The Hopkinsville girls’ swim team finished in third place at the Region I Meet and will send six swimmers and two relay teams to the first round of the KHSAA State Swim Meet next week.
Grace Cansler held off Murray’s Tatum Faulkner by .42 seconds to win the 100-yard breaststroke. The top two in each region event automatically qualify for the first round of state with at-large berths awarded based on the fastest times in Regions 1-3.
Cansler was also part of Hoptown’s 200-yard medley relay team that finished in second place and earned a state first-round berth. Also on the team are Caroline Payne, Livie Jorgensen, and Eliza Renshaw. Their time of 2:08.23 was second only to Murray’s 2:08.23.
Cansler also qualified in the 100-yard freestyle.
Also qualifying for the state first round next Saturday at Russell County High School was Saralynn Major in the 200-yard freestyle, Livie Jorgensen in the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard freestyle; and Caroline Payne in the 500-yard freestyle. Payne knocked over 16 seconds off her previous best time in the event.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team will also advance to the state first round.
The KHSAA tweaked the format for the state swim meet for the third time in four years. There are three sites for state first round with Regions 1-3 swimming at Russell County High School on Saturday. The top three finishers in each event will then advance to the KHSAA State Swimming Championships presented by UK Healthcare on Feb. 23-24 in Lexington.
RESULTS
Grace Cansler – 1st in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:14.25) and 7th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:01.96).
Livie Jorgensen – 3rd in the 200-yard IM (2:36.30) and 6th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:01.25)
Caroline Payne – 3rd in the 500-yard freestyle (6:21.24) and 3rd in the 100-yard backstroke (1:15.23)
Saralynn Major – 5th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:22.96) and 10th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:05.48)
Eliza Renshaw – 5th place in the 100-yard butterfly (1:27.01) and 11th place in the 50-yard freestyle (30.59)
Brilyn Merrick – 8th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:24.77) and 10th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:37.58)
Kaydon Coats – 11th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:41.34) and 12th in the 100-yard free (1:12.28)
Evelyn Bangart – 12th in the 200-yard freestyle (2:46.98) and 19th in the 50-yard free (34.13)
Kaley Bangart – 13th place in the 50-yard freestyle (31.09)
Madelin Macario – 18th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:47.95) and 27th in the 50-yard freestyle (35.52)
The 200-yard medley relay team of Grace Cansler, Caroline Payne, Livie Jorgensen, and Eliza Renshaw finished in second place in the 200-yard medley relay (2:08.23)
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Cansler, Payne, Jorgensen, and Saralynn Major finished in fourth place in 1:57.21.
The 400-yard freestyle relay team of Eliza Renshaw, Kaley Bangart, Kaydon Coats, and Saralynn Major finished in fifth place in 4:44.82.
