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Both the Rockbridge County High School boys and girls swimming teams competed well in a meet on Friday at the Rockbridge Aquatics Center, with the RC boys defeating Wilson Memorial and the RC girls falling to WM but beating Valley District rival Broadway and Parry McCluer.
The RC boys qualified by time for the Class 3 state meet in the 400-yard freestyle relay, which they won in 3:31.62. Team members were Grayson Garcia, Will Gibbs, Keagan Black and Spencer Pfaff.
Junior Olive King, PM’s lone swimmer, won both of her races, claiming the 50yard freestyle in 26.25 seconds and taking the 500-yard freestyle in 5:46.79. She had already qualified by time in both events for the Class 1 and 2 state meet. Two days earlier at the Alleghany YMCA, King qualified for the state meet in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard freestyle, winning both races. Results, including times, were not available from the Alleghany meet.
In the team showdowns on Friday, the RC boys cruised to a 103-20 win over Wilson Memorial, the only other boys’ team competing. WM beat the RC girls 97-36, bested PM 10012, and defeated Broadway 103-13, but RC beat PM 52-12 and overcame Broadway 5520. Broadway beat PM 22-12.
The RC boys won six individual races and all three relays.
Spencer Pfaff and Keagan Black each won two races for the Wildcats, while Chase Lowney and Will Gibbs each claimed one race. Pfaff captured the 200-yard freestyle in 1:54.15 and won the 100-yard freestyle in 49.76 seconds, while Black claimed the 100yard butterfly in 56.69 and took first in the 100-yard backstroke in 59.63. Lowney won the 50-yard freestyle in 28.72, and Gibbs claimed the 500yard freestyle in 5:44.72.
The RC boys won the 200yard medley in 2:02.39. Team members were Black, Gibbs, Lowney and River Jenkins. In the 200-yard freestyle relay, the RC boys took first in 1:46.15 with team members Garcia, Lowney, Jenkins and Pfaff.
For the RC girls, Greta Guse won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:13.13.
The RC girls placed second to WM in the 200-yard freestyle and the 400-yard freestyle relays. In the shorter relay, the Wildcats finished in 2:13.20 with team members Guse, Lexi Walters, Rowan Moles and Rio Bucy. In the longer relay, with the same four team members, the Wildcats finished in 5:19.89.
After the holiday break, the Wildcats will return to competition with the Ben Hair Memorial Meet at the University of Virginia Aquatic Center in Charlottesville on Tuesday, Jan. 9. The Wildcats and King are hoping to add another home meet in January.
Looking forward to her swimmers’ progress, RC and PM head coach Erica Bisaillon said, “I’m so proud of how hard these kids are working, and with increased training over the break, I know they’ll do even better come January.”
Additional individual swimmers who placed in the top three individually for RC on Friday were as follows: (Boys) 200-yard freestyle – 2. Grayson Garcia 2:10.18, 3. Brody Kirkpatrick 2:37.46; 200-yard individual medley – 2. Will Gibbs 2:18.73; 50-yard freestyle – 2. Roman Stanley 30.13, Ezra Kelland 41.05; 100-yard butterfly – 2. Garcia 1:00.36; 100-yard freestyle – 3. Kirkpatrick 1:10.96; 500yard freestyle – 2. Lowney 7:30.03; 100-yard backstroke – 3. Stanley 1:20.04; 100-yard breaststroke – 2. River Jenkins 1:41.53, 3. Quinn Fountain 1:56.4.
(Girls) 200-yard individual medley – 2. Rio Bucy 2:47.41; 500-yard freestyle – 2. Bucy 6:20.94.
