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Rockbridge County High School senior Ali Pfaff defended her state title in the girls’ 100-yard freestyle and also won the 100-yard backstroke, setting Class 3 state records in both events at the Class 3 state swim meet on Friday at the SwimRVA Collegiate School Aquatics Center in Richmond.
The RC boys tied for eighth of 31 scoring teams, while the RC girls placed 13th of 27 scoring teams. Last year, the RC boys finished 21st, and the RC girls placed sixth.
Pfaff finished the 100-yard freestyle in 49.34 seconds, winning by nearly three seconds and completed the 100-yard backstroke in 52.85 seconds, winning by more than two seconds.
Last year, Pfaff won state titles in the 50-yard and 100yard freestyle races, setting a state record in the 50-yard freestyle and becoming the first female RC swimmer to win a state title.
In the 100-yard freestyle this year, Pfaff, who signed her letter of intent last fall to swim for Division I school Duke University, broke the record of Tatum Wall, a freshman at Duke who will be Pfaff’s teammate next year.
Reflecting on Pfaff’s accomplishments, first-year RC head coach Erica Bisaillon said, “Ali, who’s an absolute powerhouse of a swimmer, goes out holding three Class 3 state records.”
Pfaff also reflected on the achievements a couple of days after the meet. “I am happy with my performance at this year’s high school state meet,” she said. “I was hoping to be close to my best times, so when I looked up and saw that I swam new best times and broke the state records, I felt amazing.”
“I am thankful for all my coaches’ flexibility in my training and for their support throughout my entire swim career,” added Pfaff. ‘I have loved being part of the RCHS swim team. The energy and team spirit at high school meets are something special.”
Pfaff was also a member of the girls’ 200-yard medley relay team, which placed ninth in 1:59.25. Other team members were seniors Abby Hickman and Sofia Vargas and junior Greta Guse.
Vargas competed in two individual races, placing 22nd in the preliminaries of the 200-yard freestyle in 2:14.28 and coming in 26th in the preliminaries of the 500-yard freestyle in 6:04.22.
Guse finished 20th in the preliminaries of the 100-yard backstroke in 1:08.87.
Leading the RC boys, freshman Keagan Black placed fourth in the 100-yard backstroke in 54.48 seconds and broke his own school record in the 100-yard butterfly, finishing seventh in 53.08 seconds.
Junior Will Gibbs placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:52.27 and finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:12.31, while sophomore Spencer Pfaff placed sixth in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.97 seconds and came in seventh in the 100-yard freestyle in 49.3.
The RC boys placed fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:32.22. Team members were Gibbs, Black, Spencer Pfaff and senior Well Pearson. The RC boys also took part in the 200-yard medley relay, but were disqualified.
In the team standings, with three individuals and two relays, the RC boys tallied 106 points to tie York and finish right behind seventhplace Waynesboro (112). Meridian won the team title with 316 points, Maggie L. Walker (178) placed second, and Lafayette (158) finished third. Rounding out the top five were Liberty Christian Academy (118) and Colonial Heights (115).
The RC girls, with three individuals and one relay, scored 58 points to finish a place ahead of Lord Botetourt (14th, 50) and a spot behind Hidden Valley (12th, 70). Maggie L. Walker defended its team title with 289 points, while York (252) placed second and Cave Spring (230) finished third. Completing the top five were Lafayette (195) and Brentsville District (128). It was the end of an impressive season for the Wildcats. The RC boys won the Valley District title and placed third at the Region 3C meet, while the RC girls placed second at the Valley District meet and fifth at the Region 3C meet.
Two RC boys, Black in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke and Spencer Pfaff in the 50-yard freestyle, made their cuts for the USA Swimming Senior Championships and Eastern Zone Sectionals meets this spring.
Proud of her swimmers, Bisaillon said, “All of the kids worked really hard this year. Sometimes finals don’t go how you expect but I’m extremely proud of these kids and what they’ve done.”
The Wildcats will miss their seven seniors: Pearson, Max Johnson and Benjamin Barney for the boys and Hickman, Pfaff, Vargas and Emma Watkins for the girls.
“Losing seven seniors is bittersweet, but I know that the remaining swimmers will bring the fire in the coming years,” said Bisaillon. “We have so much further to go, and I’m so excited to help them reach their goals and unlock their potential.”
