Bob Jones swimmers break records at state meet
Members of the Bob Jones Boys’ Swim Team (CONTRIBUTED)
MADISON – Bob Jones High School swimmers broke their own record at the AHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships.
Bob Jones coach Michael Gunner said about 50 high schools competed in Class 1A through 6A.
The boys’ team earned second place, even with half the swimmers of previous championship teams. The girls ranked sixth, the third best showing in recent years.
“Every single team member improved and gave outstanding effort,” Gunner said. “I could not be prouder and more excited for our future.”
In the 200-yard freestyle relay, Derek Sander, Chris Burrows, Andrey Tretyakov and Zach Harting with 1:25.84 broke Bob Jones’ previous state record of 1:26.55.
Harting is state champion (first place) for the 100-yard fly (49.57) and second in 200-yard individual medley. Tretyakov was third in 100-yard fly and fourth in 100-yard breaststroke.
Sander placed fourth in 200-yard free and third in 100-yard free. John Kinsey placed eleventh in 200-yard free and twelfth in 500-yard free. Claire Munster ranked second in 200-yard free and fourth in 100-yard free.
In 200-yard free, Devin Campbell placed eighth and in 500-yard free in fourth place. Burrows ranked eleventh in 50-yard free and tenth in 100-yard back.
Chris Day ranked fourteenth in 100-yard free and fifteenth in 100-yard back. In 100-yard breast, Grace Palenapa and Madeleine Reagan ranked twelfth and fifteenth, respectively.
In the boy’s 400-yard free relay, Sander, Day, Zach Weston and Mark Johnson placed sixth. In the girls’ 200-yard free relay, Campbell, Munster, Joann Stevens and Anna Grace Pell were in fourth place.
Campbell, Reagan, Munster and Logan Maddox rated fourth in the girls’ 400-yard free relay.
“Since 2003, Bob Jones’ boys team has won seven state championships and been state runner-up three times,” parent Dr. Terri Johnson said.
“Opening of James Clemens and the lack of additional pool space meant that for the past two years both teams were limited to only half the number of swimmers that previous state champion teams had. That makes this year’s second place finish even more remarkable,” Johnson said.
