two state relay records fell on the girls side. Upper Arlington's 400 free relay of Gracie Long, Lauren Comer, Jenny Smith and Gabby Veri combined for a 3:24.24; Ursuline's 200 medley relay of Emily Slabe, Bridget Blood, Corinne Jenkins and Temarie Tomley's 1:42.51 put them in the record book. Lauren Comer joined Long, Smith and Veri for the 200 free relay win with their 1:34.68. Slabe came within 2-hundredths of a Division 1 standard with her 54.23 in the 100 back.

Ursuline's Bridget Blood wound up with two event titles in the 100 breast (1:02.59) and 200 IM (2:01.58). Zoe Thatcher from Mason came within 4-hundredths of the same feat. She captured the 500 free with her 4:50.96, but wound up second to Bishop Watterson's Carney Rabold in the 200 free (1:49.52-1:49.56).

Jackson's Chase Kinney dueled Strongsville's Molly Washko to a 23.41-23.48 finish in the 50 free. Pickerington Central's Maddie Martin was tops in the 100 fly (54.27).

Boys
Only 11.30 points separated first from third in the 1-meter diving competition. Olentangy Liberty's Olivia Ball scored 493.20 points for first to Hudson's Taryn McLaughlin's 489.40 and Centerville's Morgan Mullins' 481.90.

St. Xavier dominated the boys' portion of the meet, scoring 297.5 points for first. Upper Arlington beat out St. Francis de Sales, 198-195, for second, with Centerville fourth (188) and St. Ignatius fifth (147).

If you were looking for close battles, look no further than the relays. In the 200 medley, Beavercreek's squad of Henrik Pohlmann, Jack Pohlmann, Steffen Listerman and Colin Kanzan put together a 1:33.05; St. Francis de Sales' Matt Zimmerman, D.J. MacDonald, Jack Barone and Nick Brodie followed in 1:33.08; and St. Xavier's team of Gray Dennis, Andrew Brower, Ian Wooley and Bradford Johnson were right behind in 1:33.10.

Three-hundredths separated the top three teams in the 200 free relay. St. Xavier's John Galvin, Jack Hendricks, Bradford Johnson and Grant Johnson's 1:24.75 out-touched Hoover's Thomas Tedrow, Mitch Alters, Brian Giannetti and Stephen Watson's 1:24.77 and Centerville's Brian Clark, Sam Mitchell, Jay Hickey and Josh Brooks.

That made the margin of victory'6-hundredths'in the 400 free relay huge by comparison. Jake Carlsen replaced Mitchell to give Centerville a 3:05.13 to 3:05.19 victory over Saint Francis' Zimmerman, Jack DiSalle, Connor Trimble and Dan DiSalle.

Other close races included the 200 free, with Upper Arlington's Joey Long and Zimmerman battling to a 1:38.64-1:38.67 finish (Long also took first in the 500 free with his 4:29.82); the 100 fly, with Jerome's Jake Moore and Ian Wooley posting times of 49.64-49.74; and in the diving events, Hudson's Alex Obendorf finished first (510.65) over Nordonia's Stpehen Romanik (507.25).

Dan DiSalle picked up a double with his 20.98 in the 50 free and 45.58 in the 100 free. Other event victories went to Moeller's Harry Hamiter (100 back, 50.53), Beavercreek's Jack Pohlmann (100 breast, 55.27) and Centerville's Josh Brooks (200 IM, 1:50.09).

Division 2 – Feb. 23-24
Girls
Three state records fell in the girls competition, all to Hawken School swimmers. Individual standards were set by Marissa Cominelli in the 100 back (54.75) and Sarah Koucheki in the 100 fly (54.66). Cominelli joined Lizzie Aronoff, Carrie Bencic and Caroline Vexker for a state record 1:45.16 in the 200 medley relay.

Koucheki added a second event victory with her 2:03.41 in the 200 IM. Macie McNichols of Gilmour Academy doubled in the sprint free (50 free, 23.41; 100 free, 51.07), as did Hawken's Bencic in the distance free (200 free, 1:49.38; 500 free, 4:52.66). Bishop Hartley's Andrea Cottrell claimed the 100 breast victory in 1:03.32. Kendall Weber from Wauseon was the top diver with 432.50 points.

Hawken grabbed a second relay win with Koucheki, Bencic, Jordan Bitterman and Morgan Cohara in the 400 free relay (3:28.76). Granville's 200 free relay of Abby Stone, Sydney King, Kelsey Haller and Davis defeated Hawken's Koucheki, Mackenzie Harris, Vexler and Cohara, 1:36.39-1:36.45.

Boys
Four boys rewrote the record book in individual events: Oakwood's Brock Turner (500 free, 4:28.51), Chagrin Falls' Davis Staley (100 back, 49.93), Indian Hills' Mack Rice (200 IM, 1:49.23) and Shawnee's Erik Risolato (100 fly, 48.26). Risolvato led the state record-setting 200 free relay with Garrett Diltz, Logan Curl and Zachary Diltz (1:24.47). They also took home first in the 400 free relay with their 3:10.27.

Bishop Hartley's Ronnie Bolden sprinted to a first-place 21.13 in the 50 free. Other event winners included Nate Wagner from Mariemont (100 free, 45.98), Wilmington's Josh Quallen (200 free, 1:39.93) and Perkins' Kevin Bressler (100 breast, 57.46). First place in the diving event was decided by just a quarter of a point, with Logan Bauer of Botkins collecting 474.05 points to 473.80 for Central Catholic's Alex Gonzales' 473.80.

University School's 200 medley relay team of Kevin Stang, Gordon Wong, Russell Stack and Nicholas Gill combined for a first-place time of 1:35.22.

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