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The 2020 Texas 6A Girls State Swimming and Diving Championships took place on Saturday, Feb. 15 at the Lee and Joe Jamail Natatorium on the campus of University of Texas – Austin.
Conroe the Woodlands’ Lillie Nordmann broke the overall Texas state record in the 200 free with a time of 1:43.62, which would currently rank sixth in the NCAA so far this season. Southlake Carroll’s Katherine “Kit Kat” Zenick also broke a class and state record of her own in the 50 free with a quick prelims time of 22.30.
For the second-straight season, Southlake Carroll won the overall team title after using their impressive depth to finish with a final score of 284. Humble Kingwood was second with 235 points while Lewisville Flower Mound finished third with a score of 164.
Click HERE for full results and team scores.
Top 5 Team Scores:
1. Southlake Carroll – 284
2. Humble Kingwood – 235
3. Lewisville Flower Mound – 164
4. Katy Taylor – 141
5. Conroe the Woodlands – 138
Southlake Carroll’s Hailey Heldenbrand (27.30), Corbyn Cormack (28.83), Zenick (22.83), and Madelyn Clem (23.59) began the meet by winning the opening 4×50 medley relay in 1:42.55, only four-tenths ahead of runner-up Katy Taylor’s 1:42.99. Humble Kingwood was third in 1:44.25.
Nordmann, who has committed to Stanford, successfully defended her state title in the 200 free. She dropped nearly six seconds from her seed time to finish in 1:43.62, crushing the Class 6A and overall state record of 1:44.64 set by Samantha Tucker of Austin Westlake in 2009. Runner-up Riley Francis of Southlake Carroll touched in 1:47.00 and Cibolo Steele’s Evelyn Bruner raced to third in 1:48.46.
Soon after helping her team to medley relay gold, Cormack was back in the water to win the 200 IM in 2:00.39 after finishing second in the event a year ago. Austin Lake Travis’ Malia Rausch was second in 2:02.21 and Klein’s Charlotte Longbottom finished third in 2:02.45.
After earning the silver medal in the 50 free a year ago, Ohio State-bound Zenick found herself with the gold this season after splashing-and-dashing her way to the wall in 22.38, just off her prelims time of 22.30. Round Rock Westwood’s KyAnh Truong (23.08) and San Antonio Reagan’s Morgan Bartley (23.43) rounded out the top three.
Southlake Carroll’s Hailey Hernandez dove to the top of the podium on the 1-meter board for the second-straight year, finishing with a final score of 553.70. Her teammate Bridget O’Neil again was the runner-up with 532.70 points ahead Conroe Oak Ridge’s Samantha Vear who took third with a score of 502.25.
Shortly after her stellar performance in the 200 free, Nordmann was back in the pool to win the 100 fly in 52.00. She was just shy of Katy Taylor’s Emma Sticklen’s class and state record of 51.88 set last season. Defending champion Sticklen, who has committed to the Longhorns, was second in 52.37 and Allen’s Anni Fan was third in 54.51.
Zenick proved her sprint talent by adding gold in the 100 free to match her 50 free victory from earlier in the meet, touching the wall in a fast 49.05. Francis also cracked the 50-second barrier in a time of 49.51 for silver while soon-to-be Texas A&M Aggie Bobbi Kennett of Fort Bend Ridge Point claimed bronze in 50.11.
Rausch, who earned silver in the 200 IM, finally found herself on top of the podium after leading the charge in the 500 free with a final time of 4:48.06. Humble Kingwood’s Kylee Grafmiller also got under 4:50 in a time of 4:49.20 for second while 4:52.27 was fast enough for Payton Marvin of Round Rock McNeil to place third.
Round Rock Westwood’s Ayame Castel (24.09), Emma Bierley (24.12), Sadie Runeman (23.65), and Truong (22.49) combined to win the 4×50 free relay in 1:34.35. Thanks to Truong’s strong anchor leg, they out-touched San Antonio Johnson’s 1:34.39 for the win and Southlake Carroll was third in 1:34.66.
Sticklen added a win in the 100 back to match her hardware earned in the 100 fly for the second year in a row, powering home in 53.37. Humble Kingwood teammates earned silver and bronze: Alexis Newman finished in 53.99 while Texas A&M commit Abigail Ahrens was third in 55.37.
Rockwall Heath’s Alaya Smith, who has also committed to the in-state Aggies, got her hands to the wall first in the 100 breast, clocking in at 1:01.48. 100 free bronze medalist Kennett was second in 1:01.72 while 2019 champion Longbottom completed the podium with a third-place finish of 1:02.79.
Southlake Carroll’s Zenick (49.31), Francis (51.06), Ashley Zettle (51.42), and Kate Heintz (51.63) concluded the meet and secured the team title by winning the 4×100 free relay in 3:23.42. Conroe the Woodlands was second in 3:25.32 and Humble Kingwood took third in 3:25.93.
Congratulations great job