2023 Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) State Championships
- November 3-4, 2023
- Juneau, Alaska
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
The 2023 Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) Swimming & Diving State Championships are in the books. The boys’ title went to Robert Service High School for the second year in a row, while Juneau Douglas handed Dimond their first defeat in seven years to win the championship on the girls’ side.
Boys’ Recap
Robert Service’s victory was fueled by five event wins, with two of those being in relays. They dominated the team standings with a 60-point margin of victory over runner-up Eagle River.
Top 5 Teams:
- Robert Service High School – 122
- Eagle River High School – 64
- Chugiak High School – 62
- Dimond Swim and Dive – 54
- Ketchikan High School – 52
Robert Service kicked things off with a victory in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Ben Price, Preston Kwon, Tomasz Balaban, and Conrad Fawcett combined for a meet record time of 1:33.83. They later closed the meet with a dominating performance in the 400 freestyle relay, as Jan Beck swapped in for Kwon to log a 3:12.51 and win the event by almost seven seconds.
Price, a junior, led the way for Robert Service individually with titles in the 100 free (47.12) and 200 IM (1:56.33). His swims marked season best times, but were slightly off what he posted in these events last year (47.03/1:55.43).
Eagle River junior Wes Mank also had an outstanding showing with two individual wins. Mank dropped nearly a second in the 200 freestyle to stop the clock at 1:41.77, then went on to capture the 100 backstroke in a best time of 49.37. Mank’s performance in the 100 backstroke lowered Talon Lindquist’s championship record from 2016 by over a tenth.
Mank was also a key contributor to Eagle River’s relays. He delivered a 22.68 backstroke split on the runner-up medley, then clocked a 21.05 opening split on the team’s winning 200 freestyle relay. His 50 freestyle time would have won the individual event by nearly a second.
Thunder Mountain senior PJ Foy was the other double-event winner among the boys. The UNC commit lowered his own meet record and best time in the 100 breaststroke with a 54.67, then hit a 48.27 to win the 100 fly, also breaking his own championship record from last year.
Other Event Winners:
- Seward senior Bengimin Ambrosiani dropped three tenths en route to winning the 50 freestyle in 21.93.
- Dimond’s Roman Billings out-scored Travis Thornton by just 0.20 points to win 1-meter diving (445.40).
- Service senior Conrad Fawcett defended his title in the 500 free with a season best time of 4:38.40.
Girls’ Recap
Juneau Douglas topped the team standings on the girls’ side with a total of 101 points, taking the title away from Dimond for the first time in seven years. The defending champions ended up placing 6th this year, scoring 47 points.
Top 5 Teams:
- Juneau Douglas High School – 101
- Thunder Mountain High School – 90
- Eagle River High School – 75
- South Anchorage High School – 70
- Colony High School – 53
Juneau Douglas’ 200 medley relay team of Samantha Schwarting, Emma Fellman, Lucia Chapell, and Valerie Peimann got the momentum going with a win in the opening 200 medley relay (1:48.45). Pacific Ricke took Chapell’s spot in the 400 freestyle relay to end the meet with another relay victory (3:37.01).
Fellman, a junior, delivered two more wins for Juneau Douglas individually. She knocked nearly two seconds off her personal best to defend her title in the 200 IM (2:05.99), then went on to drop a second en route to winning the 100 breast (1:02.82).
Kodiak junior Amaya Rocheleau swept the sprint freestyle races. She got her hand on the wall 1st in the 50 freestyle at 24.35, then posted a 53.30 to capture the 100. Both of her swims mark new personal best times, with her 50 being a second faster than she was at this meet last year.
Eagle River’s sibling duo Lola Woodward and Reese Woodward added a title apiece. Lola Woodward, a junior, stopped the clock at 57.41 to successfully defend her title in the 100 backstroke. Her younger sister, Reese, earned the 1st state title of her career in the 100 fly with a best time of 57.14. Both girls were also members of Eagle River’s winning 200 freestyle team (1:39.47).
Other Event Winners:
- Juneau Douglas senior and Holy Cross commit Samantha Schwarting improved on her runner-up finish from last year to win the 200 freestyle (1:55.64).
- On the boards, Soldotna senior Abriella Werner decisively topped the 1-meter standings with 464.80 points in finals.
- Juneau Douglas sophomore Valerie Peimann defeated freshman Amy Little by half a second to win the 500 free (5:17.07).
