10 Records Fall as Douglas S. Freeman Boys, First Colonial Girls Win Virginia Class 5 State Championships

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The 2020 Virginia Class 5 State Swimming and Diving Championships took place on Friday, Feb. 21 at George Mason University’s Jim McKay Natatorium in Fairfax, Va.

A total of ten records – nine Class 5A and one state – fell during the meet:

Mills E. Godwin’s Zoe Dixon – 200 IM (1:57.22) **State and Class 5A**
First Colonial’s Elle Caldow – 200 free (1:48.39) **Class 5A**
Briar Wood’s Mackenzie McConagha – 100 back (53.44) **Class 5A**
Briar Woods’ Abby Harter – 100 fly (52.68) **Class 5A**
Briar Woods’ Abby Harter – 100 breast (1:02.37) **Class 5A**
J.R. Tucker’s Courtney Isley – 100 free (50.51) **Class 5A**
First Colonial’s Samantha Tadder – 500 free (4:44.15) **Class 5A**
Rock Ridge’s Trace Wall – 50 free (20.17) **Class 5A**
Rock Ridge’s Trace Wall – 100 free (44.34) **Class 5A**

Click HERE for full results and team scores.

BOYS MEET

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. Douglas S. Freeman – 286
2. Mills E. Godwin – 235
3. Thomas Jefferson – 226
4. Rock Ridge – 152
5. Riverside – 151

The meet began as Mills E. Godwin’s Jacob Oberle (23.19), Zach Wassmer (27.75), DC Hellams (22.30), and Garrett McGovern (20.32) won the opening 4×50 medley relay in 1:33.56. They also won the 4×50 free relay in 1:25.69 with the team of Conrad Tan (22.47), Hellams (21.69), Oberle (21.16), and McGovern (20.37).

Deep Run’s Nikolas Lee-Bishop, who has verbally committed to Alabama, won the 200 free in 1:38.61 to out-touch soon-to-be Hoosier Jack Moore (1:38.63) of Briar Woods. Maur’s Owen Redfearn dove to first on the 1-meter board with a final score of 382.50. Penn State-bound Oberle flew to the top of the podium in the 100 fly, getting his hands to the wall in a quick 50.59.

It was a Douglas S. Freeman sweep in the 200 IM led by Aidan Duffy morning (1:50.61) with the gold, Dain Ripol (1:51.87) with the silver, and Hunter Locher (1:52.02) with the bronze. Shortly after, Locher was back in the pool to earn gold in the 500 free after cruising to the wall in 4:30.17. Duffy later won the 100 breast for the second year in a row, getting his hands to the wall first in 56.96.

Wall splashed-and-dashed his way to a gold medal in the 50 free for the second-consecutive year with a quick 20.17. The senior’s time broke the previous Class 5A record of 20.27 set by Brandon Hamblin in 2018. Wall, who is headed to Georgia Tech this fall, proved his sprint talent by also collecting another win in the 100 free with a swift 44.34; again lowering the Class 5A record of 45.06 he had set during prelims.

Albemarle’s Walker Davis powered home in 48.63 to win the 100 back as the only swimmer in the field to crack the 50-second barrier. Douglas S. Freeman clinched their team title as the quartet of Preston Trevy (48.95), Erik Kratzer (47.69), Locher (46.09), and Ripol (46.14) won the 4×100 free relay in 3:08.87.

GIRLS MEET

Top 5 Team Scores:

1. First Colonial – 259
2. Briar Woods – 234
3. Mills E. Godwin – 184
4. Patrick Henry – 145
5. Mountain View – 139

The girls’ meet began as Mills E. Godwin’s Madison Cottrell (25.45), Annabelle Young (28.75), Dixon (24.40), and Brooke Nelson (24.83) won the 4×50 medley relay in 1:43.43. Deep Creek’s Savanna Miller dove to first on the 1-meter board with a final score of 373.90.

After helping her medley relay team to victory, Dixon later went on to win the 200 IM in 1:57.22 as the first of two swimmers in the field to crack the two-minute marker. Her time crushed Torri Huske’s overall Virginia state record of 1:58.13 set last year.

Caldow, who has committed to Tennessee, won the 200 free in 1:49.44 to out-touch Isley (1:49.53). Caldow’s time of 1:48.39 during prelims set a new Class 5A record. Isley, a William & Mary commit, then went on to win the 100 free in a quick 50.51 to break the Class 5A mark of 50.79 set by Camryn Barry in 2017.

Tadder dominated the 500 free, finishing in a blistering 4:44.17 to best the field by eight seconds. Her prelims time of 4:44.15 set a new Class 5A record and was just off of Meghan Byrnes’ overall state record of 4:43.43 set in 2015. Tadder was also under the old record in 1:57.41 for second place in the 200 IM.

Virginia-bound Harter flew to the top of the podium in the 100 fly, getting her hands to the wall in a quick 52.68 to lower her own Class 5A record she had set during prelims. She also won the 100 breast for the second year in a row, getting her hands to the wall in 1:02.37 to eclipse her own Class 5A record of 1:02.48 she set last year.

Kecoughtan’s Brieanna Romeny splashed-and-dashed her way to the gold medal in the 50 free, winning the event in a swift 23.48 for the second year in a row. Future Wisconsin Badger McConagha defended her state title in the 100 back, clocking in at 53.51 for the win. Her prelims time of 53.44 set a new Class 5A record.

First Colonial’s Sophia Knapp (24.52), Caldow (23.68), Kierstin Godfrey (23.57), and Tadder (22.61) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in 1:34.38. Knapp (52.54), Godfrey (52.37), Caldow (51.35), and Tadder (50.25) again joined forces to conclude the meet by winning the 4×100 free relay in 3:26.51.

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