The LINK nky Team of the Week for Feb. 16-22 presented by Ortho Cincy is the Highlands swim and dive program.
A bonus for the Highlands swim and dive program is that they are now eligible for Team of the Season (TOS) for the winter sports season. Bellevue’s football team won Team of the Season for the fall, Simon Kenton’s archery team, Ludlow’s girls basketball team, Conner’s boys basketball team, Dixie Heights boys basketball team, Scott’s swim and dive team, Newport Central Catholic boys basketball team, Walton-Verona’s girls basketball team, Ryle archery team, the Ryle boys swim and dive team, the St. Henry archery team, Conner girls basketball team and now the Highlands swim and dive program are the first 12 team of the week winners for the winter sports season that will run up through February. A vote will follow for TOS when the winter sports season is wrapped up to determine the winner. Then we’ll turn to spring sports near the end of March. Each TOS winner will receive a $500 scholarship that will go to an athlete of their choice and they will then be considered for Team of the Year (TOY). Voting will take place for TOY once the spring sports TOS is determined.
For the team that is awarded TOY, online and print articles will again be published, a large commemorative plaque will be presented and the school will receive an additional $500 scholarship to be presented to the athlete of their choice at the end of the school year. The call for nominations, voting and winning announcement for each will follow the same format as the TOTW.
HIGHLANDS SWIM AND DIVE
The Highlands boys and girls swim and dive team finished runner-up for the combined KHSAA swim and dive state title.
The boys swim and dive team finished fifth while the girls placed fifth as well, giving them a combined team score of 243, only behind Ryle’s 305.5 points.
Among those placing in the championship final heats for the girls were Sarah Jones in fifth in the 50-yard freestyle, the girls 200-yard freestyle team of Ragan Moore, Ella Kate Reynolds, Keira Kobida and Sarah Jones in third and the girls 400-yard freestyle team of Moore, Reynolds, Kobida and Jones in third.
For the boys in the championship heats and those placing were the 200-yard medley relay team of Luke Deegan, Griffin Barlow, Noah Gracey and Chanith Abeysinghe in third, Abeysinghe in eighth in the 100-yard freestyle, Barlow in fifth in the 500-yard freestyle and second in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Congratulations to our other nominees as well: Holy Cross boys basketball, Ryle boys wrestling and Newport girls basketball.
The winter sports season is winding down! Next week will be the last for LINK nky Team of the Week winners with a Team of the Season vote to follow.