GHSA 6A STATE CHAMPIONSHIP
- McAuley Aquatic Center
- Feb. 9-10, 2024
- SCY (25 yards)
- PDF results
- GHSA 7A recap
- GHSA 4-5A recap
- GHSA 1-3A recap
6A Girls Recap
Team Scores
- Lassiter – 403
- Marist – 304
- Johns Creek – 301
- Lakeside (DeKalb) – 257
- Pope – 227
Kate Bradley took home two individual titles in the 100 fly (55.23) and 500 free (4:59.87) to lead her Lassiter girls squad to their fourth Georgia 6A title in a row at the GHSA Championships last weekend.
Bradley, a junior, shaved more than a second off her lifetime best in the 100 fly, improving upon her previous-best 56.59 from last month. In the 50 free, she was just about a second off her best time of 4:58.46 from last month. Bradley also split 25.15 swimming butterfly on Lassiter’s victorious 200 medley relay (1:44.12) and 51.55 on the triumphant 400 free relay (3:30.23). She switched up both of her individual events from last year, when she placed 2nd in the 100 back and 4th in the 200 free.
Fellow Lassiter junior Finnly Jollands also had a huge meet, winning the 100 back (54.66) and earning a runner-up finish in the 50 free (23.55). Jollands dropped almost half a second off her previous-best 100 back time of 55.05 from Winter Juniors in December. In the 50 free, she posted a personal-best 23.45 in prelims before placing 2nd behind Lakeside (DeKalb) senior Sophia Hook (23.47). Jollands also led off Lassiter’s 200 medley relay (1:44.12) with a 25.62 backstroke as well as the 400 free relay with a personal-best 51.47.
Hook, a UCSB commit, claimed the 100 free crown in 51.66 in addition to the 50 free. She was just off her best times in the 50 free (23.32 from December) and 100 free (51.40 from November). At last year’s 6A Championships, Hook won the 50 free (23.64) and placed 3rd in the 100 free (52.41).
Lassiter junior Rose Jones rounded out the top squad’s “Big 3.” She captured the 200 free title in 1:51.42 while also placing 2nd in the 100 free (51.68) just .02 seconds behind Hook. Jones has been as fast as 1:50.49 in the 200 free at last year’s state meet.
The 200 IM came down to the wire as Lakeside (DeKalb) senior Lyla Richards (2:04.69) edged Lassiter junior Maggie O’Shaughnessy (2:04.72) by just a few hundredths of a second. Richards, a Villanova commit, dropped more than two seconds off her previous-best 2:06.86 from December. She also placed 2nd in the 100 breast (personal-best 1:04.12) after having placed 3rd in both the 200 IM and 100 breast last year.
Marist junior Allie Donkar defended her 100 breast title (1:03.53) to help her squad earn a runner-up finish with 304 points behind Lassiter’s 403. Donkar was almost three seconds faster than her winning time from last year (1:06.17), but still a couple tenths off her personal-best 1:03.27 from December.
Riverwood claimed the 200 free relay title in 1:37.92 courtesy of freshman Katie Kessell (24.73), senior Hannah Gosch (24.59), senior Emma Freer (25.31), and junior Kennsingtyn Robinson (23.29).
On the boards, Johns Creek junior Ayla Debowsky secured the 1-meter diving title with a score of 607.05 after finishing 2nd last year with 532.90 points.
6A Boys Recap
Team Scores
- Johns Creek – 318
- Lassiter – 302
- Marist – 279
- St. Pius X – 275
- Allatoona – 222
Johns Creek didn’t boast any individual champions on the boys’ side, but the program still held off Lassiter by 16 points for its fourth state title in a row thanks to a trio of swimmers who made multiple A-finals.
Johns Creek sophomore Alex Lou placed 4th in the 500 free (4:42.74) and 5th in the 200 free (1:43.10). His brother, Jax Lou, placed 4th in the 100 breast (1:00.31) and 7th in the 200 IM (1:59.41) at his first state championship meet. Senior teammate Daniel Bao also contributed 7th-place finishes in both the 100 fly (51.73) and 100 back (53.71) to put Johns Creek just ahead of Lassiter (302 points) with 318 points.
Lassiter was led by senior Elliot Elmore and junior Cody Miles. Elmore took the 100 back title in 50.00, shaving almost two seconds off his previous-best 51.77 from 2022. The Youngstown State commit also led off Lassiter’s victorious 200 medley relay (1:33.46) with a 22.98 backstroke leg. Meanwhile, Miles reached the wall first in the 500 free (4:33.36) while also placing 3rd in the 200 IM (1:52.55). In the 500 free, Miles has now dropped almost two seconds in the past month and more than 11 seconds over the past year compared to his 7th-place finish at the 2023 GHSA 6A Championships (4:44.52).
Dunwoody junior Luke Sandberg impressed by defending his 200 free title in 1:38.14, more than two seconds faster than his winning time from last year (1:40.61). He sliced a few tenths off his previous-best 1:38.44 from last month.
His teammate, Dunwoody junior Luke Amerson, also defended his title with a 200 IM victory in 1:49.85, nearly four seconds faster than his winning time from last year (1:53.84). He also led off Dunwoody’s triumphant 400 free relay (3:07.49) with a time of 46.48, almost a second faster than his previous-best 47.29 from last June.
Saint Pius X had a couple individual winners with senior Leyton Roe winning the 50 free (20.12) and senior Zach Sutter taking the 100 fly title (49.33). Roe dropped .39 seconds off his previous-best 50 free (20.51) from November while Sutter posted a personal-best 49.18 in the 100 fly prelims. Sutter also placed 3rd in the 50 free (20.43) behind Roe, who also put up a 3rd-place showing in the 100 free (45.66). They combined their talents on the back half of Saint Pius X’s winning 200 free relay (1:23.97) as Sutter split 20.02 and Roe anchored in 19.97.
Allatoona senior Noah Smith placed 2nd in the 50 free despite his personal-best 20.37, but the Tennessee commit did top the podium in the 100 free (44.53). He dropped almost two-tenths of a second off his previous-best 44.72 from March.
Smith’s teammate, Allatoona senior Landon Hanesworth, also came away with a state title in the 100 breast (56.49) after placing 6th last year (1:01.19). The University of Missouri-St. Louis commit dropped more than a second off his previous-best 57.92 from November.
On the boards, Woodward Academy junior RJ Snyder earned a 1-meter diving victory with a score of 645.10 after placing 2nd last year (655.35).