Jeff Floyd would really like to win the state combined team swimming title.
Ryle’s swimming coach will nonetheless enjoy the Region 7 title – the Raider boys defeated Highlands, 516-431, and the girls tied Notre Dame with 380 points apiece. When you add the scores, Ryle’s 896 points was better than Highlands’ 701. (The Bluebird girls finished third with 270)
Floyd said no team has won the boys, girls and combined Region 7 championships in the same year.
“So we’re going to claim history on that,” Floyd said. “And it’s the best outcome for everybody because Notre Dame had a fabulous year and has a fabulous team … Frankly, we overachieved; our girls overachieved.”
Ryle junior Reece Yauger said the combined title is a big deal.
“It’s definitely a big deal because it makes Jeff very happy – and all of us happy,” Yauger said.
Yauger, Chase Knopf and Andy Pleiman can attest for the largest share of the credit for Ryle’s wins.
Yauger won the 200-yard individual medley (2:07.15), the 100 butterfly (56.75) and joined Hannah Panko, Ava Hammons and Melia Kinross to take the 200 medley relay (1:49.89).
Floyd said Yauger, Knopf and Pleiman are learning to swim fast early in the race without swimming hard.
“Being fast but being relaxed so that you don’t burn too much energy, so you have it at the end,” Floyd said.
Knopf won the 100 backstroke (51.43) and the 200 freestyle (1:39.88) and joined Addison Coughenour, Garrett Dennis and Pleiman to win the 200 medley relay (1:37.45).
Pleiman also won the 50 freestyle (21.24), 100 freestyle (47.42) and the 200 freestyle relay (1:30.51) with Nash Parsons, Lucas Dilger and Chase Denigan. Pleiman said the 50 freestyle is his favorite – partly because it’s short.
“It comes down to every single little thing you do within the race makes an impact,” Pleiman said.
Dennis won the 500 freestyle (4:42.10), and Panko won the 100 freestyle (53.19).
Highlands junior Griffin Barlow had a doubly golden evening. He won the boys 100 butterfly in 52.22 and the 100 breaststroke in 59.41.
Covington Catholic was third in the boys team standings with 336 points, Scott was fourth with 156, and Simon Kenton was fifth with 128.
‘Kind of relieved’
Notre Dame coach Jamie Kelly said both the Pandas and Raiders were winners.
“I think in the end both teams were kind of relieved they didn’t lose, right?” Kelly said. “To me, a win is a win. We’re happy, they’re happy.”
What Yauger did for Ryle’s girls, Notre Dame junior Sadie Hartig did for the Pandas.
Hartig won the 200 freestyle (1:51.98), and the 500 freestyle (5:00.62) and anchored the winning 200 freestyle relay (with Peyton Quinn, Liv Wallace and Abby Carnes in 1:40.78) and 400 freestyle relay with Carnes, Wallace and Danaka Tucker (3:35.76).
“On the 200 freestyle relay she came from behind; we just barely out-touched Beechwood to win that relay,” Kelly said. “She went into the water pretty much dead even on the last leg of the 400 freestyle and was able to win that relay as well for us. She had a great meet.”
Kelly said senior Sammie Poulos stood out. She finished seventh in the 100 backstroke and eighth in the 200 individual medley.
“Two top eight finishes for someone who’s not swimming club is pretty impressive,” Kelly said
It’s uncertain, however, if Notre Dame would’ve won if junior Claire Monahan was in the pool. She missed the meet with a shoulder injury that had bothered her all year.
“The week before the regional meet she was finally diagnosed with a torn labrum,” Kelly said. “ … That kind of put a damper on things and made it a little bit more difficult for us to be able to win this thing.
Highlands’ girls were third with 270 points, Beechwood was fourth with 242, and Dixie Heights was fifth with 205.
Larkin sets record
Covington Catholic senior Jake Larkin set a regional 1-meter diving record Tuesday at the University of Louisville. His 607.75 points not only eclipsed Beechwood alumnus Justin Youtsey’s 571.35 set in 2012 – it would’ve crushed the state-record 569.40 CovCath’s Louie Hunt turned in nine years ago, but state records can only be set at the state meet.
Larkin, who’s headed to Florida Atlantic next fall, was only a little upset Tuesday’s performance is not Kentucky’s best.
“I got the regional record, which was actually higher than the state record, so that was pretty cool,” Larkin said. “The state record is my school record, so I broke that, too.”
Larkin’s strategy was simple – begin his 11-dive list with easier dives and go to the harder ones. a relatively easy inward pike. His third, a forward 2 ½ somersault pike, netted him 74.10 points and included a couple 10s.
“You don’t want to go right off the bat with a harder dive ‘cause there’s a lot of nerves,” Larkin said.
After scoring 71.50 points on his fourth dive, a forward 1 ½ somersault with two twists, Larkin added 75.95 on fifth dive, an inward 2 ½ somersault tuck, the most difficult on his list.
“Having three 70-point dives in a row was pretty exciting,” Larkin said.
Larkin received 76.50 points on 10th dive, a forward 3 ½ somersault tuck. “I’m the one person in Kentucky doing that right now,” he said.
Ryle senior Landon Isler finished second with 533.15 points, St. Henry’s Sam Baker was third with 370.65, Simon Kenton’s Isaiah Reinhart was fourth with 358.35, and Dixie Heights’ Austin Maley was fifth with 353.15.
Peytton’s place
Cooper senior Peytton Moore won her fifth straight regional title with 493.50 points.
Moore won the state title in 2021 and 2022. Last year, she finished second to Madison Southern’s Reagan Patterson by two-tenths of a point.
Notre Dame freshman Savannah Bien was second with 426.10, Campbell County junior Grace Hedger was third 401.50, Cooper sophomore Chris Nowak was fourth with 401.35, and Highlands sophomore Addie Tinkler was fifth with 371.20.
Under the Kentucky High School Athletic Association’s new format, the next step is the First Round on Feb. 17 at Scott. No points are awarded, and swimmers with the top 24 times advance to the state meet beginning with diving Feb. 22 at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatic Center.
To Kelly, the event is another opportunity for something to go wrong.
“A relay could get DQ-ed, a false start, and then you’re done,” Kelly said. “…You really want to root for everybody that’s there to try to get as many people from our semi-state down to the state meet. It really is weird because you’re not competing against one another as much as you are the clock.
“It’s just a new experience, something we’re going to have to figure how this all plays out. We’ll see.”
For complete regional results, visit: https://khsaa.org/swimming/2024/24regionsevenresults.htm