Page 34 - Charlotte Latin Sports Magazine 2022

SWIMMING RECAP
VARSITY SWIM
During the dual meet season our boys were undefeated and were the hands-on favorite to win the conference championship. On the
girls’ side, we had lost regular season meets to both Cannon and Country Day by 2 points. We knew we were in the hunt, but Providence Day was the heavy favorite due to their depth. Throughout the meet, the Hawks were focused, positive, and supportive of one another. The boys’ team took care of business and captured an 11th consecutive CISAA title, while the girls’ team battled its way to an incredible one-point victory. At the NCISAA State Championship, the Hawks were represented by 22 boys and 13 girls. Swimmers must achieve a qualifying time in each individual event in order to compete at states. Once again, the boys’ team was favored, but we knew it would be a battle with Cary Academy and there would be no room for errors. On the girls’ side, Cary Academy was the heavy favorite, but there was
a four-team hunt for second and the Hawks were determined to compete. In a prelims and finals format, the Hawks perfectly executed the team plan of putting in fast swims in the morning to optimally position us for scoring in the finals. In a bit of a fairy tale ending for Patty Waldron’s final season at the helm of the Hawks, the boys’ team captured its third consecutive state title and the girls’ team won a very im- pressive runner-up trophy. In addition to the team trophies, the Hawks achieved a new NCISAA record time in the boys’ 400 freestyle relay, comprised of James Harper, Wiley Spinner, Aidan Hill, and Levani Tutovani. Their time of 3:08.42 smashed the previous state record mark of 3:10.26 established in 2003 by Ravenscroft, as well as the Latin school record of 3:10.60 set in 2021. The girls’ 200 medley relay swum by Charley Floyd, Ivy Monk, Lila Connor, and Dorothy Patterson also set a new Latin school record with a time of 1:48.76 - nearly two seconds faster than the 2014 mark of 1:50.68. Two additional Latin school records were broken by freshman Norvy Clontz, who had quite a debut with an All-State winning performance in the 500 freestyle and an exciting battle finishing just .2 behind first in the 200 freestyle - both in record-breaking time. Sophomore Ivy Monk also earned an All-State title with a win in the 100 breaststroke. It was definitely a season to remember!
MIDDLE SCHOOL SWIM
This was an outstanding year for Middle School swimming! The team consisted of a great mix of very experienced swimmers, complete beginners, and everything in between. Watching them encourage and learn from each other was a joy for the coaches. They faced their fair share of adversity, battling back from injuries and illnesses, always with a positive attitude and a willingness to do whatever was best for the team. The boys’ record was 9-1, and they only lost to a very strong team from Holy Trinity, who they almost caught at the GCMSAA Championship meet, where they landed in 2nd place. The girls were 7-3, and had a strong 3rd place finish at the GCMSAA Champion- ship meet. Eighth grader Harrison Short broke the league record in the 100 IM (set by Class of 2021 Hawk Andy Dorsel in 2017) and in the 50 backstroke (a record that had been set in 2016). The boys’ freestyle relay, consisting of Harrison, Thomas Hamilton, Albert Monk and Thomas Greathouse, also broke the league record with a time of 1:39.93. Seventh-grader Thomas Greathouse was also the conference champion in the 200 freestyle and 50 butterfly. Congratulations to all of our swimmers on a great season marked by hard work and im- provement. Your coaches are very proud of you!
32 CHARLOTTE LATIN BOOSTER CLUB SPORTS MAGAZINE | WINTER 2022