Bentonville Dominates Arkansas High School State Championships

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By Cathleen Pruden, Swimming World College Intern

The Bentonville High School girls and boys won the Arkansas State High School 6A and 7A Championships Saturday, swimming and diving in their home pool. In the 1A-5A class, the Haas girls and Magnolia boys came out on top. Seven state records fell on Saturday, including one that was broken twice.

7A/6A

Girls Meet

The Bentonville High School girls took home the Arkansas state title, scoring 439.5 points. Little Rock Central finished runner up with 292 points. Fayetteville High School placed third with 281 points.

The Bentonville girls claimed all three relay titles on Saturday. Lainey Quandt, Paige Taylor, Taylor Pike, and Madeline Marks recorded a 1:52.00. Marks, Quandt, and Pike teamed up with Loren Hedgecock to take the 400 freestyle relay in 3:37.59, nine seconds ahead of second place. In the 200 freestyle relay it was Hedgecock, Nicole Dougherty, Lauren Hacala, and Gabby Collins to the wall first, in 1:41.78.

Pike was Bentonville’s star of the day. The junior stopped the clock at 53.96 in the 100 butterfly to break the state record that had just fallen in 1A-5A competition. Other indidividual winners for Bentonville were Marks in the 200 freestyle (1:55.41) and Pike in the 500 freestyle (4:55.05).

Boys’ Meet

Bentonville scored 504.5 points to win the state title. Little Rock Central was again the runner up, with 238 points on the men’s side. Magnolia finished third with 211 points.

Bentonville began the meet with a state record. Gavin Vann, Lucas Ros, John Hedgecock, and Hayden Harlow combined for a 1:35.97 in the 200 medley relay. In the 200 freestyle relay, another state record fell as Harlow and Vann combined with Jared Crosby and Zane Sutton to touch in 1:27.00. Though not a state record, the 400 freestyle relay team of Simon Mooney, Hayden Dixon, Ros, and Sutton won again in 3:16.70.

Harlow and Vann also earned individual state records. In the 200 IM, Harlow one the event by four seconds, finishing in a state record time of 1:50.44. Vann’s 50.56 100 backstroke was a state record as well.

1A-5A

Girls’ Meet

Haas Hall Academy scored 270 points to claim the 1A-5A state championship. Pulaski Academy was not far behind with 252 points. Greene County Tech rounded out the top three with 173 points.

Luciana Thomas of Haas set a state record in one of her two individual wins on the day. In the 100 butterfly, she stopped the clock at 55.70. That record fell later in 6A/7A competition. Thomas was also victorious in the 200 freestyle, touching in 1:53.55, as the only finisher under two minutes.

She was also a member of the state record setting 200 medley relay team. Thomas combined with Corinne DeSpain, Caroline Stelte, and Martina Thomas to touch in 1:48.22. The same four combined to take the 200 freestyle relay title in 1:42.40.

Haas had another individual winner in the 100 freestyle, when Martina Thomas touched in 52.65.

Boys’ Meet

The Magnolia men scored 211 points to take the 1A-5A state title Haas and Pocahontas followed with 150 and 136 points.

Magnolia claimed the 200 medley and 200 freestyle relays. Carter Pyle, Grady Jennings, Charlie Taylor, and Aaron Hartsfield finished in 1:45.46 to take the medley relay. Jennings, Patrick Daniel, Hartsfield, and Taylor were first to the wall by nine seconds to take the 200 freestyle relay in 1:33.99.

Haas’ Antonio Thomas set a state record in the 500 freestyle with his winning time of 4:26.13. Thomas also claimed the 200 freestyle in 1:42.19.

Full results available on Meet Mobile.

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