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Monday, Feb. 19 –Led by junior Spencer Pfaff’s state title in the boys’ 50-yard freestyle, the Rockbridge County High School boys swimming brought four boys to the Class 3 state meet and placed fourth of 26 teams on Saturday at the SwimRVA Collegiate School Aquatics Center in Richmond.
The fourth-place finish was the highest finish for the RC boys in 20 years, when the Wildcats placed fourth at the state meet in 2004.
This year’s team, which had placed second in both the Valley District and Region 3C meet, scored 142 points, only trailing winner Western Albemarle (399.5), runner-up Lafayette (169.6) and third-place Goochland (164). Meridian (135) rounded out the top five. Last year, the RC boys tied for eighth place in the state.
Pfaff won the 50-yard freestyle in 21.11 seconds, one of the fastest times in program history for the Wildcats, to narrowly beat Western Albemarle’s Richard Wang’s time of 21.24. RC head coach Erica Bisaillon noted that William Copeland swam the race in 20.92 seconds in the 2004 state championship. Last year, Pfaff placed sixth in the state.
Pfaff said it was cool to win the state title in the event because his older sister Ali, now a freshman swimmer for Duke University, won the state title in the race when she was a junior at RC.
In addition to the 50-yard freestyle, Spencer Pfaff earned a medal in the boys’ 100-yard freestyle by placing in the top six. He placed fourth in 47.95 seconds.
Also continuing his remarkable career for the RC boys was sophomore Keagan Black, who broke both of his own school records. He placed second in the 100-yard backstroke in 53.27 seconds, only trailing Kettle Run’s Tishler Jackson (50.18). In the 100-yard butterfly, Black placed sixth in the 100-yard butterfly in 53.01 seconds.
Senior Will Gibbs had two season-best times in his final high school meet, placing 11th in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.03 and finishing 12th in the 100-yard butterfly in 56.61.
The RC boys placed second in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:29.36, about two seconds off the school record and only trailing Western Albemarle’s winning time of 1:25.34, while Liberty Christian Academy finished third in 1:30.16. RC team members were Black, Gibbs, Pfaff and junior Grayson Garcia.
The same four RC boys teamed up to place third in the 400-yard freestyle in 3:17.81, about two seconds off the school record and only trailing Western Albemarle (3:16.19) and Goochland (3:16.76).
The lone RC girl competing was junior Rio Bucy, who placed 22nd in the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle in 6:20.38, overcoming a lot of adversity to finish.
The Wildcats will miss Gibbs and their other five seniors: Greta Guse, Rowan Moles, Quinn Fountain, Ezra Kelland and Chase Lowney.
For the full story and photos from the state swim meet, please see our Feb. 21 newspaper.
