2023 Alabama High School State Championship (1A-5A)
- December 1-2, 2023
- James E. Martin Aquatics Center, Auburn, AL
- SCY (25 yards)
- Results
- Team Scores
The 64th Alabama High School Athletic Association (AHSAA) Swimming and Diving State Championships were held earlier this month in Auburn, Alabama. The meet is divided between two divisions, with 1A-5A being for the smaller schools and 6A-7A for the larger schools.
Boys’ Recap
The boys’ 1A-5A title went to Boaz High School, making it their second in a row and third ever. Boaz’s team victory was largely fueled by their depth, as they secured wins in only two events.
Top 3 Teams:
- Boaz High School – 235
- Gulf Shores High School – 214
- LAMP High School – 194
Boaz opened with a win in the 200 medley relay, as the team of Jonathan Giddens, Colby Franklin, Peyton Troxtel, and Jude Burlison combined for a 1:39.41. Giddens delivered the team’s second win in the 500 free with a 5:09.00 in finals.
LAMP’s Alex Park collected wins in both of his individual events. Park, a junior, dropped over two seconds in the 200 IM to win in a new 1A-5A record time of 1:53.23. He followed that swim up with a 55.58 in the 100 breast, also good for a new personal best time.
Park wrapped up his meet with the 400 freestyle relay, where he teamed up with Alex Jeong, David Graham, and Paul Choi to clock a new 1A-5A record of 3:22.16. They topped the field by over six seconds, with Boaz taking the 2nd spot at 3:28.76.
Another double-winner on the boys’ side was Whitesburg Christian senior Will Neville. Neville swept the sprint freestyle races, hitting best times of 21.10 and 46.17 in the 50 and 100, respectively. Both of Neville’s swims established new personal bests and new 1A-5A records.
Liam Bickam, a senior from Gulf Shores, also went two-for-two on his individual events. He stopped the clock at 51.71 in the 100 fly, then posted a 54.77 in the finals of the 100 backstroke.
Other Event Winners:
- Isaac Whetstone took home the 1-meter diving title with a score of 347.55 points.
- Northside High School’s Josiah Blakenship dominated the 200 freestyle with a 1:44.32, putting him nearly seven seconds ahead of the rest of the field.
- UMS-Wright secured the top spot in the 200 freestyle relay (1:31.93), with their fastest split belonging to Owen Nichols (21.93).
Girls’ Recap:
The Whitesburg Christian Academy girls managed to dethrone defending champions UMS-Wright by a narrow eight-point margin. Whitesburg Christian captured only one event title, while UMS-Wright won three.
Top 3 Teams:
- Whitesburg Christian Academy – 272
- UMS-Wright – 264
- Arab High School – 168
Whitesburg Christian’s lone event win came at the very end of the meet, as the team of Lola Amos, Haynes Amos, Sophia Letson, and Katherine Thomas combined for a 3:48.93 in the 400 freestyle relay. Thomas recorded the fastest split of the group at 55.81 on the anchor.
Tallassee’s Macey Stewart won the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke for the third year in a row. The Alabama commit stopped the clock at 51.77 in finals of the 100 free, putting her within a second of the best time she set at this meet last year. In the 100 back, she recorded a 56.31 in finals, which is just under two seconds off her personal best from February.
Emerson Schneider, a junior from John Carroll, swept the middle-distance freestyle races. She was the only swimmer in the field to crack 2:00 in the 200 free (1:59.65), then narrowly edged out Johanna Beauchamp for the title in the 500 (5:19.53).
Also winning two individual titles was Madison Academy junior Amelia Maddox. She took nearly two seconds off her best time en route to winning the 100 fly (57.99), then shaved off a few tenths in the 100 breast to win in 1:05.20.
Other Event Winners:
- Mae Elliott delivered a win for UMS-Wright in 1-meter diving, as she took 1st with 349.90 points.
- The 200 freestyle relay belonged to Arab High School (1:43.31), with Maddie Nunley anchoring in 24.49.
- UMS-Wright opened with a victory in the 200 medley relay, posting a 1:56.74 to win by three tenths.
- Junior Kaelyn Mitchell decisively captured the title in the 200 IM, as she hit a 2:11.14 to win by over three seconds.
- Rhea Mostellar got her hand on the wall 1st in the 50 free with a best time of 24.75.
