There’s more than one way to win a state title: Western Albemarle High’s boys broke 4 state records behind senior August Lamb, while the Western Albemarle girls won their title without winning a single event.
Girls Meet
The girls of Western Albemarle High put together a true team effort in winning the Virginia class 3A title by ten points over York High. Western Albemarle didn’t win a single event and only had one runner-up finish (the 400 free relay), but still topped all opponents.
The team’s highest individual finish was a third-place 200 free showing from junior Sophie O’Donnell, but the team had multiple scorers in every individual event to cruise to the win.
York was led by dual individual wins from junior Hannah Garner. She completed a distance sweep, taking the 200 in 1:53.43 and the 500 in 5:05.01. Garner also anchored the winning 400 free relay, splitting 53.51 en route to a 3:36.42 team win.
New Kent senior Alexa Mills won diving, setting a new class 3A state record with 503.55 points.
Fluvanna County finished third as a team, winning two relays. They were 1:47.75 in the medley with the team of Maialen Sudupe, Abigayle Harlowe, Allyson Lounsbury and Abigail Fuller, and 1:38.86 in the 200 free relay with the team of Sudupe, Emma DiFazio, Harlowe and Fuller.
Other event winners:
- Cave Spring sophomore Suzanne Harris won the 200 IM, going 2:05.63.
- Monticello freshman Izzy Bradley was the 50 champ, going 23.67 to win by just .04 over Abingdon’s Kimberly Large.
- Large went on to win the 100 free in 51.89.
- Monticello also won the 100 fly with sophomore Athena Vanyo‘s 55.06.
- Tabb’s Tristan Harrison won the 100 back with a 56.10.
- Her teammate Meagan Turner took the 100 breast in 1:06.23 one event later. That win came by just .03.
Top 5 Teams:
- Western Albemarle – 338.5
- York – 328.5
- Fluvanna County – 225
- Monticello – 204
- Tabb – 168
Boys Meet
It was the opposite story on the boys side. Western Albemarle won, but with a dominating effort at the top. They swept the free relays, breaking class 3A state records in both, and senior August Lamb and junior Noah Hargrove twice won back-to-back individual events.
Early in the meet, Lamb went 1:39.41 to break a 3A state record in the 200 free. One event later, Hargrove won the 200 IM in 1:51.49. After the diving break, Lamb returned to go 45.16 in the 100 free, winning and setting a state 3A record. In the next event, Hargrove again added a title, going 4:38.17 for the 500 free win.
Lamb and Hargrove would combine to bookend the winning 200 free relay with 20-point swims. Lamb was 20.84 leading off, Hargrove 20.97 anchoring. Rome Winter and Jason Heilman held down the middle two legs as Western Albemarle broke a 3A state record in 1:25.39. Then at the end of the meet, Hargrove split 46.96, Lamb 45.32, joining Stephane Karp and Peyton Wray to go 3:10.33, breaking another 3A state record.
York senior Noah Fields won the 100 back in 51.89. He also led off the winning 200 medley relay, which went 1:38.96. York ended up second as a team.
Other event winners:
- Spotswood senior Evan Weakley went 21.54 to win a tight 50 free battle over Winter.
- Christiansburg junior Caleb Hatcher scored 399.35 to win the diving event.
- Tabb’s Nick Talati won the 100 fly in 49.80.
- Hidden Valley junior Collin Myburgh went 57.31 to dominate the 100 breast field.
Top 5 Teams:
- Western Albemarle – 503
- York – 243
- Hidden Valley – 218
- Brookville – 217
- Fluvanna – 143
