KINGSPORT — The second day of the Tennessee state swimming and diving meet proved to be more successful than the first for local teams at the Kingsport Aquatic Center.
Because of the pandemic, the competition was held at four sites — Kingsport, Chattanooga, Nashville and Tupelo, Mississippi — over two days, and the final results were tallied and combined.
The top four finishers in both relays and individual events were named all-state.
“The Kingsport Aquatic Center has been great to work with during this time. Yes, there have been expectations with masks, social distancing and how many people we can have in the facility, but that’s only prudent,” longtime Science Hill coach Chris Coraggio said. “Having access to this facility — which is one of the fastest in the state — was great because the kids could race at their peak performances in a fast venue at the biggest meet.”
SUNDAY FUNDAY
In the Sunday afternoon boys session, Science Hill had a trio of standout performances, highlighted by sophomore Matthew Potter’s individual win in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Potter jetted out of the blocks and covered the first 50 yards in 26.42 seconds before touching in a personal- best 56.83.
“One of my good friends down in Chattanooga put a 55.6 and I had the fastest split in the state in the 50 breast in the relay last night, I felt like I had a shot so I went for it,” Potter said. “I’m just rested enough for two days, so getting back in was tough. I had as much fun as I could with it, but I suffered on the back end of it.”
Hilltoppers junior Dustin Niebauer performed well in the 100 backstroke, finishing second with a time of 51.47.
Niebauer, Potter, Luke Barnes and Jonah Cathelyn made up the 400 freestyle relay that was second in 3:13.45.
“This has been a really tough season for all of us and we’ve overcome so much as a group,” Science Hill senior and team captain Cooper Misenar said. “We kept the momentum rolling from a couple of weeks ago at the conference and into this weekend. We had a whole bunch of best times as a group and it’s really impressive to see what we’ve done.”
Coraggio was pleased with his team’s performances, especially during a tough year not only for his squad, but for the sport as a whole.
“Last summer and early fall, we didn’t even know if we’d be able to have swimming and diving, let alone a state meet. ... Some of the solutions that we came up with were not always popular with the parents like no spectators, but it was the only way we could guarantee that we could get the kids the meet they deserved,” Coraggio said.
Some other notable boys performances included Dobyns-Bennett’s RJ Brumit finishing fifth in the 100 freestyle (48.97), Nicholas Love taking sixth in the backstroke (55.61) and Kousha Sadeghi placing sixth in the breaststroke (1:04.75). Cathelyn was also seventh in the 500 freestyle (4:57.28).
GIRLS MORNING SESSION
D-B junior Libby Russum followed up her win Saturday in the 50 freestyle with a victory in the 100 on Sunday. She was seeded second based on time, but using her mastery of the turns, she edged Maryville’s Anne Lauren Bellah in 52.08 seconds.
“I was actually kind of surprised with my race,” Russum said. “I was feeling tired today, but I just got back in the mindset of doing my best.
“I don’t remember much about the race, but I do remember holding my breath at the end and trying to get a good finish.”
Russum was also part of D-B’s second-place 200 freestyle relay. The quartet of Alex Ponasik, Ava Sherer, Kassidy McGuire and Russum touched in 1:40.98.
“I’ve really been focusing every single day on my turns,” Russum said. “Every turn I do in the warmup, a set in a workout, I try to do at least three or four dolphin kicks off the wall. I think just focusing on that has helped me because then it comes naturally in the race.”
Science Hill’s Cassie Lowe placed second in the grueling 500 freestyle, covering the distance in 5:07.84.
Ellie McLain finished out her Volunteer career in resounding fashion, nabbing seventh in the 100 breaststroke with a personal-best 1:11.58.
“I moved up from where I was seeded, so that was good,” McLain said. “I went out really fast, trying to keep the same pace for both 50s, but that didn’t work out too well. It still worked out to a PR, so I can’t be upset about it.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better coach. I made state my freshman year and it was all up from there. I just love it so much and I can’t wait to compete in college at Mars Hill.”
Among other notable high finishers:
Kingsport Area Swim Team’s Anna Johnson placed sixth (5:25.35) in the 500 free, an event in which Science Hill’s Desi Collins was seventh (5:28.59); the Lady Hilltoppers’ Lowe, Emily Beaird, Kate Mitchell and Collins placed third in the 200 free relay (1:42.79); and D-B freshman Caroline Caveness was seventh in the 100 backstroke (1:03.18).
Science Hill’s Collins, Mariam Shams, Nicole Liu and Lowe posted a time of 3:47.52 to place fourth in the 400 free relay, which saw D-B’s Ponasik, Sherer, Caveness and McGuire finish sixth (3:50.98).
ONCE THE DUST SETTLED
Science Hill finished fourth in the combined team standings with a total of 197 points.
The 200 medley relay of Niebauer, Potter, Nolan Hill and Logan Smith wound up fourth with a time of 1:37.34. The quartet was the top among public schools, finishing behind McCallie, Baylor and Ensworth.
Potter also was runner-up in the breaststroke behind McCallie’s Charlie Han (55.69). Grace Powell also earned top honors for Science Hill by finishing second in the one-meter diving with a score of 374.25.
D-B’s Russum wound fourth overall in the 50 free from her showing on Saturday.
Science Hill’s Lowe barely missed out on high honors, winding up fifth in the 500 free.
