After strong showings at the region meet two weeks ago, local athletes are hoping to finish the season on a high note this weekend in the KHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships in Lexington.
The three-day competition begins Thursday with the girls’ and boys’ 1-meter diving events. All of the girls’ swimming events will be held Friday, while all the boys’ events will be held Saturday.
GIRLS
The Owensboro girls dominated their events in the region meet as they’ve done all season long, and head coach Brad Schmied is excited for their potential in Lexington.
“We hope to keep the momentum going into the state meet. We have been practicing to maintain our condition while working on improving our relay starts,” he said. “We are looking for several top-eight finishes. We are hoping to improve our time in the 200 freestyle and are attempting to finish in the top three in that event.”
Their 200 freestyle team of Paige Neal, Addison Callis, Samantha Phillips and Abby Warren enter the competition with a seed time of 1:39.99. Those four will also compete in the 200 medley relay (1:50.46).
All four will also try to finish in the top eight in individual events.
Phillips will swim the 200 freestyle (1:57.36) and 500 freestyle (5:19.32), while Neal will enter the 50 freestyle (24.19) and 100 freestyle (53.10).
Warren (1:08.48) and Callis (1:09.14) will both compete in the 100 breastroke, and Callis will also swim the 200 IM (2:19.02).
Two Lady Devils will also be in action Thursday, as Georgia Warren (317.25) — a 7th-grader who won the region title — will join her sister Abby (256.85) in the 1-meter diving competition.
The only other local girls’ swimmers to advance are a pair of relay teams from Daviess County. Kayedon Mattingly, Molly Church, Ella Johnson and Nya Hammons will swim the 200 medley relay (2:02.31), while Avery Krahwinkel, Hammons, Mattingly and Johnson will compete in the 400 freestyle relay (4:03.46).
BOYS
Owensboro Catholic had a handful of state qualifiers after impressive finishes at region, and head coaches Abby Hampton and Erica Crabtree said their athletes are eager for more.
“Our state swimmers have been practicing hard in the pool as well as developing their mental plan for state,” the coaches said. “They have created personal goals for their times and place finishes. We are proud of them and feel like they are ready. It is just them and the pool at this point.”
A trio of Catholic’s top swimmers are all looking to break into the top eight of two individual events each.
Cort Hobelmann will swim in the 100 freestyle (47.86) and 100 backstroke (53.40), Jude Neal will swim in the 50 freestyle (22.53) and 100 freestyle (51.15), and Jack Raymer will swim in the 200 freestyle (1:45.27) and 100 butterfly (53.41).
All three will also be in action in a pair of relays. They will be joined by Nolan Igleheart in the 200 medley relay (1:42.92), while Warren Goetz will join them in the 200 free relay (1:33.38).
Igleheart (254.50) will also compete Thursday in 1-meter diving, as will Matthew Murphy (316.65) and Calvin Padgett (237.40).
Also advancing to the state meet as an individual is Daviess County’s Trevor Church, who will swim in the 100 freestyle (49.88) and 200 IM (2:02.49).
Daviess County (3:44.48) and Apollo (3:46.38) will both compete in the 400 freestyle relay. DC’s team consists of Sam Smith, Carter Heady, Gabe Neves and Church. Apollo’s team consists of Jan Cihlar, Keaton Leigh, Connor Satterly and Luke Mallot.
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