Thanks to Lester Rich for contributing to this report.
The 2013 SCISA South Carolina State Championship meet (private schools) meet was held last weekend in Augusta (at the Augusta Aquatic Center, just across the Georgia state line).
The meet saw the First Baptist High School win their 7th-straight State Championship meet in the AAA class; the Porter-Gaud boys won in the boys’ group; while the Spartanburg Day School swept the A-AA titles.
AAA recap
In the AAA girls’ meet, under the guidance of Sara Kraft and Billy Buck, First Baptist dominated the competition in what has become a dynasty.
Though they failed to defend their title (and record) in the meet-opening 200 medley relay, they did win and breast state records in both the 200 and 400 yard free relays.
In the 200, Logan Kraft led off in 25.13, and was joined by Grace Arredondo, Kelsey Kraft, and Sara Stansell en route to a 1:41.76. That broke the record that this team (with Stansell and Kraft included) swam last year in 1:42.37.
Logan Kraft didn’t swim the 50 free individually, but that leadoff time also broke the state record.
Then, in the 400 yard free relay, the same group swam a 3:41.58: five seconds better than their State Record from 2011.
In addition to her two relay victories, Logan Kraft also won the 100 free (54.15) and the 200 yard free (1:56.11).
Other wins from First Baptist High School included senior Sara Stansell in the 200 IM in 2:14.00 – which crushes her personal best by almost three seconds, despite being so early in the season. Her teammate Kelsey Kraft was 2nd in that race in 2:18.50.
Stansell was also a 5:12.76 in the 500 yard free. Those are impressive swims, given that she’s primarily a sprinter (as of yet uncommitted collegiately).
First Baptist also picked up a win in the 50 free, where Grace Arrelondo won in 26.02, for 7 event victories in the meet schedule.
With First Baptist stacking their free relays instead, that left a very good Heathwood Hall group of Lilly Richter, Abby Wilson, Olivia Moran, and Savannah Hillmeyer uncontested to win the 200 medley relay in 1:57.31.
Heathwood Hall took 2nd in the AAA girls meet as a team, including a 1-2 finish in the 100 back (Richter in 1:03.6 and Hillmeyer in 1:05.91); and a runner-up finish from Wilson in the 100 breaststroke (1:10.65). That 100 breaststroke was won by Ann Jumper from the Hammond School in 1:08.47.
The only other school to win an event on the day in this class was Cardinal Newman High School, where Maigan Nieri won in 1:03.08 ahead of Moran from Heathwood in 1:04.72.
The boys’ AAA meet was a runaway team victory for Porter-Gaud, but they and First Baptist both wrote a lot of headlines.
The First Baptist relay of Ethan Madden, Kaiser Rich, Lucas Langston, and Ian Martin won the 200 medley relay in a new record of 1:46.07. Porter-Gaud was not far behind, though in 1:46.98.
But the Cyclones didn’t take long to get onto the winner’s rung of the podium, either. Brent Mearest won the first individual event, the 200 free, in 1:50.55, and along with teammate Willem Guedecke put two in the top 4.
First Baptist did fire back in the 200 IM, where Lucas Langston used an early advantage to hold of Hammond School’s Zac Lipistz 2:02.84-2:03.15.
First Baptist took the lead after the 50 free, which was won by Ian Martin in 22.01. They had two o fthe top three swimmers in the race, separated only by runner-up Clayton Oetting from Augusta Christian School, though Porter-Gaud’s Paul Vincent touched in 4th place to at least hold scoring.
That swim for Martin broke a 5-year old SCISA Record.
It was three in a row for FBHS when Kaiser Rich won the 100 fly in 56.64. On paper, they looked to be running away, but Porter-Gaud’s depth again saved them: they took both 2nd (Tyler Billings) and 3rd (Michael Rieder) places in the race.
Martin would win again in the 100 free with a 48.97 (four straight individual wins to open the meet), but Porter-Gaud put swimmers in the 3rd-5th place, and 8th-place, positions to ‘win’ the event.
In the next event, the boys’ 500 free, Porter-Gaud got their first individual victory when Demarest out-dueled Langston 4:58.08-5:05.40.
The Ben Lippen School broke up the party a bit in the 200 free relay, where they knocked off the heavily-favored Porter-Gaud squad with a 1:37.07. That winning relay was Joseph Wise (not the Paralympian), Matthe Fadel, Luke Shoemaker, and Ben Campbell. Porter-Gaud took 2nd, and Hilton Head Christian Academy was 3rd.
First Baptist, while they have two very good relays, only were 8th in this 200 free relay as they short-stacked it a bit.
Lipsitz from the Hammond School won the 100 back in 55.95, easily running away from Fadel.
Hilton Head Prep’s Sam Meighan won the 100 breast in 1:04.12, and then First Baptist again showed off their top-end talent with a record-setting 400 free relay. The group this time swam in the order of Kaiser, Madden Langston, and their big-time anchor Martin.
Full meet results available here.
Top 5 finishers in the AAA girls’ championship:
1. First Baptist – 201
2. Heathwood Hall – 126.50
3. Hammond School – 109.50
4. Porter-Gaud – 105
T-5. Ashley Hall School – 85
T-5. Wilson Hall – 85
Top 5 finishers in the AAA boys’ championship:
1. Porter-Gaud – 223
2. First Baptist School – 165
3. Ben Lippen School – 156.50
4. Hammond School – 78
5. Hilton Head Christian Academy – 78
Top 5 finishers in the A-AA girls’ championship:
1. Spartanburg Day School – 250
2. Beaufort Academy – 158
3. Palmetto Christian Academy – 153
4. Oakbrook Prep – 88
5. James Island CS – 70
Top 5 finishers in the A-AA boys’ championship:
1. Spartanburg Day School – 233
2. Newberry Academy – 182
3. Oakbrooke Prep School – 143
4. Beaufort Academy – 91
5. Trinity-Byrnes – 89