Stanly high school swimmers qualify for state finals

Published 2:58 pm Monday, February 14, 2022

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Three high school swimming programs in Stanly County qualified relay teams and individuals for the 1A/2A state championships.

At the 1A/2A Central Regionals Feb. 4, hosted by the Greensboro Aquatic Center, Gray Stone Day, North Stanly and West Stanly competed.

Gray Stone’s women’s team finished tied with Elkin for second in the team standings with 196 points. North Stanly finished with 110 points, tied for seventh with West Stokes.

On the men’s side, the Knights were sixth with 136 team points and North Stanly was 16th with 48 points.

Both schools qualified relay teams in the women’s 200-yard individual medley (IM) event. North was second at regionals as Maci Holshouser, Ila Loflin, Bella McGee and Rylee Klinger posted a time of 2:06.02 in the finals. Gray Stone’s women’s IM team of Riley Gleason, Sophia McGee, Angelina Lappin and Brooke Boger were third in 2:06.36.

McGee also finished second at regionals in the 200-yard IM with a 2:20.08. She will be seeded sixth for the finals.

Holshouser also qualified for the state finals in the 500-yard freestyle with a 5:56.54, seeded 17th out of the 24 qualified swimmers.

Both McGee and Holshouser qualified for states in the 100-yard backstrokes. McGee is seeded eighth with a 1:02.94 and Holshouser is 20th with a 1:07.75.

The Knights’ 200-yard freestyle relay team of Boger, McGee, Gleason and Katherine Jolly is seeded ninth at finals after a third-place regional finish in 1:51.28.

Gray Stone also qualified the school’s 200-yard IM men’s relay team of Landon Cord, Tyler Tuzenew, Noah Nisbet and Jobey Swaringen, which is seeded 11th in the finals with a time of 1:52.89.

Individually for Gray Stone, Gleason (4th-24.88) and Boger (22nd-27.84) will both swim in the 50-yard freestyle. Gleason is also seeded sixth in 100-yard freestyle with a time of 55.16.

On the men’s side, the Knights’ Christopher Kafitz will swim in the 500-yard freestyle. He is seeded 8th with a 5:15.01 finish. Kafitz also will swim in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.20.

Kai Lester will swim the 100-yard backstroke for Gray Stone seeded 21st with a 1:01.95.

Both of Gray Stone’s 400-yard freestyle teams will compete at states. Jolly, Lappin, Amy Gonzalez and Ainslee Lowery finished eighth in the women’s regionals with a 4:29.93, while Swaringen, Kaftiz, Kai Lester and Mark Lappin were fifth in 3:44.12.

North’s Cole Stinnett will swim at finals in the men’s 500-yard freestyle with a qualifying time of 6:04.03.

West Stanly’s John Marks will swim at states in the 500-yard freestyle (11th-5:21.69) and the 200-yard freestyle (11th-1:57.43) while the Colts’ 200-yard IM women’s relay team is seeded 17th (2:11.53) and the 200-yard freestyle women’s relay team 22nd (1:58.20).

About Charles Curcio

Charles Curcio has served as the sports editor of the Stanly News & Press for more than 16 years and has written numerous news and feature storeis as well. He was awarded the NCHSAA Tim Stevens Media Representative of the Year and named CNHI Sports Editor of the Year in 2014. He has also won an award from Boone Newspapers, and has won four North Carolina Press Association awards.

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