Recently, the MUSC Swim Team competed at the South Carolina Short Course State Championships. The meet took place February 3-6 in Rock Hill The team, just four months old, performed exceptionally, posting 11 top-ten A-final swims. The team practices at the MUSC Wellness Center, often with just two lanes of space, which frequently leads to cramped conditions. Despite this, 88% of the swimmers on the State Team, which included Chloe Holowczenko, Carina Kastenholz, Cherokee Grooms, Casey Buck, and David Rieder, swam at least one personal best time, in most cases improving on marks set just two or three weeks before. Coach Rick Hancock said after the meet, “Coach Greg (Stallworth) and I set the bar pretty high with our expectations, but the swimmers went above and beyond that bar consistently throughout the entire season, and to top it off with the caliber of performances at State was something special.”
The Welsh twins, Sarah Anne and Meredith, led the way for MUSC, each posting fourth-place finishes in one event in the 11-12 girls age group. Sarah Anne took fourth in the 50 back (30.56) in one of four finals races. She also placed seventh in the 50 free (26.71), 10th in the 100 free (59.98), and eighth in the 100 back (1:09.13). She also took 15th in the 100 IM (1:08.91), and her performances earned her All-State honors. Meanwhile, her twin sister Meredith earned fourth in the 50 breast (33.35), 10th in the 100 breast (1:15.48), and 19th in the 100 IM (1:10.19).
Dalton Delp also earned All-State, making the finals of both the 13-14 50 free (23.86) and 100 free (53.07). Teammate Trey Dimuzio also made an impact, taking seventh in the 200 fly (2:10.30), 11th in the 100 free (52.75), 14th in the 100 fly (1:00.35), 15th in both the 50 free (24.52) and 100 breast (1:09.99), and 20th in the 200 free (1:56.44). Other impressive swims among 13-14 boys included Tyler Wolter’s 20th-place finish in the 100 breast (1:11.98) and Ryan Laban finishing 18th in the 200 breast (2:35.59).
Cassidy Rindge made the final of the 13-14 girls’ 100 breast, taking 10th (1:14.38). Rindge also finished 11th in the 200 breast (2:42.92), as did Gabby Dizon in the 50 free (26.31). Dizon also grabbed 16th in the 100 free (57,42), 18th in the 100 back (1:05.68), and 20th in the 100 fly (1:04.73).
Jacob Dupree and Evan Howard provided the team highlights for 15-18 boys. Dupree finished sixth in the 100 breast (1:00.78), 10th in the 200 breast (2:18.59), and 20th in the 100 free (51.04). Howard, meanwhile, took 18th in the 200 back (2:07.95) and 19th in the 100 free (50.78). In the 11-12 boys age group, Jackson Seith finished sixth in a pair of breaststroke races, the 50 (34.75) and 100 (1:17.71). Seith also placed in the top-20 in the 50 and 200 free.
