18 Lexington County athletes earn gold at SCHSL state swimming championships

Posted 10/25/24

Lexington County athletes saw success at the South Carolina High School League state swimming championships last week. In all, 18 athletes won gold in an event and many others placed on the podium. 

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18 Lexington County athletes earn gold at SCHSL state swimming championships

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Lexington County athletes saw success at the South Carolina High School League state swimming championships last week. In all, 18 athletes won gold in an event and many others placed on the podium. 

Three teams placed in the top five and another three cracked the top 10 as the swim season came to a close. 

Gray Collegiate’s girls were the highest-placing Lexington County team, finishing second in the 4A meet. The War Eagles had six athletes take first prize with most of them winning multiple events. 

The team started hot, winning gold in the first three events. Whitney Moody, Madison Mitton, Sabey Coker and Nina Chernev started things off for the War Eagles by winning the 200-yard medley relay. Peighton Johnson won the team’s first individual event by taking the 200-yard freestyle crown. And K.P. Coker won first place in the 200-yard IM. 

Johnson was in the top spot on the podium again after tying for first place in the 100-yard freestyle. In an extremely close race, Johnson and Bishop England’s Mia Devito both finished with a time of 51.92 seconds and split the gold. 

Milton, Sabey, K.P. and Johnson were all on the podium together after winning Gray’s last gold in the 400-yard freestyle relay. 

Gray Collegiate’s boys had a strong outing in their meet, placing fourth in the state. The War Eagles took the top spot in three events. Aaron Willis won the 100-yard backstroke. Joe Sorrell won the 100-yard freestyle. Benoit Chernev, Jance Campbell, Sorrell and Willis won the 200-yard freestyle Relay. 

Chapin also finished fourth in its classification’s championship meet. The Eagles were part of the 5A-Division II event last week and earned eight podium placements, including three golds. 

Jackie Bonavilla, Ella O'Shaughnessey, Reagan Sherrard, Maggie Hankins took first place in the 400-yard freestyle relay. Sherrard and Hankins placed first and second in the 50-yard freestyle after finishing less than half a second apart. Then Sheerard earned her third gold with a win in the 100-yard freestyle. 

Sheerard, Johnson and River Bluff’s Macey Wells tied for the most golds out of any athlete in Lexington County with three. Wells won the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke and was a part of River Bluff’s first-place finishing 200-yard medley relay team. 

The Gator girls were close to cracking the top five in the team standings but finished sixth and 14.5 points behind fifth place. Wells and her relay teammates Anna Ray, Ellie Wells and Caroline Wells also finished third in the 200-yard freestyle relay. 

Other teams around Lexington County to finish in the top 10 include River Bluff’s boys, who finished seventh and Lexington's boys, in 10th.

Dutch Fork’s girls finished 16th and Lexington placed right behind them in 17th in the 5A-Division I standings. The Irmo girls finished 18th in 5A-Division II, and Brookland-Cayce was 23rd in 4A girls. 

Dutch Forks boys and Chapin's boys finished 18th in their 5A divisions to round things out for teams in Lexington County.

Check below for a list of all the podium finishers from Lexington County.

Lexington County Athletes in the top-3

5A-Div I Boys

200-yard freestyle relay - (2nd)  Mason Young, Ryan Ezekiel, Grant Lohr, Evan Nieders

100-yard butterfly - (2nd) Grant Lohr

50-yard freestyle - (3rd) Noah Blashka

100-yard freestyle - (3rd) Noah Blashka

400-yard freestyle relay - (3rd) Mason Spurgeon, Mason Young, Grant Lohr, Evan Nieders



5A-Div I Girls

200-yard medley relay - (1st) Anna Ray, Ellie Wells, Maecy Wells, Caroline Wells

100-yard butterfly - (1st) Maecy Wells

100-yard backstroke - (1st) Maecy Wells

200-yard freestyle relay - (3rd) Anna Ray, Ellie Wells, Maecy Wells, Caroline Wells

5A-Div II Girls

400-yard freestyle relay - (1st) Jackie Bonavilla, Ella O'Shaughnessey, Reagan Sherrard, Maggie Hankins

50-yard freestyle - (1st) Reagan Sherrard, (2nd) Maggie Hankins

100-yard freestyle - 1st) Reagan Sherrard, (3rd) Maggie Hankins

200-yard freestyle - (2nd) Ella O'Shaughnessey 

200-yard medley relay - (2nd) Jackie Bonavilla, Sydney Barkevich, Reagan Sherrard, Maggie Hankins

100-yard butterfly - (3rd) Jackie Bonavilla

4A Boys

200-yard freestyle relay - (1st) Aaron Willis, Benoit Chernev, Joe Sorrell, Jance Campbell

100-yard freestyle - (1st) Joe Sorrell

100-yard backstroke - (1st) Aaron Willis 

50-yard freestyle - (2nd) Joe Sorrell 

100-yard butterfly - (2nd) Aaron Willis

200-yard medley relay - (3rd)  Aaron Willis, Benoit Chernev, Joe Sorrell, Jance Campbell

4A Girls

200-yard medley relay - (1st) Whitney Moody, Madison Mitton, Sabey Coker, Nina Chernev

200-yard freestyle - (1st) Peighton Johnson 

200-yard IM - (1st) K.P. Coker 

100-yard freestyle (1st) Peighton Johnson, (3rd) K.P. Coker

400-yard freestyle relay - (1st) Madison Mitton, Sabey Coker, K.P. Coker, Peighton Johnson 

50-yard freestyle - (2nd) Madison Mitton

100-yard butterfly - (2nd) Sabey Coker

200-yard freestyle relay - (2nd) Whitney Moody, Nina Chernev, Peighton Johnson, K.P. Coker

100-yard backstroke - (2nd) Whitney Moody

100-yard breaststroke (3rd) Sabey Coker

SCHSL, Swim championships, Chapin swimming, River Bluff swimming, Gray Collegiate swimming

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