MORGANTOWN – Mylan Aquatic Center will welcome swimmers from all across the Mountain State to the WVU swimming and diving complex on Thursday and Friday to compete for glory.
Both days of competition will begin with preliminary races for both boys and girls at 9:45 a.m. and conclude with championship rounds in the evening, beginning at 6:00 p.m.
Both Morgantown and University will have multiple swimmers compete in the boys’ and girls’ competitions after strong showings at the North Region meet last weekend.
“To compete for a title this week, we will need to stay focused and swim our best,” MHS coach Eric Householder said. “Hopefully we can move up a couple of spots from our seed times and score some points where we aren’t expected to.”
The Mohigans took runner-up spots in the North Region for boys and girls, while MHS senior Christian Hammer set a North Region record of 51.79 in the 100-meter butterfly. He also won the 100 backstroke event in 53.84, earning the top seed in the state meet.
“Christian is a hard worker and very focused,” Householder said. “I think one of his biggest advantages is his underwater ability, especially in the butterfly. Another coach remarked to me at regionals on Saturday that his underwaters were pretty much unmatched in the state. I think that plays a key part in what makes him a strong swimmer. In order to take home the title, Christian will just need to stay focused and swim his own race. I am sure he will do great at the meet.”
Hammer will be joined by teammates Lincoln Alugbuo, Connor Glass, Owen Gregory, James McGinnis, Solomon Rolston, and Reid Halbritter at the state meet.
University’s Tyler Zundell took home the top spot in the North Region in the 500-meter freestyle race in 5:01.70. He is joined by Sam Denne, Jackson Durazo, Ryan Ghorayeb, Evan Ghorayeb, Macale Richards, Bryce Reppert, and Jack Thompson this week.
For the MHS girls, Ellie Perella took home two North Regional championships last weekend and will lead her team consisting of Avery Householder, Maya Nalcakan, Lily Kozel, and Ada Warman.
University’s Monica Fisher was the champion in the breaststroke and took third in the 200-meter freestyle. Her teammates, Bella Donato, Caroline Beddow, and Sophia Lombardo, join her in competition this week.
