MORGANTOWN — Monica Fisher is now a state champion swimmer.
The University High School junior topped the field in the 100-yard breaststroke, touching the wall at 1:08.89, just ahead of Cabell Midland’s Gaby Robertson. Fisher followed a dominating performance at the Division 1 North Region meet last weekend in Bridgeport with another strong showing — and a flawless final 25 yards — to win the event.
Meanwhile, for Morgantown High, what a difference just a few points can make.
Morgantown High School’s girls’ swimmers captured the final event of the day Friday — the 400 freestyle relay — at the West Virginia Secondary Schools Activities Commission State Swimming Championship at Peak Health Aquatic Center in Morgantown. The team of Lily Kozel, Maya Nalcakan, Avery Householder, and Ellie Perella hit the wall at 3:52.5, a quarter-second faster than Parkersburg.
But when the final tally came, the Mohigans ended with 55 team points, just three behind Division 1 winner George Washington and two behind runner-up Parkersburg.
The boys team ended the day much the same, as Solomon Rolston, Owen Gregory, Lincoln Alugbuo, and Christian Hammer won the 400 freestyle relay at 3:17.67. They, too, finished third, behind winner George Washington and then Bridgeport.
All told, though, Morgantown High had a strong two-day showing in the pool at Mylan Park.
University High finished ninth in the boys’ competition and 11th in the girls’.
In Division 2 for the state’s small schools, the Tigers of Elkins High School defended its small-school title from 2025 with another team win, followed by Herbert Hoover. For the boys, Robert C. Byrd High School came in first with Elkins second.
In an interesting note at the meet’s end, Herbert Hoover actually was given a second chance to swim the 400 freestyle relay, alleging issues with hearing at the start. That marked the second such issue with how the meet officials handled starts.
Girls
Morgantown’s Lily Kozel, a freshman, started the meet strong Friday with a runner-up finish in the 500 freestyle (5:11.56). Senior Avery Householder finished fifth.
No other Morgantown or University girls placed in the Friday events.
Boys
Morgantown senior Christian Hammer, a state champion Thursday in the 100 freestyle, finished second in the 100 backstroke (53.27), behind George Washington’s Kenneth McGlothen (49.77). University High’s Macale Richards finished fourth (55.39) while Gregory from Morgantown High finished eighth.
In the 500 freestyle, University junior Tyler Zundell finished third (4:58.0) followed by Morgantown’s Rolston in sixth.
Morgantown’s 200 freestyle relay team of James McGinnis, Gregory, Hammer, and Lincoln Alugbuo finished second (1:30.2) while University’s 400 freestyle relay team of Sam Denne, Jackson Durazo, Zundell, and Richards finished seventh.
— Story by John McCabe
