The first round of state championships, also known as semi-state, is a critical meet in the advancement of swimmers throughout the state process. Athletes have to place among the top 24 in Kentucky to advance to the final round of state championships. This is where they will compete among some of the best swimmers in the nation at the University of Kentucky in Lexington.
This year, the Highlands swim team participated in this semi-state meet on February 8 at Scott High School. At this meet, the Bluebirds advanced all six of their relays to the state finals, along with ten athletes in individual events. This performance puts them in a very good position for the state finals in two weeks.
“The team did really well overall. We had a lot of people qualify for Lexington who were originally on the bubble,” Noah Gracey (11) said.
One outstanding performer was Ragan Moore (11). Moore achieved second place in the 100-yard freestyle, as well as third place in the 50-yard freestyle.
“I think I did pretty well, better than I thought I was going to, and as a team we all did really good,” Moore said.
Sarah Jones (12) was also a very successful athlete, finishing fourth overall in both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke.
“We did what we needed to do to get to state, but it was definitely a learning experience. There’s still a lot that I can improve on,” Jones said.
Both Moore and Jones were part of the 400-yard freestyle relay, where they were helped by both Taryn Ripley (8) and Keira Kobida (10) to a fourth-place finish.
“I love the relays, they’re awesome. We also made top 10 in all of our relays for State so that was really good,” Moore said.
One of the best performances later that night on the boy’s side was by Gracey. He scored a 2nd place finish in the 100-yard butterfly, and a 3rd place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.
“I was happy to be able to drop a significant amount of time in my events and get a best time by a couple of seconds, which I hadn’t done in a really long time,” Gracey said.
In addition, Gracey was on the Highlands boy’s 200-yard freestyle relay, helped by Charlie Golden (10), Charlie Herfel (11), and Chanith Abeysinghe (10) to a second-place finish.
“I liked being on the relays…it was nice to be able to swim an event with teammates and be a part of a team,” Gracey said.
Other individuals advancing to the final round of State include Griffin Barlow (12), Oliver Golden (12), Luke Deegan (10), and more. Last year, the Bluebirds achieved second place in combined scores at the state finals, but this year, they are going for gold.
“I think we’re gonna place very high at state…bring home a big trophy,” Jones said.
The final round of state is on February 21 (girls) and 22 (boys). Be sure to check the Highlands Swim and Dive Instagram for updates.
