Skylar Knowlton Sets Two State Records at NHIAA Division 2 State Championships

2023 New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association Division 2 Swimming and Diving State Championships

• February 10-12, 2023
•  University of New Hampshire Swasey Indoor Pool, Durham, New Hampshire
• Short Course Yards (25 Yards)
• Full Meet Results

After a power outage forced the meet to be postponed from Saturday to Sunday, the University of New Hampshire pool played host to the Division 2 Swimming and Diving State Championships over the weekend. The girls meet was won by Hollis-Brookline, while Windham came out on top for the boys. Hanover finished second on both sides.

Girls Meet Recap

The girls 200 medley relay set the tone for the meet, with Hollis/Brookline narrowly pulling off the win over Hanover in a time of 1:53.03. Hanover’s Natalie Keith attempted to close the gap during the last 50 of the race with a 24.09 split (the fastest in the field) but fell just .04 short. Hollis/Brookline also came out on top in the 200 free relay (1:41.98) later in the meet.

St. Thomas Aquinas sophomore Skylar Knowlton had a huge meet, winning both events and set state records in each. To open her day, Knowlton led the 200 free field by over ten seconds, touching in 1:48.83. That swim takes nearly a second off of the previous state record, held by current Princeton swimmer Megan Reich. Knowlton’s second record-setting swim came in the 500 free, where she took over five seconds off of the old record, also held by Reich, touching in 4:46.86.

St. Thomas Aquinas is led by coach Rhi Jeffrey, a talented middle-distance swimmer herself: Jeffrey was a 2004 Olympic gold medalist as a member of the American 800 free relay.

Also doubling up on state titles on the day was Hollis/Brookline junior Cambria Jewett. Just moments after Knowlton set her first state record of the day, Jewett claimed gold in the 200 IM, finishing in 2:09.45. Later in the meet, she was the only girl to dip below 1:00 in the 100 back, winning in 57.62.

The multiple event winner on the girls side was junior Braelyn Wilson of Souhegan. Wilson was the top finisher in both the 50 free (24.27) and 100 fly (57.47).

Janina Li picked up the win in diving for Hanover, finishing with 420.69 points.

After finishing as the runner-up to Wilson in the 50 free earlier in the meet, Hanover’s Natalie Keith came out on top in the 100 free, leading by over a second in 53.26.

Gabriella Rizzuto pulled off a huge comeback in the backhalf of the 100 breast to win the state title for Hollis/Brookline. Trailing by over a second at the 50, Rizzuto was over a second faster than the field in the back half, finishing in 1:06.77.

Hanover closed the meet out by winning the 400 free relay in 3:44.00.

Team Scores

1. Hollis/Brookline – 228
2. Hanover – 208
3. Oyster River – 147
4. St. Thomas Aquinas – 140
5. Derryfield – 133

Boys Meet Recap

The Souhegan team of Jonah Saunders, Hunter Daily, Edward Barnes, and Sebastian Aftanas opened the boys meet with a gold medal in the 200 medley relay, touching in 1:49.06. Saunders was later replaced by Miles Biskovich on the schools 200 free relay that picked up a second gold in 1:38.86.

Taking the top spot in the 200 free was Coe-Brown’s Chris Raymond. A junior, Raymond took the gold in a time of 1:50.52.

The first swimmer on the boys side to claim a pair of state titles was Oyster River senior William Carrico. Carrico opened his meet by posting a strong performance in the 200 IM, taking first by over four seconds in a time of 1:52.77. He followed that swim with another commanding win in the 100 breast, finishing as the only swimmer under a minute with a time of 58.40.

Joining Carrico with a pair of golds on the day was sophomore Ryan Powers of Bow. One of only two swimmers from his school to qualify for the meet, Powers swept the sprint events. In the 50, he touched in 22.58. Later, he became the only boy to finish under 50.0 in the 100 with a time of 49.71.

Hanover junior Sam Calderwood came just short of the state record on the diving board, finishing with a score of 450.80. The record currently sits at 467.35, set in 2013 by David Pfeifer. Pfeifer went on to dive collegiately at Harvard.

The 100 fly came down to the wire, with Windham senior Miller Swank and Souhegan sophomore Edward Barnes finishing .05 apart. While Barnes had the faster second fifty by nearly a second, he fell just short of matching Swank’s time of 54.28.

After helping his school to a pair of state relay titles and narrowly missing the top of the podium in the 100 fly, Barnes earned an individual title for himself, winning the 500 free. Barnes led the race from start to finish, touching in 4:59.94.

The 100 back was a family affair, with Dylan Jewett joining Cambria Jewett in winning the state title in the event. Jewett was equally dominant in the race as well, taking the top spot by a wide margin in 51.91.

Windham closed the meet out with a state title in the 400 free relay, winning in 3:28.65.

Team Scores

1. Windham – 204
2. Hanover – 194
3. Souhegan – 136
4. Oyster River – 93
5. Portsmouth – 82