Bolles Boys Just Miss National High School Record in 200 Medley Relay
The team from Bolles School threatening the national high school record in the boys’ 200 medley relay has become an almost annual tradition. The independent school and overall record stands at 1:27.74, set by Baylor’s team of Luke Kaliszak, Dustin Tynes, Sam McHugh and Christian Selby in 2014, but Bolles recorded times of 1:28.28 and 1:28.05 in 2021 and 2022.
After a slightly-down performance (albeit still in state-title-winning fashion) in 2023, Bolles once again made a run at the record Friday at Florida’s 1A High School State Championships, only to come up just short. The team of Liam Carrington, Eldad Zamir, Antoine Destang and Charles Zuhoski put up a time of 1:28.09, winning the event by 2.69 seconds while coming up just over three tenths off the record.
This year’s team included none of the same swimmers who achieved the 1:28s earlier this decade. Despite these close calls with the national record, the Bolles team record and Florida state record both date back to 2012, with a team full of future stars setting what was the national record prior to Baylor’s achievement in 2014. Ryan Murphy, Joseph Schooling, Josh Booth and Santo Condorelli combined for a time of 1:28.02 in that meet, four years before Murphy and Schooling became individual Olympic champions and Condorelli also raced in the Rio Games.
Bolles does own national records in both freestyle relays, but this year’s teams did not threaten those marks, with the 200 free relay winning in 1:21.25 while the 400 free relay clocked 2:56.44. Meanwhile, all the swimmers on the medley relay won additional titles: Carrington topped the 200 IM (1:47.16) and 100 backstroke (48.51) while taking part in the 400 free relay win while Zamir won the 100 breaststroke (54.69). Destang won the 100 butterfly (47.63) while swimming on both free relays, joined by Zuhoski on the 200 free relay.
The Bolles teams each won state titles in dominant fashion to extend long winning streaks, with the boys winning No. 37 in a row while the girls won their 34th straight. The Bolles girls also won all three relays, with Allison Kelly (200 free), Lila Higgo (100 back) and Victoria Edgar (100 breast) winning individually
Bolles does not hold the national high school record in the 400 free relay. North Allegheny HS Pa went faster several years ago. (by .01 sec) and a high school in Texas went even faster last spring! Bolles holds the private school record.
Correction to my prior comment. North Allegheny HS (PA) broke Bolles 400 free relay record in 2018 by over .6 seconds. (2:53.81 to Bolles 2:54.43 from 2012) I believe Keller High School from Texas went .01 sec faster last spring with a 2:53.80.
Correction to this article: In February of 2022, Carmel Men’s High School team out of Carmel Indiana broke the time set by Baylor’s team by nearly a whole second putting up a time of 1:26.88. The relay consisted of 2024 Olympian Aaron Shackell in addition to Sean Sullivan, Ryan Malicki, and Christopher Holmes. Given that Carmel is a public school, the independent record still stands, but no team (besides Carmel) has ever gone faster than 1:27 in the event.
Whoever wrote this is a buffoon. The 2022 Carmel High School relay consisting of Sean Sullivan, Ryan Malicki, Aaron Shackell, and Chris Holmes is the fastest mark in high school history by a mile. Failing to mention that is blatantly disrespectful. If I were Sullivan, Malicki, Shackell, or Holmes, I’d want your head on a stick.