High School State Championships: North Carolina 1A-2A, 3A and 4A Boys and Girls

CARY, North Carolina, February 16. NORTH Carolina high school swimmers met at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary for the North Carolina High School Swimming Championships. The diving competitions were held at the Pullen Aquatic Center in Raleigh. Several state and divisional records were broken during the competitions Feb. 8-11.

Division 1A/2A – Feb. 9-10
Eight 1A/2A records were lowered during the swimming portion of the competition. Raleigh Charter's team of Tara Martin, Rachel Hatt, Alexandra van Dorsten and Olivia Ontjes lowered the division record in the 400 free relay to 3:32.16 to set the only women's mark.

Joe Bonk missed two state records by a combined total of 5-hundredths. In the 50 free, his 20.46 was 2-hundredths off the current state mark, and his 100 free time of 45.12 was 3-hundredths shy. Shelby's Matt Long also posted two new division marks in the 200 free (1:40.96) and 100 fly (51.65).

All three boys relay champions set division standards: the Lake Norman 200 medley relay of Chris Cardwell, Jake Koferl, Brian Piccirilli and Brian Davis (1:40.80); and the Carrboro free relays. Caleb Camp, Justin Morrell, Sam Strosnider and Chris Gondek combined for a 1:27.15 in the 200 free; Tom Bilden replaced Morrell in the 400 free, which swam to a 3:13.49.

Multiple-event champions included Bishop McGuinness' Caitlin Casazza (100 breast, 1:03.64; 100 fly, 55.29) and Strosnider (500 free, 4:44.79; 200 IM, 1:58.43, 16-hundredths off the division standard).

Raleigh Charter took the girls title with 378 points; in second was Lake Norman Charter (238), followed by Carrboro (208.5), Northwood (132) and Bishop McGuinness (115). Carrboro's boys won with 291.5 points, with Lake Norman Charter second (267.5). Bishop McGuinness took third (224), followed by Shelby (162) and Raleigh Charter (150).

The Charlotte Catholic girls team swept all three relay events, setting state records in the free relays. Nora McCullagh, Maria Sheridan, Christine Sullivan and Lauren Rhodes cruised to a 1:37.05 in the 200 free relay; the team of McCullagh, Ashlyn Koletic, Elsa Welshofer and Ashlyn Rhodes combined for a 3:28.68 in the 400 free relay. Sheridan, Allison McDonough, Welshofer and Koletic's 1:46.56 was good for a Division 3A record.

Rhodes set division records in both the 100 free (50.55) and 200 free (1:50.22). Charlotte Catholic's Nicole Emery lowered the mark in the 200 IM to 2:03.63.
In men's competition, Cardinal Gibbons swept the relays. The team of Billy Fenton, Wesley Signon, Emmett Williams and Robbie Mohney combined for a 1:39.35 in the 200 medley relay. Matt Lang, Mohney, Kai Wombacher and Bailey Maloney came together for a 1:29.45 in the 200 free relay; Lang, Sigmon, Wombacher and Maloney completed the sweep with their 3:15.98 in the 400 free relay.

St. Stephens' Sava Turcanu doubled in the distance free events, fending off J.M. Robinson's Griffin Fiedler in the 200 free (1:42.57-1:42.72) and cruising to a 4:33.13 triumph in the 500 free. Fiedler went on to capture the 100 fly with his 51.37.

The 3A diving champions were Sara Maleski from Marvin Ridge (404.35) and Devin Hall, C.B. Aycock (327.35).

Charlotte Catholic dominated the girls team race, putting together 496 points for the win. Marvin Ridge finished second with 291.5 points, just ahead of Chapel Hill (284.5). Washington was fourth (155) with Tuscola taking fifth (130). Cardinal Gibbons was the top boys team with 275 points, followed by Charlotte Catholic (228), Marvin Ridge (195), Chapel Hill (154) and J.M. Robinson (135).

Division 4A – Feb. 10-11
Leesville Road's Hannah Lincoln lowered the state record in the 100 yard fly (54.68) and the 4A mark in the 50 free (23.26). Pinecrest's Kurt Wohlrab also set a state record, posting a 55.63 in the 100 breast and adding a second win in the 100 fly (49.75).

Two relays also got in on the state-record setting action. W.A. Hough's team of Kathryn O'Brien, Heather Merritt, Payton Schrum and Emily Allen put together a 3:25.69 in the girls 400 free relay, and Providence's 200 free team of Kevin Glenn, John Ferretti, Ryan Wilkinson and Kyle Darmody combined for a 1:24.78 for their state standard.

Panther Creek's Henriette Stenkvist was victorious in the 200 free (1:48.48) and 100 back (54.73); Green Hope's Hannah Moore also captured two events with her 2:01.56 in the 200 IM and 4:51.20 in the 500 free. On the boys side, Logan Heck was first in both the 50 free (21.01) and 100 free (45.50).

There were close battles in both diving events. W.A. Hough's Whitney Timberlake out-pointed Western Guilford's Lily Armstrong, 377.50-374.15, to grab the girls title. An even closer margin of victory came in the boys event, with W.A. Hough's Charles Mitchell defeating Athens Drive's Athny Gallante by less than a point, 462.80-462.05.

W.A. Hough dominated the girls competition, winning with 314 points. Panther Creek's 190 points was good for second, followed by Apex (178), Cary (150) and Green Hope (146). The boys team champion was Providence, scoring a total of 265 points. W.A. Hough took second (213), with Leesville Road in third (141), Lake Norman (138) and East Chapel Hill third (131).

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