Dakota Luther Breaks Dana Vollmer’s 100 Fly High School State Record at Finals of Texas Championships

Dakota Luther-2015
Photo Courtesy: Andy Ringgold/Aringo Photos

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By Ailish Dougherty, Swimming World College Intern.

Competition resumed today at the Lee and Joe Jamail Swim Center for the 6A & 5A divisions of the University Interscholastic League state championships, with final sessions beginning at 9:30am and 3:30pm, respectively.

6A Division

Dakota Luther of Austin Westlake went mind-shatteringly fast in the girls 100 butterfly, stopping the clock at 52.27 for the state title, and breaking Olympian Dana Vollmer‘s state record from 2005 (52.70) by a respectable margin. Second by a second was Conroe the Woodland’s Emily Reese in 53.35, and third was teammate Lillian Nordmann in 53.48, having almost as good of a meet as her sister Lucie.

Conroe the Woodlands star Lucie Nordmann, coming off of a record-breaking prelims performance, led her 200 medley relay team of Karsten Fields, Emily Reese, and Valerie Staffeldt to victory, lowering the state record they set during prelims to a 1:41.83. Austin Westlake, the previous record-holders, compiled a team of Emma Wheal, Amilla Dlakic, Luther, and Maggie Taylor that garnered runner-up honors in 1:42.86. Katy Cinco Ranch’s Aria Bernal, Ellen Pack, Sophia Bernal, and Shana Adkins managed to overtake third-place Round Rock and touch third in a time of 1:44.91.

On the boys side, Jack LeVantEvan KoldeGus Karau, and Landon Armstrong from Southlake Carroll lowered their time to a mark of 1:31.32, narrowly missing the1999 state record by 0.07. Austin Westlake’s team of Miguel Velasquez, Matthew Willenbring, Kevin Fang, and Bryan Fuchs overtook Katy Cinco Ranch for second place, with a time of 1:31.40. Glen Cowand, Christopher Hung, Billy Fales, and Christian Rossi from Katy Cinco Ranch placed third in 1:32.22.

Luther dropped from her prelims time in a big way, coming down from 1:48.49 to a 1:45.68 for first place, her second individual title of the night. Austin Anderson’s Ella Collins took state silver in a 1:47.25, and Nordmann’s freshman sister Lillian Nordman put up an impressive 1:47.58 for third place.

Alex Zettle of Southlake Carroll took the state title and state record in the boys 200 freestyle, touching the wall in 1:36.27. Matthew Connealy of Austin Lake Travis took the runner-up title with a 1:37.42, and Zach Yeadon of San Antonio Reagan was third in 1:37.86.

Prelims top qualifier Catriona MacGregor of Austin Westlake fell to seventh place in the girls 200 IM, while Jaden Bellina of Pearland came close to the 2:00.00 barrier in a 2:00.51 for first place. Hannah Feng of San Antonio Reagan took second with a 2:01.20, and Natalie Whalen of Southlake Carroll hung on to third place in a 2:01.79 for 16 points.

Matthew Willenbring from Austin Westlake took the state title for the boys in the event with a time of 1:47.06, just ahead of second-place Shaine Casas of McAllen, who swam a time of 1:47.59. Behind the top two was Colter Carman of Southlake Carroll, who placed third with a 1:49.15.

Lucie Nordmann was the only girl under 23.0 in the 50 freestyle, but decisively so, in a 22.69, which was just a bit off of her record-breaking prelims swim. Amanda Armstrong of Rockwall touched second in 23.05, and Wheal was just behind in 23.18. For the boys, Timothy Bobo of Houston Stratford surpassed the 20.0-second mark with a 19.95, decisively ahead of second-place LeVant (20.44) and San Angelo Central’s Matt Brewer (20.69).

LeVant had a quick turnaround into the boys 100 butterfly, but managed to step up, finishing first in the boys event in 47.64 for 20 points. Casas was second in 47.88, and Noah Henry of Belton finished third in 48.27.

Collins got her first place finish in the girls 100 freestyle, going a 49.92. Next was Wheal in 50.37, and Abby Andrusin of Keller with a 50.68, good for third place and 16 points.

Bobo showed off more of his sprinting prowess as he took the title in the boys event with a quick 43.56. Willenbring was second in 43.99 for Austin Westlake, and Kaloyan Bratanov of Katy touched third in 44.90.

Kaitlynn Sims of Montgomery finished first on the girls side in the 500 freestyle, stopping the clock at 4:46.07. Audrey McMurry of Keller bettered her prelims time by four seconds to finish second in 4:49.33, and Peyton Quattlebaum was just behind in third place with a 4:50.99.

Yeadon, Zettle, and Carman were among the familiar faces in the final of the boys 500, Yeadon finishing first in a whopping 4:19.13, Zettle just behind at 4:20.46, and teammate Carman third with a time of 4:24.10.

Austin Westlake dominated in both the boys and girls 200 freestyle relay, garnering 80 points for their team in the event. Their team of Taylor, Wheal, Isabelle Guerra, and McGregor put up another solid performance to take the girls state title, touching in 1:34.28. McMurry, Andrusin, Maddie Williams, and Megan Hanson cruised to a second-place finish with 1:35.00. Conroe the Woodlands took over Lewisville Flower Mound for third-place honors, with Lillian Nordmann, Vivian Yu, Staffeldt, and Fields touching in 1:35.58. The boys’ team of Bryan Fuchs, Willenring, Jack Dunworth, and Velasquez placed first ahead of Austin Vandegrift (Kevin Hammer, Andrew Pickard, Daniel Sarman, John Winkler, 1:23.73) with their time of 1:23.59. Cypress Ranch was third in 1:24.21.

Nordmann managed to lower another prelims state record, finishing in 52.48. Bernal of Katy Cinco Ranch improved her time as well, en route to a second-place mark of 53.57. Kara Eisenmann of Lewisville nabbed third-place with a time of 54.97. Cowand finished first for the boys in 47.49, ahead of second-place Henry (48.20). Jason Park of Allen’s time of 48.50 secured him third-place honors.

MacGregor finished first in the girls 100 breaststroke event, garnering 20 points for Austin Westlake and dropping a time of 1:02.79. Lauren Savoy of Lewisville Marcus dropped almost a full second off her prelims time to finish in the runner-up spot at 1:03.30. Cypress Woods senior Kelsey Evans was nail-bitingly close behind in 1:03.34, good for third place.

Ryan Geheb of Austin Lake Travis won the boys 100 breaststroke in a 55.54, ahead of Jacob Shababerle of Katy Taylor (56.04) and Braden Vines of Midland (56.32).

Finishing off the meet strong for Conroe the Woodlands, the Nordmann sisters, Reese, and Payton Neff shattered the state 400 free relay record set in 2008 by Austin Westlake, touching the wall first with a time of 3:21.06. Both sisters split under 49.5, Lucie leading off in an impressive 48.85 to end her fantastic meet. Austin Westlake compiled Luther (49.85), Halle Gordon, Guerra, and MacGregor for a time of 3:26.93 to grab silver. McMurry, Sofia Maher, Hanson, and Andrusin put up a 3:27.98.

Conroe the Woodlands girls narrowly beat Austin Westlake for the team state title, compiling 265 points to their 259, thanks in part to the Nordmann sisters’ relay dominance and event depth. Southlake Carroll was third with 196 points, while Keller and Cypress Woods were fourth and fifth with 153 and 104 points, respectively.

Southlake Carroll powerhouses Zettle, LeVant, and Carman joined Armstrong to put together a victorious relay time of 2:59.39, a state record. Conroe the Woodlands’ team of Tobin Hickman-Chow, Nolan Persyn, Alexander Merrill, and Alberto Gomez was second in 3:03.90. Austin Westlake finished third as Fang, Clark Wakeland, Will Thomas, and Dunworth combined for a time of 3:04.78.

For the boys, Southlake Carroll proved decisively victorious, garnering 327 points, with Austin Westlake trailing by 101 for second-place team honors and 226 points. Third was Conroe the Woodlands (159), fourth was Austin Lake Travis (119), and Katy Cinco Ranch nabbed the fifth team spot with 117 points.

5A Division

Competition resumed for the 5A division today, Saturday February 18th, at 3:30pm for finals of the UIL State Championships. Junior Julia Cook of Bryant put up a few incredible swims, helping her team place sixth overall and breaking multiple state records (not just 5A division) throughout the evening.

Starting out in the 200 medley relay, Frisco’s team of Abby Lin, Jadyn Jannasch, Emily Lenihan, and Courtney Nelson put together a winning time of 1:45.75, bettering their prelims mark of 1:47.00, which had been a division 5A record. Cook led off the Bryant relay consisting of Abby Surley, K Lee Rudd, and Cat Darnell in a 24.33 50 backstroke, en route to the team’s second-place finish and time of 1:47.92. San Antonio Alamo Heights placed third in the event, their team of Ellery Parish, Lauren Raike, Isabella Strash, and Kate Russell touching in 1:49.12.

For the boys, Andrew Zhang, Tobias Doerr-Garcia, Peter Simmons, and James Rude put together a time of 1:35.38 to garner College Station A&M Consol first-place honors and 40 points. Humble Kingwood Park’s team of John Johnson, Shane Flake, David Clark, and Tate Stevens touched second in 1:36.44. Amarillo finished third with a time of 1:37.08 (Thomas Olson, Stetson Talley, Matt O’Sullivan, Bill Roberston).

Senior Parish collected an individual state title in the girls 200 freestyle, stopping the clock in 1:47.63. Haley Yelle of Mansfield Legacy was just behind Parish, swimming a 1:47.90 and scoring 17 points to Parish’s 20. Third place went to Joy Field of Magnolia with a 1:49.32. Grant Reed out of Austin won for the boys, lowering his prelims 5A division record to a 1:37.19. Dallas Highland Park junior Felix Van Cauwelaert touched second in 1:38.06, and Tomball Memorial’s Alexander Ellison placed third with a 1:39.62.

Denison’s Lindsay Looney secured first place in the girls 200 IM, finishing in 2:01.70, ahead of second-place Emma Garfield (Lewisville the Colony)’s 2:02.49. Rebecca Brandt from Dallas Hillcrest pulled off the upset over Abby Koczo of Frisco Reedy, dropping a second and a half from her prelims time to place third in 2:04.65. Hudson Smith of Brenham took first place securely for the boys, with a time of 1:48.68, besting the 2013 5A record of 1:48.98 he had threatened at prelims. Adriel Sanes followed in a 1:52.20, good for second, while Seth Ryherd got San Antonio Alamo Heights a third-place finish.

Cook lowered her prelims time of 22.49 to a mind-blowing 22.32 in the girls 50 freestyle, re-breaking her own state record set at prelims. Alexandra Bumpas of Frisco Wakeland was second in a 23.48, and Caitlin Clements of Magnolia placed third with 23.78. In the boys event, Waxahachie’s Levi David repeated his prelims time exactly, sprinting to a 20.61 for first place. Jack Jannasch of Frisco improved greatly and snuck into second place with a time of 20.76, while Jack Armstrong of Manvel took third in 21.13.

Looney sprinted to a state record and another state title in the girls 100 butterfly, touching the wall in 54.41, 0.29 ahead of the previous 2009 record. Brandt touched second in 55.49, and Lenihan was also under 56.0 for third place, with a time of 55.92. Simmons was the winner for the boys, garnering 20 points for College Station A&M Consol with a time of 50.20. Parker Schultz out of Grapevine came in second place in 50.75, and Burleston Centennial Sophomore Zack Eagle took third in 50.86, just out-touching fourth place Justin Fell (Lubbock) by 0.01.

Cook shaved time off another of her new state records in the 100 freestyle, improving her prelims time to a 48.44 for first-place honors. The next finisher, Clements, came in at 50.73, while third-place Bumpas went 50.93.

Familiar faces returned to the podium in the boys 100 freestyle as well, with Reed adding to his accomplishments a first-place finish and a new 5A division record with a time of 44.78. Ellison touched second in 45.56, and Jannasch added 16 points to Friso’s total with his third-place time of 45.92.

Field dominated in the girls 500 freestyle for Magnolia, dropping five seconds from her prelims mark and cruising to a first-place finish with a time of 4:45.76. Yelle was close behind in 4:50.80 for second-place, and Parish continued her stellar meet with a third-place finish and a time of 4:52.73. Meanwhile, for the boys, Van Cauewlaert shaved a second and a half off of his prelims time to edge out Austin’s Will Barton and finish first in 4:30.15, to Barton’s 4:31.71. The next finisher was Jon Jameson of Mansfield Legacy, in 4:33.11.

Fields turned around quickly and led her relay team of Olivia Gonder, Dove Niccum, and Kiley Moriarty to victory in the 200 freestyle relay, as the team compiled a time of 1:38.26. Humble Kingwood Park’s Andrea Unwin, Luisa Alcala, Alexis Baker, and Hannah Mosier snuck into the runner-up spot with a time of 1:38.42, just ahead of Bryan’s 1:38.46. Not even Cook’s lead-off split of 22.38 was enough to overtake HKPA.

Jannasch, Thomas Lauerman, Charles Smith, and Joey Belair combined to win 40 points for Frisco, stopping the clock first in 1:26.38. Runners-up Tomball Memorial’s team of Ellison, CJ Fortune, Nicolaus Brassell, and Hayden Michalik went 1:26.53, and Humble Kingwood Park was close behind in the nail-biting race, finishing in 1:26.94 (Tate Stevens, David Clark, Mario Foltz, and Cory Majid).

Koczo from Frisco Reedy was the girls 100 backstroke state champion in 56.25, while Lenihan was second in 56.97. Shea Gregson of Tomball Memorial touched third with a time of 57.29. In the next event, Simmons was the only boy to dip under the 50.0 mark in finals, swimming a 49.97 for first place. David Hallaron, a Grapevine junior, took second with 50.83, and Davis Looney of Denison placed third in 51.23.

In the last individual event of the evening, Garfield secured Lewisville the Colony 20 points with her time of 1:02.70, the fastest of the night. Jannasch was the runner-up with a 1:03.12, and Jennifer Roessler of Carrollton Creekview swam a 1:03.86 for first place. The top three ladies were all at least two and a half seconds ahead of the rest of the competition, showcasing their impressive accomplishments. Third seed after prelims, Rehgan Hartsell of Georgetown, false started and was disqualified.

Senior Hudson Smith of Brenham broke the 5A division record in the event, swimming a 55.67 for the title. Sanes was next in 57.01, and Ryherd finished a strong third with his time of 57.45.

Magnolia was victorious in the 400 freestyle relay for the girls, as Field, Niccum, Moriarty, and Clements combined for a time of 3:29.27. San Antonio Alamo Heights’s team of Strash, Raike, Russell, and Parish nabbed the runner-up spot with their mark of 3:32.83, and Frisco Wakeland was third with 3:35.03 (Priscilla Jacobson, Lydia Medigovich, Ana Reyes, Bumpas).

For the girls, the relay champs helped their team to an overall victory, with Magnolia garnering 244 points in the competition. San Antonio Alamo Heights ended up with 162 for second-place, while Frisco finished next with 147, and Humble Kingwood Park rounded out fourth place by scoring 143 team points.

Daniel Rutledge, Schultz, Christian Hambrock, and Hallaron were victorious for Grapevine in the boys 400 freestyle relay, touching in a time of 3:09.17. Tomball Memorial, including Ellison, Michalik, Nicholas Tann, and Anthony Sanchopore), took runner-up with a time of 3:10.29, and College Station A&M Consol’s team finished third in 3:10.72, dropping two and a half seconds from their prelims time. Hunter Scott, Andrew Zhang, James Rude, and Simmons made up that team.

The overall top six scores were extremely close, but Dallas Highland Park came out on top with 175 points. Next was Grapevine with 158, Tomball Memorial with 153.5, College Station A&M Consol with 149, and finally a tie for fifth place between Frisco and Mansfield Legacy, each garnering 143.5 points.

Full results available here.

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Liz Gould Andrews
7 years ago

Super fast!!

Melodie Polidori Harris

Liz Gould Andrews

Craig Zettle
7 years ago

Wow. Thank you for sharing Kathy. It was a great meet and great experience.

Kathy Smith
7 years ago

Way to go Alex! (Craig Zettle)!

Mario Ribeiro
7 years ago

Great racing this weekend! Congrats to all!

Charlene Tallen
7 years ago

Kids today are smoking fast. It’s almost hard to believe!!

Tyler Yates
7 years ago

This is why kids from my school rarely make state…all of the top finishers have trials cuts! Lol

Hope Madden Rousset
7 years ago

WTG Dakota!!

Vivian Haylock
7 years ago

Wow ! 52.27 for a girl, just amazing.

Lynnette Rush Watson
7 years ago

That’s amazing!!!

Betsy Hnath
7 years ago

52.27?! Good work!!

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