CARY, NC – The Charlotte Catholic women’s swimming and diving team captured the school’s 15th NCHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championship in school history, their first since 2015, as Julia Menkhaus and Olwyn Bartis powered the Cougars to a 298-point team total. The Marvin Ridge men’s team took their second consecutive title in a meet that saw nine of the event’s 12 classification records fall in a single day.
MEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
The Maverick men snatched up wins in two of the three relay events, winning the coveted 200 Free Relay and the 400 Free Relay. Sophomore Boyd Poelke, winner of the 50 Free, led off for Nicholas Piscitelli, Josh Stablein and Charles Rothenberger in the 200 Free Relay as the team smashed the 3A Meet Record in the event with a time of 1:26.08. The performance shaved almost 4 tenths of a second off of the time set by the Mavericks relay team a season ago. Poelke then anchored the 400 Free Relay team combining with Rothenberger, Matthew Shen and Stablein to post a new 3A record time of 3:10.82.
Noah Henderson from Western Alamance was named the meet’s Most Valuable Performer as he won the 100 Butterfly and the 100 Back. Henderson broke the 3A meet record in the 100 Back, touching in :48.58, breaking Eugene Godseo from Southeast Guilford’s 2006 record. Henderson also snatched a win 100 Butterfly, touching in :48.61.
The first men’s event of the day, the 200 Medley Relay, saw the same Northern Guilford relay team that set the 3A Record in the event last year break their own record. Preston Forst, Jeremy Lalumondier, Jonathan Wachendorfer and Bryan Hill knocked out their own record with a time of 1:34.79. Forst smashed the 200 Free 3A record by over two seconds in the very next event, posting a time of 1:38.86.
South Iredell’s Colson Zucker put his name in the 3A Record Book in two different events, posting record times in the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke. Zucker touched in 1:49.20 in the Individual Medley before finishing in :56.02 in the 100 Breaststroke.
Cox Mill’s Patrick O’Brien set a new 3A Diving Meet record, scoring 497.10 winning the 3A Diving championship and breaking the meet record set by T.C. Roberson’s Ben Lane in 2008.
WOMEN’S CHAMPIONSHIP SUMMARY
Julia Menkhaus from Charlotte Catholic was the meet Most Valuable Performer, winning all four events she participated in. Menkhaus led off the 200 Medley Relay squad, combining with Juliet Miechkowski, Madeline Menkhaus and Alina Stout to set a new 3A Meet record in the event, touching in 1:45.46. Julia Menkhaus then combined with Victoria Dichak, Madeline Menkhaus and Olwyn Bartis to win the 400 Free Relay in 3:28.43.
Julia Menkhaus was also a double individual winner, touching first in the 100 Butterfly and the 100 Backstroke, both in 3A record times. She finished the 100 Fly in :53.84 and the 100 Back in :53.70.
Catholic also saw a double individual victory for Bartis when she captured the 100 and 200 Freestyle. Bartis touched in :50.69 for the 100 Free and in 1:48.64 in the 200 Free.
Marvin Ridge finished second in the women’s team event posting a score of 240 points the Mavericks did not win a single event in the meet, but relied on their depth to score big points. Maverick’s swimmer Ellie VanNote finished second in the 100 Butterfly behind Menkhaus, but VanNote’s time of :54.02 would have been the new 3A event record had she beaten Menkhaus.
Maverick relay teams finished third in both the 200 and 400 Free Relays while the group placed fourth in the 200 Medley Relay.
Katie Corbi from Weddington captured the 50 Free in a time of :23.73 while also swimming the anchor leg on the victorious 200 Free Relay Squad. Corbi anchored the team of Maddy Flickinger, Amelia Kudela and Kelsey Tolchin as they posted a time of 1:36.15, three tenths of a second faster than Charlotte Catholic’s team.
T.C. Roberson’s Grace Reeder was the 200 IM champion in a time of 2:04.51, helping T.C. Roberson to a fifth place finish in the team standings. Anna Durak won the 500 Free for Hickory in a time of 4:52.87 and Parkwood’s Kaylee Hamblin took first in the 100 Breaststroke posting a time of 1:03.08.
