15 Dragons qualify; Highland Park, Frisco set for 4A girls duel
AUSTIN — A year after its girls and boys teams claimed the Class 5A state championships, Southlake Carroll made another statement Friday at Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center.
The Dragons dominated the prelims on the first day of the UIL state meet, advancing 15 swimmers to the finals to go with six relay teams. Junior Jonathan Roberts, a member of the state championship teams in 2011 and 2012, is seeded first in Saturday’s boys 200-yard freestyle final after posting a time of 1:39.62. Roberts also took first in the boys 500 freestyle prelims.
“I’m very pleased, it couldn’t go any better,” Roberts said. “Coming into today we’re the favorites, so if we do our work and clean up, we’ll come away with a third straight state championship.”
The Lady Dragons’ 400 freestyle relay team, made up of Lindsay Schultz, Emily Zapinski, Alexa Baran and Rebecca Upton, finished first in the prelims with a time of 3:30.15. In 2012, Southlake Carroll won the girls championship by 67 points and the boys’ title by 128.
Keller’s Norman without peer: Keller’s Laura Norman swam two individual events in the 5A prelims, the 100 backstroke and the 200 IM. She placed first in both. Her prelim time of 55.44 in the backstroke would have been good enough to win a championship in 2012 (55.62).
The rubber match is on: They've split the last two girls team championships. Now Highland Park and Frisco will duke it out Saturday to have the best-of-3 advantage.
“It’s a fun competition,” said Frisco senior Ryann Lawley, the backstroke swimmer on the 200 medley relay team that placed third in the prelims. “We lost to them by five when I was a freshman [2010], then won the next year [2011]. They watch us, we watch them. We know we have to catch them.”
Frisco’s girls team advanced five swimmers and three relay teams to Saturday’s finals. Highland Park also has a trio of relays in the finals, along with 10 swimmers.
“We keep on talking about how today sets up Saturday,” said Highland Park coach Jesse Cole, who admitted he had begun to envision another state championship. “The girls are doing really well.”
The Scots won 10 consecutive girls state titles before Frisco won in 2011. Highland Park topped Magnolia West and Frisco in 2012.
Two events could swing the girls championship in 2013 — the 200 medley relay and the 400 freestyle relay. The Scots won the medley prelims, while Frisco finished third. Magnolia West won the freestyle relay, followed by Highland Park, with Frisco fourth.
Briefly: Fort Worth Paschal's lone swimmer, Summer Campbell, finished first in the 5A 100 butterfly prelims in 55.41. … Mansfield Legacy's Sarah Musselman placed third in the 4A preliminary 1-meter diving with a score of 335.25. … Frisco Lone Star's Cody Holland raced to first in the 4A 100 backstroke prelims with a time of 52.27.
UIL SWIMMING AND DIVING STATE MEET
Dallas-area swimmers and divers who advanced to Saturday's finals
(at Austin's Jamail Texas Swim Center)
(qualifying position in parentheses)
(all divers advance to finals)
CLASS 5A
BOYS
200 Medley Relay: (2) SL Carroll
200 Free: (1) Jonathan Roberts, SL Carroll; (4) Kyle Whieldon, Plano; (7) Cory Loria, Mansfield
200 IM: (3) Hayden Henry, Coppell; (4) John Remetta, SL Carroll; (7) Austin Nguyenphu, SL Carroll
50 Free: (2) Joshua Clothier, Hebron
1-Meter Diving: Bryce Klein, SL Carroll; Ryan Tipton, Mansfield; Axl Osborne, Plano; Jacob South, McKinney
100 Fly: (2) Aaron Greene, Keller T. Creek; (7) Jake Tovey, SL Carroll
100 Free: (3) Joshua Clothier, Hebron; (8) Grayson Magruder
500 Free: (1) Jonathan Roberts, SL Carroll; (2) Blake Maczka, Rich. Pearce; (3) Connor Dobbs, SL Carroll; (6) Cory Loria, Mansfield
200 Free Relay: (4) SL Carroll; (5) Plano; (8) Keller Central
100 Back: (1) Aaron Greene, Keller T. Creek; (7) Jake Tovey, SL Carroll
100 Breast: (6) Nicolas Bergstein, Plano East
400 Free Relay: (5) SL Carroll
GIRLS
200 Medley Relay: (2) SL Carroll
200 Free: (5) Sammie Hashbarger, McKinney; (8) Emily Zapinski, SL Carroll
200 IM: (1) Laura Norman, Keller; (4) Madi Straight, Keller Central; (6) Bridget Pacilio, Coll. Heritage
50 Free: (2) Raena Eldridge, Rockwall; (6) Emily Gibson, SL Carroll; (7) Lindsay Schultz, SL Carroll; (8) Meagan Thompson, Mansfield
1-Meter Diving: (1) Lauren Crown, SL Carroll; (4) Mackenzie Willborn, FM Marcus; (5) Kendra Kieser, Plano; (9) Rachel Colman, Allen
100 Fly: (1) Summer Campbell, FW Paschal; (3) Caroline Korst, Hebron; (6) Sydney Wheeler, SL Carroll; (7) Sarah Vinezeano, Allen
100 Free: (3) Sammie Hashbarger, McKinney; (5) Lindsay Schultz, SL Carroll
500 Free: (6) Rebecca Upton, SL Carroll; (8) Emily Zapinski, SL Carroll
200 Free Relay: (2) SL Carroll
100 Back: (1) Laura Norman, Keller; (2) Caroline Korst, Hebron; (3) Raena Eldridge, Rockwall; (6) Georgia Brown, Keller Central
100 Breast: (1) Jenna Beaury, Flower Mound; (7) Andie Leenerts, Arl. Bowie
400 Free Relay: (1) SL Carroll; (7) Keller Central; (8) Allen
CLASS 4A
BOYS
200 Medley Relay: (5) Frisco Wakeland; (7) Highland Park
200 Free: (1) Brayden Seal, Frisco Wakeland; (4) DJ Lang, Denton; (8) Samuel Kline, Frisco Wakeland
200 IM: (2) Chase Garrott, Frisco Wakeland
50 Free: (6) Cody Holland, Frisco Lone Star; (7) Nicholas Hook, Frisco; (8) Chad Brandon, Frisco Heritage
1-Meter Diving: Mathew Phillip, Frisco Liberty; Connor Shackelford, Carr. N. Smith; Stephen Gilliland, TC Byron Nelson; Jonas Grissel; Mans. Lake Ridge
100 Free: (3) Nicholas Hook, Frisco; (4) DJ Lang, Denton
500 Free: (2) Brayden Seal, Frisco Wakeland; (3) Blake Bunnell, Kennedale
200 Free Relay: (4) Frisco Wakeland
100 Back: (1) Cody Holland, Frisco Lone Star; (8) Anthony Milbitz, Denton
100 Breast: (1) Tommy Peterson, Frisco; (5) Alberto Bambach, Highland Park; (7) Cody Knapp, Denton
400 Free Relay: (2) Frisco Wakeland
GIRLS
200 Medley Relay: (1) Highland Park; (3) Frisco
200 Free: (1) Annelyse Tullier, Highland Park; (2) Lauren Murski, Highland Park; (4) Lauren Jones, Frisco
200 IM: (2) Destiny Nelson, Prosper; (3) Morgan King, Highland Park; (5) Rylee Lin, Frisco; (6) Meredith Kelly, Highland Park; (8) Lindsey Blanchard, Frisco Lone Star
50 Free: (1) Kate Boyer, Highland Park; (6) Madison Kuhn, McKinney North; (7) Hannah Gnoza, Red Oak
1-Meter Diving: (3) Sarah Musselman, Mans. Legacy; (5) Ashleigh Dehls, Frisco; (9) Lauren Burrell, Frisco Liberty; (14) Nicole Worley, TC Byron Nelson
100 Fly: (7) Meredith Kelly, Highland Park
100 Free: (1) Kate Boyer, Highland Park
500 Free: (2) Lauren Murski, Highland Park; (4) April McDonough, Frisco; (6) Madison Yelle, Mans. Legacy; (8) Tori Fryar, Denison
200 Free Relay: (2) Highland Park; (3) Frisco
100 Back: (1) Lauren Jones, Frisco; (3) Annelyse Tullier, Highland Park
100 Breast: (2) Destiny Nelson, Prosper; (3) Kira Schlosberg, Aledo; (6) Morgan King, Highland Park
400 Free Relay: (2) Highland Park; (4) Frisco