Ryan Husband broke a supersuited state record in the 200 free for Bentonville, but it was the Central High boys and Bentonville girls who won Arkansas 6A titles.
Boys Meet
Individually, Husband led the way with three event titles and one class 6A state record, but it was Central High’s team that triumphed.
Husband went 1:39.03 to win the 200 free title, breaking a supersuited 2009 state record that had held up from Ellis Miller at 1:39.41. Husband returned to win the 100 fly in 50.07, topping the field by about nine tenths of a second. His share of a third title came in the meet-ending 400 free relay. Husband went 45.52 on the leadoff leg to power Austin Mondello, Caleb Tong and Zane Sutton to the title in 3:12.38.
Sutton would also win the 100 free in 46.61, and the 100 back in 51.14.
The boys of Central High won the title by 35 points over Conway High. Central was second in all three relays and had a number of other runner-up finishes: Vincent Jaworski was second in the 200 and 500 frees, David Reynolds second in the 50 free (an event where Central had 4 of the top 9 finishers) and Carson Traylor second in the 100 back.
Conway High won both 200-yard relays, and both Andersen Mainord and Ty Wingfield won individual titles. Mainord won the 100 breast (57.50) by a nearly three second gap. Wingfield, meanwhile, won the 50 free in 20.92, just three tenths off a state record.
Mainord, Jordan Mosby, Ethan Marotte and Wingfield won the 200 medley relay in 1:35.13, and Marotte, Gavin Blaylock, Mainord and Wingfield won the 200 free relay in 1:26.82, about six tenths off the state record. Conway also won diving with Cade Robinson‘s 378.20 points.
Other event winners:
- Cabot’s Tristen Bowen took the 200 IM over Marotte, going 1:55.68.
- North Little Rock’s Joseph Potts won the 500 free in 4:36.88.
Top 5 Teams:
- Central – 437
- Conway – 402
- Bentonville – 331
- Cabot – 327
- Bentonville West – 146
Girls Meet
The Bentonville girls got a pair of wins from Madeline Marks to win the girls title by 60.
Marks paced the 200 free in 1:52.51, only about a second off Taylor Pike’s state record. Later on, she was 5:04.66 to win the 500 free in a Bentonville 1-2.
Central High swept all three relays, thanks in large part to Rachel Zhang, who won four events overall. Zhang individually won the 50 free (24.26) and 100 free (52.54). And she used that sprint prowess to anchor two free relays to state titles. She anchored in 24.1 on the winning 200 free relay, going 1:39.19 along with Ainsley Jenkins, Olivia Johnson and Lindsey Haman. She then chipped in a 52.8 anchor leg on the winning 400 free relay, going 3:37.44 along with Anna Jaworski, Johnson and Gabrielle Jenkins.
Jaworski, Haman and both Jenkinses went 1:49.20 to win the 200 medley relay, only about a second off a state record.
Conway was third as a team, getting an individual double from Allie Rogers, who won the 100 fly (57.39) and 100 back (57.01).
Other event winners:
- Conway’s Brooklyn Anderson won the 200 IM in 2:06.37, winning a tight battle by only about half a second over Fayetteville’s Audrey McKinnon.
- McKinnon would get her own state title later on, winning the 100 breast by just .01 over Jessica Bongfeldt of Cabo. McKinnon was 1:04.95 and Bongfeldt 1:04.96.
- Springdale’s Addison Trunick scored 343.60 to win diving.
Top 5 Teams:
- Bentonville – 388
- Central – 328
- Conway – 264
- Fayetteville – 263
- Bentonville West – 208
