Lexington went 15 years without a team swim title. Now’s it’s got a back-to-back champ.
Lexington Catholic ended a streak last year at the Pannell Swim Shop/KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships. It started one on Saturday.
The Knights won their second straight combined team title, besting Highlands by more than 100 points — 333 to 229. The Knights’ boys finished second to St. Xavier with 249 points on Friday night; the girls scored 84 to finish eighth overall in their division on Saturday.
“I just couldn’t be more proud of what this group of kids has done in my four years here,” Lexington Catholic Coach Dave Little wrote in a message to the Herald-Leader. “To rise from tied for last to now back-to-back state champs is just awesome. And this year to win by over 100 points is just, wow man. What a group of kids. It’s been fun to watch and be a part of. They deserve every bit of it.”
RESULTS FROM THE GIRLS’ PANNELL SWIM SHOP/KHSAA STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Before last season Paul Laurence Dunbar was the last Lexington school to win a combined title; the Bulldogs won three straight from 2001-2003 (it also won the outright girls’ title in 2001, the last time a city girls’ team did that). Lafayette is the only school in the city that’s won an outright boys’ title, doing so in 1952 and 1958.
Rachel Klinker, a Tates Creek standout who’s signed with California-Berkeley, repeated as the individual girls’ champion in the 200-yard freestyle and 500 freestyle races. She ended her prep career as a four-time champ at state.
Henry Clay’s Van McKinley won the girls’ 1-meter diving event with a score of 473.40, besting Campbell County’s Marian Tiemeier (449.35) and Madison Southern’s Flanary Patterson (446.05). No Lexington girl had won a state diving title before 2002, which kicked off a stretch of eight champs in 10 years from the city, but McKinley’s win was the first for the city since 2011.
Sacred Heart won its seventh straight girls’ title and 30th overall, scoring 568 total points to torch runner-up Dixie Heights (139). The Valkyries claimed the final four events and six overall. Lafayette’s finished highest among all Lexington girls’ teams with 101.5 points (sixth overall).
Little for the second year in a row was the recipient of the Tim Cahill Outstanding Boys’ Coach of the Year. Assumption’s Rick Stewart won the girls’ award. Henry Clay’s Noah Richter (girls) and St. Xavier’s Dustin Schulten (boys) were named Diving Coach of the Year for their respective tournaments.
2019 ALL-STATE TEAMS
BOYS’ FIRST TEAM
Logan Smith, Covington Catholic
Will Cole, St. Xavier
Matt Menke, Lexington Catholic
Connor Kang, St. Xavier
Zach Hils, Lexington Catholic
Hunter Tapp, Trinity (named Outstanding Meet Competitor)
Will Tarvestad, North Oldham
Holden Smith, St. Xavier
John Hayes, Elizabethtown
Alex Brehm, Collegiate
GIRLS’ FIRST TEAM
Van McKinley, Henry Clay
Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek
Kenady Biel, Dixie Heights
Annabel Crush, Sacred Heart
Gabriela Albiero, Christian Academy of Louisville (named Outstanding Meet Competitor)
Ella Welch, Assumption
Emily Lenihan, Sacred Heart
Krista Wheeler, Collegiate
Madeline Meredith, Sacred Heart
Claire Donan, Sacred Heart
BOYS’ SECOND TEAM
Finn Murphy, Highlands
Scott Scanlon, Lexington Catholic
Neal Morsi, Bowling Green
Jacob Dray, Trinity
Matthew Street, Henry Clay
Kaleb Brannock, Scott County
Thomas Strother, Lexington Catholic
Jacob Burd, Christian Academy of Louisville
Jack Banks, Highlands
Alex Blom, Collegiate
Jack Bresten, Lafayette
GIRLS’ SECOND TEAM
Mirian Tiemeier, Campbell County
Mackenzie Lanning, Sacred Heart
Emma Hixenbaugh, Ballard
Selina Reil, Dixie Heights
Eden Humphrey, Atherton
Allie Piccirillo, Notre Dame
Sam Sutton, Bowling Green
