PROVIDENCE MEN, APEX WOMEN TAKE TITLESIN NCHSAA STATE 4-A SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
CARY — Kip Darmody of Charlotte Providence led his team to the men’s title in the All American Swim Supply-North Carolina High School Athletic Association state 4-A swimming and diving championships at the Triangle Aquatic Center on Friday.
Darmody had a great meet, winning the 200 free and breaking his own state 4-A record in the 100 backstroke in a time of 48.84 seconds. He swam the lead leg on the victorious 200 free relay team, which set a new state 4-A mark in 1:25.01, breaking the record set by Providence a year ago, and he also swam the lead leg on the winning 400 free relay foursome.
Providence won its fifth all-time NCHSAA men’s swimming and diving team title and second in succession with 267.5 points, ahead of 197 for Cary Green Hope in second place. East Chapel Hill was third with 175, one point ahead of Lake Norman in fourth, with Cornelius W.A. Hough fifth at 158. A total of 44 schools scored points in the men’s meet.
Senior Ollie Clayton-Luce of Raleigh Sanderson was a double winner, taking first in both the 50 freestyle and the 100 free. His time of 20:53 in the 50 broke a 21-year 4-A record in the event, held by Chris Mann of Durham Jordan, by .01 of a second. Clayton-Luce and Darmody shared the Most Outstanding Swimmer award.
Green Hope’s Dominick Glavich took first place in both the 200 individual medley and the 100 breaststroke as well as swimming a leg on the state championship 200 medley relay team.
Although the women’s team standings were tight throughout, Raleigh-area teams dominated the scoring as four of the top six finishers were from Wake County. Apex captured the title with 223 points, followed by Cary (177.5), Cary Panther Creek (168) and Pffaftown Reagan (165.5).. Hough was fifth at 136 and Green Hope was sixth at 134, with defending champ Providence in seventh.
A total of 37 schools tallied points in the women’s meet.
Senior Jessica Godlewski paced Apex, winning the 100 butterfly and swimming legs on two first-place relay teams, while Hayley Tomlinson captured the 100 breaststroke and swam on those winning relays.
Henriette Stenkvist of Panther Creek won individual state titles in both the 100 and 200 free, while Cary’s Victoria Mitchell excelled in distances. Mitchell won the 200 individual medley and swam to victory in the grueling 500 free. Those two swimmers shared the Most Outstanding Swimmer award.
Alison Menzies of Reagan captured top honors in the women’s one-meter diving event which was held on Thursday, her third state diving crown but first in the 4-A classification.
(COMPLETE RESULTS MAY BE FOUND BY CLICKING ON THE CHAMPIONSHIP RESULT LINK ON THE FRONT PAGE AND THEN GOING TO SWIMMING, 2011 RESULTS)
