State swimming and diving competitors set records on every day of competition
In the last event of his high school career, Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Alex Ochsenbein swam the race of his life Saturday, not only finally beating a longtime nemesis but also setting a state record in the process on the final day of the 2023 KHSAA State Swimming and Diving Championships.
Ochsenbein, who will be swimming for the University of Missouri when he next suits up for a school, clocked in at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center at 53.75 seconds for the 100-yard breaststroke, the next to last event of the evening in front of a capacity crowd.
His time beat St. Xavier’s Will Scholtz by just 0.13 seconds and also topped the state record set by Scholtz last year by the same amount.
“It’s hard to explain but Scholtz and I — I would say we go back and forth — but my whole life swimming he’s been beating me,” Ochsenbein said. “It’s pushed me more than ever. This really goes to him. He’s been my driving factor in practice. I picture myself racing him and it helps. This means a lot.”
Ochsenbein’s dramatic performance was one of many during the three-day state championships, which began on Thursday with boys’ and girls’ diving, continued Friday with girls’ swimming and finished Saturday with boys’ swimming.
St. Xavier captured its 59th boys’ team title and set three more records, including an obliteration of its own mark in the 400-yard freestyle relay by more than two seconds with a finish of 2:57.50.
On the girls’ side, Sacred Heart captured its 34th overall state team title Friday and its 10th in a row, while runner-up Lexington Catholic delivered its girls’ program’s best finish at state and the best girls’ finish for any Lexington team since Paul Laurence Dunbar won it all in 2001.
Paul Laurence Dunbar’s boys’ team finished second, its best boys’ finish since it did the same in 2008. That meant the Bulldogs also took home the coveted coaches’ association “combined championship” recognizing the best total boys’ and girls’ team scores. Lexington Catholic was second in the combined standings.
And in Thursday’s diving competition, Madison Southern’s Reagan Patterson set a record in her win and Lexington Catholic’s Miles Buchart captured the first win for a Lexington boys’ diver in two decades.
Here are some notable stories from the championships.
Big day for boys’ Bulldogs
Dunbar junior Seneca Oddo set a personal best in the 50-yard freestyle preliminaries Saturday morning. Then he shaved another half of a second off that time in winning the finals that night in 20.14.
“Going into it I was really nervous, but nervous helped me get pumped,” Oddo said. “Dropping (0.5), to see that improvement, it’s really a blessing.”
Oddo finished second in the 100-yard freestyle and was part of two second-place relay teams.
Dunbar got an unexpected boost in the finals on the first event, the 200-yard freestyle relay. St. Xavier looked to have a record time going, but one of the swimmers was judged as having left the platform early, handing Dunbar first place by disqualification.
Ochsenbein was part of that winning relay and added a third place in the 200-yard individual medley. Nathan Zhu took second in the 100-yard butterfly and also medaled in the 100-yard breaststroke as the eighth-place finisher.
“It’s one of the best weekends we’ve had for our team in a long time,” said Dunbar Coach Cole Pleasants, who was named girls’ coach of the year on Friday. “I can take very little credit for what these athletes do every day, but I have their backs and they have my back, too. They trust me and my decision-making and they believe in this program. They’ve made it come to life.”
Scholtz reclaims one record
While St. Xavier’s Scholtz lost one state record to Dunbar’s Ochsenbein, he picked up two others.
In the finals of the 200-yard individual medley, the University of Texas signee reclaimed his own record that teammate Thomas Mercer had broken earlier that day. His time of 145.89 in the finals shaved a few tenths off Mercer’s mark of 1:46.37 in the prelims and edged Mercer’s finals time of 1:46.60 for first place.
Scholtz also anchored St. X’s record-shattering 400-yard freestyle relay.
“That was so fun doing it with my boys. We’ve never been under three minutes before,” Sholtz said. “No one in the state’s done that, so to go so far under, 2:57.5 — awesome swim by the guys.”
Crushing it for Sacred Heart
Sacred Heart freshman Charlotte Crush’s winning finals time of 51.14 seconds in the 100 backstroke on Friday smashed her older sister Anabel’s state meet record of 52.66 set in 2021. She actually broke it twice, going 51.57 in the prelims earlier in the day.
Crush also set a state record in the 100 butterfly, swimming it in 51.55 in the prelims for the mark before winning the event with a time of 51.56 in the finals. Her next closest competitor was almost five seconds behind. The previous record was 51.75 set by North Oldham’s Grace Oglesby in 2015.
“I’m very pleased. I think I always have room for improvement, Crush said. “But it’s exciting to know where I’ve been and where I can be with how I’ve been practicing so far.”
In all, Sacred Heart captured four individual wins to go with a sweep of all three relays for first-year coach Charlie Edmiston, who previously coached at North Oldham.
“That’s just a testament to the talent from top to bottom,” Edmiston said. “Obviously, Charlotte is an incredible athlete, but for her it’s her ability to stay humble and also stay aggressive. … She’s an incredible teammate and a great ambassador for our team and the sport of swimming. It’s exciting to see what she’s going to do for the next three years.”
Crushing it for St. X
St. Xavier junior Johnny Crush followed up his little sister Charlotte’s outstanding performance on Friday with some great swims of his own on Saturday.
Crush broke the 3-year-old 100-yard backstroke state record by winning the event in 46.55, more than a third of a second faster than the old mark. Crush also won the 100-yard freestyle and was also part of the record-breaking 400-yard freestyle relay.
“You can’t let your little sister beat you, you know. But she’s great. She’s fast,” said Crush, who would have matched his sister’s medal count if not for the relay disqualification. “Our coach was like, ‘Guys, you’ve got to go. You’ve got to go.’ And we did. We showed up and we were just going as fast as we can.”
For her efforts Friday, Charlotte Crush was recognized as the girls’ meet’s most outstanding competitor by the coaches’ association. Johnny Crush shared that same honor with Scholtz for the boys’ meet.
Lexington Catholic has some fun
LexCath did not have an individual winner in the finals but had a strong showing in the preliminaries and brought home a second place and two thirds in the relays. Senior Libby Livesay raced in two of those and got second in the 100 breaststroke and fourth in the 50 freestyle.
Seniors Christina Aouad and Kat Woodall were part of the third places in the 200 medley and 400 free relays.
“It’s insane. It’s a great way to go out,” said Aouad, who also medaled with a seventh in the 500 free. Aoaud believed relaxing and having fun Friday made the difference. “The second I started enjoying it and having fun. I swam so much better.”
Future Wildcat has big day for West Jessamine
West Jessamine’s Lily DeLong surprised herself in both of her individual races on Friday — in the 50 free because she improved on her morning time and in the 100 free because she basically couldn’t see the entire trip.
“My goggle, this side slid down, so half of it was in my eye,” DeLong said. “I couldn’t see at all and my second turn, I completely missed it. Halfway through the race I was like, “Shoot. What’s happening, right now?”
DeLong still managed a first-place time of 51.35 in the 100. She swam the 50 earlier in 21.43, more than two-tenths faster than her preliminary time.
“It was pretty crazy. I did not expect to go faster than this morning,” DeLong said. “Recently, I’ve just been focusing on getting more power off my walls and focusing on when I’m breathing during the race so I can drop a little bit of time.”
DeLong was also excited to cap her senior season with her best state finishes in the pool she’ll be swimming in next year. She committed to Kentucky as a junior.
“It’s really exciting being here knowing that this is where I’m going to get to practice every day,” she said. “I never would have thought it would work out that way.”
Diving: A record-breaker and a LexCath winner
The girls’ 1-meter diving competition saw its two-time defending champion get upset with a record-breaking performance.
Madison Southern junior Reagan Patterson earned first place with a historic 512.50 on Thursday. Patterson defeated Cooper junior Peytton Moore by a minuscule 0.20 margin, surpassing her on the final dive. Both divers topped Becca Corbett’s 2012 state record of 509.30.
Patterson is the younger sister of Flanary and Lainey Patterson, both of whom garnered much success at the state level over the years. However, the youngest Patterson is the first in her family to claim the top prize.
Henry Clay sophomore Claire Nicholas finished 10th overall with a final score of 329.65.
Lexington Catholic junior Miles Buchart took top marks in the boys’ 1-meter diving event with a score of 519.50, breaking both Region 8 and Lexington Catholic school records.
It was the first win for a Lexington diver since Paul Laurence Dunbar’s Kevin Teague notched a four-peat from 2000 to 2003.
Four other Lexington divers placed in the top 10. Bryan Station sophomore Tyler Bobadilla finished fifth with a score of 431.25, breaking the Bryan Station record. Both Buchart and Bobadilla are qualified for All-American consideration for their performances at state.
Buchart’s Lexington Catholic teammate, junior Jett Vanderhorst, placed ninth with a score of 347.35. Buchart, Bobadilla and Vanderhorst are all coached by Jamie Palumbo. Henry Clay sophomore Jonah Kearns finished 10th with a final score of 331.95.
Coming later this week, the Herald-Leader’s Caroline Makauskas will have more both Patterson and Buchart.
STATE SWIMMING AND DIVING RESULTS
2023 KHSAA State Swimming & Diving Championships Presented by UK HealthCare
At the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center on Feb. 16-18. Top three places plus any top eight (medalist) finishes from Lexington-area schools. Complete results online at khsaa.org/2022-2023-khsaa-region-state-entries-results/
Boys’ team standings: 1. St Xavier, 513. 2. Paul Laurence Dunbar, 232. 3. Ryle, 152. 4. Henry Clay, 147, 5. Trinity, 106. 6. Highlands, 104. 7. Woodford County, 102. 8. Manual, 93.5. 9. Boyle County, 76. 10. South Oldham, 63. 10. Madison Central, 63.
Girls’ team standings: 1. Sacred Heart, 340.5. 2. Lexington Catholic, 202. 3. Notre Dame, 196. 4, Elizabethtown, 140. 5. Paul Laurence Dunbar, 135. 6. Eastern, 115. 7. Ryle, 101. 8. Lafayette, 93. 9. West Jessamine, 89. 10. St. Henry, 79.
Top combined team team standings: 1. Paul Laurence Dunbar, 367. 2. Lexington Catholic 256.50.
Boys’ 200-Yard Medley Relay: 1. Paul Laurence Dunbar (Mark Dattilio, Alex Ochsenbein, Nathan Zhu, Blake Sammons) 1:33.59 AA-C. 2. Woodford County (Xavier Moore, Tiernan Moore, Charlie Gatewood, Ben Carey) 1:36.05. 3. Manual (Hayden Beckley, Jacob Day, Jackson Shuman, Dant Parker) 1:38.83. 6. Henry Clay (Crawford Hightower, Tyler Rodgers, Benjamin Hightower, Jack Liau) 1:40.40. 7 Madison Central (Cade Kooistra, Luke Geile, Kaiden Graves, Jack Voss) 1:40.59.
Boys’ 200-Yard Freestyle: 1. Alex Thiesing, St. Xavier, 1:37.05 AA-A. 2. Ethan Lindeman, 1:41.10. 3. Noah Lim, St Xavier 1:41.12. 8. Jimmy Rogers, Lafayette, 1:47.43.
Boys’ 200-Yard IM: 1. Will Scholtz, St Xavier, 1:45.89* AA-A. 2. Thomas Mercer, St. Xavier, 1:46.60 AA-A. 3. Alex Ochsenbein, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1:48.2 AA-A. 6. Max Yeoh, Sayre, 1:56.12.
Boys’ 50-Yard Freestyle: 1. Seneca Oddo, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 20.14 AA-A. 2 Alex Thiesing, St Xavier, 20.69 AA-C. 3. Cody Ell, South Warren, 21.05. 8 Xavier Moore, Woodford County, 21.61.
Boys’ 1-Meter Diving: 1. Michael Buchart, Lexington Catholic, 519.5. 2 AA-C. Landon Isler, Ryle, 517.75 AA-C. 3. Jacob Larkin, Covington Catholic, 495.65. 5 AA-C. Tyler Bobadilla, Bryan Station, 431.25 AA-C.
Boys’ 100-Yard Butterfly: 1 Thomas Mercer, St Xavier, 48.48 AA-A. 2. Nathan Zhu, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 49.11 AA-C. 3 Sawyer Tapp, Trinity, 50.30. 7. Kaiden Graves, Madison Central, 51.81.
Boys’ 100-Yard Freestyle: 1. Johnny Crush, St Xavier, 43.89 AA-A. 2. Seneca Oddo, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 45.23 AA-C. 3. Cooper Reynolds, Bowling Green, 45.93.
Boys’ 500-Yard Freestyle: 1 Jack Augustus, St Xavier, 4:32.20 AA-C. 2. Clay Baumann, St Xavier, 4:35.64. 3. Austin Cutcher, St Henry, 4:36.61. 4 Brady Miller, Woodford County, 4:38.67. 7 Max Yeoh, Sayre, 4:44.96.
Boys’ 200-Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. St Xavier (Lorenzo Martinelli, Zain Butt, Jack Augustus, Sammy McCall) 1:22.94 AA-A. 2. Paul Dunbar (Alex Ochsenbein, Nathan Zhu, Mark Dattilio, Seneca Oddo) 1:23.04 AA-A. 3. Henry Clay (Nick Johnson, Eli Greinke, Jack Liau, Cole Bray) 1:27.93. 7. Madison Central (Kaiden Graves, Jack Voss, Cade Kooistra, Logan Hrindich) 1:30.27.
Boys’ 100-Yard Backstroke: 1. Johnny Crush, St Xavier, 46.55* AA-A. 2. Sawyer Tapp, Trinity, 50.06 AA-C. 3. Cooper Reynolds, Bowling Green, 51.40. 8. Nick Johnson, Henry Clay, 52.84.
Boys’ 100-Yard Breaststroke: 1. Alex Ochsenbein, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 53.75* AA-A. 2. Will Scholtz, St Xavier, 53.88* AA-A. 3. Luke Rich, Adair County, 57.36. 6. Jimmy Rogers, Lafayette, 58.10. 7. Eli Greinke, Henry Clay, 58.20. 8. Nathan Zhu, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 58.54.
Boys’ 400-Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. St Xavier (Alex Thiesing, Thomas Mercer, Johnny Crush, Will Scholtz) 2:57.50*AA-A, 2. Paul Laurence Dunbar (Blake Sammons, Seneca Oddo, Will Hinz, Sammy Nunez) 3:10.40. 3 Henry Clay (Nick Johnson, Crawford Hightower, Eli Greinke, Cole Bray) 3:13.56. 5. Woodford County (Ben Carey, Charlie Gatewood, Brady Miller, Xavier Moore) 3:15.20.
Girls’ 200-Yard Medley Relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Haley McDonald, Carlie Tyler, Charlotte Crush, Georgia Kahler), 1:42.25 AA-A. 2. Elizabethtown (Micaela Godfrey, Kate Braeger, Lauren Godfrey, Sydney Braeger), 1:45.68 AA-C. 3. Lexington Catholic (Kat Woodall, Libby Livesay, Christina Aouad, Caroline Beiting), 1:45.69 AA-C. 5. West Jessamine (Shelby Gaddis, Amelia Lee, Lily Delong, Margaret Wilson), 1:49.23. 6. Paul Laurence Dunbar (Nicole Nunez, Meher Saini, Claire Ackerman, Katie Bridwell), 1:50.05.
Girls’ 200-Yard Freestyle: 1. Lainy Kruger, Notre Dame, 1:46.36 AA-A. 2. Jenna Brown, Manual, 1:52.15. 3. Amelia Jones, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 1:52.72. 6. Lou Elayi, Lafayette, 1:55.71.
Girls’ 200-Yard IM: 1. Haley McDonald, Sacred Heart, 1:59.89 AA-A. 2. Kate Braeger, Elizabethtown, 2:03.66. 3, Carlie Tyler, Sacred Heart, 2:03.67. 5. Amelia Lee, West Jessamine, 2:07.76.
Girls’ 50-Yard Freestyle: 1. Lily Delong, West Jessamine, 23.43 AA-C. 2. Kate Mardis, Ballard, 23.45 AA-C. 3. Ashley Kara, Collegiate, 23.68. 4. Libby Livesay, Lexington Catholic, 23.69. 5. Caroline Beiting, Lexington Catholic, 23.87.
Girls’ 1-Meter Diving: 1. Reagan Patterson, Madison Southern, 512.50* AA-C. 2. Peytton Moore, Cooper, 512.30 AA-C. 3. Brooke Ronan, Oldham Co, 410.70 AA-C.
Girls’ 100-Yard Butterfly: 1. Charlotte Crush, Sacred Heart, 51.56** AA-A. 2. Kate Mardis, Ballard, 55.23 AA-c. 3. Sarah Zoellner, Greenwood, 55.75.
Girls’ 100-Yard Freestyle: 1. Lily Delong, West Jessamine, 51.35. 2. Emma Littrell, St. Henry, 51.90. 3. Ashley Kara, Collegiate, 52.13. 4. Ava Jones, Lexington Catholic, 53.24.
Girls’ 500-Yard Freestyle: 1. Haley McDonald, Sacred Heart, 4:53.11 AA-C. 2. Sadie Hartig, Notre Dame, 4:57.30. 3. Amelia Jones, Paul Laurence Dunbar, 5:01.26. 7. Christina Aouad, Lexington Catholic, 5:08.97.
Girls’ 200-Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Georgia Kahler, Sara Keefe, Pilar Pagni, Ella Donlin), 1:37.02. 2. Lexington Catholic (Lillian Hosinski, Maysie Houlihan, Ava` Jones, Libby Livesay), 1:38.06. 3. Paul Laurence Dunbar (Amelia Jones, Macie McCubbin, Sophie Hildebrandt, Claire Ackerman), 1:40.16. 6. Lafayette (Lou Elayi, Megan Wedeking, Mia Foley, Riley Shaw), 1:41.31. 7. Madison Central (Lena Brown, Emma McDowell, Marlee Cooksey, Kirsten Eads).
Girls’ 100-Yard Backstroke: 1. Charlotte Crush, Sacred Heart, 51.14* AA-A. 2. Kate Braeger, Elizabethtown, 55.25 AA-C. 3. Madison Patel, Paducah Tilghman, 55.48 AA-C. 5. Megan Wedeking, Lafayette, 57.15.
Girls’ 100-Yard Breaststroke: 1. Lainy Kruger, Notre Dame, 1:02.30 AA-A. 2. Libby Livesay, Lexington Catholic, 1:04.47. 3. Lou Elayi, Lafayette, 1:04.55. 5. Caroline Beiting, Lexington Catholic, 1:05.91. 8. Lauren Cox, Lexington Christian, 1:08.01.
Girls’ 400-Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Haley McDonald, Merritt Walker, Ella Donlin, Charlotte Crush), 3:25.39 AA-A. 2. Elizabethtown (Lauren Godfrey, Micaela Godfrey, Kate Braeger, Sydney Braeger), 3:31.84. 3. Lexington Catholic (Ava Jones, Caroline Beiting, Christina Aouad, Kat Woodall), 3:34.44. 6. Paul Laurence Dunbar (Amelia Jones, Sophie Hildebrandt, Macie McCubbin, Katie Bridwell 12), 3:38.19.
Notes: *-KHSAA State Championships Record; **-Set KHSAA record of 51.55 in the preliminaries; AA-A: All-America Automatic qualifying time/score; AA-C: All-America Consideration time/score.
