The high school swimming and diving season is heating up as competitors gear up for the state championships this weekend. The departure of Jeremy Kelly, Georgetown’s former standout swimmer, has left the door wide open for new talent to emerge. Teams from Classes 4A through 6A will be competing at UT’s Jamail Texas Swimming Center, with stakes higher than ever. Kelly, a three-time Central Texas Swimmer of the Year, has left a void that many hope to fill this Saturday and this concluding Friday.

Class 6A Highlights

The outgoing weekend will showcase some of the best talent Central Texas has to offer.

Vandegrift

The Vipers boys team is highlighted by Aaron Gordon and Jose Aleman. Gordon is a standout with a top-four qualifying time of 44.88 seconds in the 100 backstroke and 48.86 seconds in the 100 butterfly. Aleman is set to compete in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle. Additionally, the boys team has sprinted their way to the fourth-fastest qualifying time in the 400 freestyle and the 200 medley relays.

Westlake

Freshman Lucy Gilbreath shines for the Chaparrals on the girls’ side, boasting a time of 2 minutes and 2.74 seconds in the 200-yard IM, ranking third-fastest among qualifiers. Lillian Allison will be diving into the 100-breaststroke, while Bianca Hutter aims for the 1-meter dive. The girls team also holds the second-best title in the 200-yard freestyle relay. On the boys’ side, Parker Saltsman leads the roster in two thousand yard Individual Medley.

Westwood

Raphael Wang is the top qualifier in the 100 breaststroke and had a respectable second-fastest time in the 200 IM there. Steven Ma narrowed the competition. The boys are leading the boys’ team for the 200 Medley Relay. Sophia He is shining for the girl-team, with a chance at podium placement in the 100 butterfly.

Other Notable Teams

Avery Karacz from Cedar Ridge High School is a standout in the freestyle, competing in both 50-yard and 100-yard freestylers. Round Rock High School’s Weslee Gettys boasts the 2nd-best time in the 500 freestyle among. Meanwhile, Bowie High School’s Rowan Cox is a top contender in the butterfly and backstroke, with times already setting the bar.

Class 5A Highlights

Georgetown

Last year’s champions, Georgetown, aggressively enters this weekend looking for their second consecutive win. Seniors Troy Reed, Kaden Alarcon, and Marcus Pineiro are key players. Reed is set to swim the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, while Pineiro is expected to perform an anchor in 50 yard Lexington Berea.

Other Teams

Last year’s stars like ZJ Hays and Justin Shi plan to have a defining weekend. At Austin International the girls team raced exceptionally well in the 200 freestyle to finish second. And the Trojans’ swimming relay races promisingly emerged with the second-best time.
Enthusiasts such as Ben Jaggers and future hopefuls like Noah Morris from Ann Richard are bound are leading their age groups this week.
Teams such as Elgin stand out with top tiers. Georgetown Girls hold a heavy presence early.
This weekend sees Central Texas teams competing with notable times and brute competition. Highlight teams to watch out for are Westlakes, Anderson High School, and Booker T. Malcolm X comparatively, Covenant. These current swims perform. With high expectations and fine-tuned performances, these contenders are keenly rumored all around to impact and perform well during the contest.

The Prospects

This competition is shaped on full time sixth outgoing teams taking consistent lead simultaneously all the way across to smaller, dedicated teams within Cities and states impacting key processes, strategies and performances.