LINCOLN: Unless something dramatic happens in Saturday's championship and repechage matches at the 51st Nebraska Girls High School Swimming Championships, there will be no tie for first place.
In the 2023 tournament, Omaha Marian and Omaha Westside tied for a total of 339 points, sharing the state team title for the first time in tournament history.
Both schools had a strong opening day in Friday's preliminary round at the Devaney Center Natatorium, but Westside's depth puts the Warriors in position to win their 15th girls state title.
Coach Andy Ryder helped the swimmers earn a total of 27 swims in Saturday's finals. The finals are scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. and will be televised by Nebraska Public Media.
Of these, 20 strokes will participate in the finals for 1st to 8th place, and the remaining 7 strokes will compete in the repechage for 9th to 16th place.
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With Marian swimming 16 times, including 11 in the championship race, it's clear that any team will struggle to keep pace with Westside.
“I think I had a very good first day,” Ryder said. “We were able to show our depth throughout every race. Some kids had the biggest drops of their lives today, while others were just at their best. ”
One of those was junior Elena Pospisil, who dropped significantly in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100-meter breaststroke. In the latter, Pospisil placed third with a time of 1:05.03, putting her behind only two swimmers already in the World-Herald's all-time top 10 in the event.
“Our 500 kids competed extremely well in their events, and our relays are exactly what we have been aiming for,” Ryder said. Ta. “I hope to bring it home tomorrow and be able to swim faster.”
The Warriors have four of the eight spots in the 500 free championship race, with senior Natalie Harris, juniors Piper Hagen and Catelyn Fonda, and freshman Gwen Fonda going 2-3-4-8. Secured.
Westside also had three in the breaststroke finals and two in the 200 free, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly.
Friday's qualifying round was highlighted by six performances that ranked in the World-Herald's all-time top 10 chart. Three of those six swimmers were women already on the top list.
Marian's Easton Grant and Meredith Payton accounts improved two of those times, with Grant also making his debut in the new event.
Grant won the 100m breaststroke in 1:03.93, moving from 10th to 9th place. It was the first time she broke the 1:04 barrier, less than two weeks after the junior debuted on the all-time list.
Grace Swoboda of Omaha Brownell Talbot Cooperative also moved up in the breaststroke charts. The Omaha Mercy senior currently ranks tied for sixth all-time with a high school record of 1:03.68. The first swimmer at that time in 2018 was Kaitlyn Witt of Lincoln Southwest.
In Friday's first individual race, Grant qualified first in the 200m individual medley in 2:05.13. With this performance, Grant debuted at No. 9 on the all-time list, his highest finish at this event in four years.
Payton won her heat in 55.56 seconds, moving from seventh to sixth all-time in the 100 butterfly.
“I think we exceeded expectations today,” Marian coach B.J. Christiansen said. “Easton was very relaxed today and ready for the race and we were looking at how fast she could go. It was great to see them both get down there. It was.
“It looks like we're both ready to go faster tomorrow, so if we just get some rest and recover, we'll be ready to go.” That's what we preach at big conventions. We'll be swimming on Friday, but it won't be as strenuous, so we'll have almost another full 24 hours to rest and get ready. ”
Millard South junior Kinsey Joyce led all qualifiers in the 100 backstroke, posting her first career top-10 time. Her Joyce time was 56.47 for 10th place and she extended her streak of at least one top 10 finish in the backstroke to five.
Lincoln Southeast senior Natalya Woods had the most dominant performance on the first day. After she led all the prelims in the 50m freestyle where she scored 23.58, it was her swim in the 100m freestyle that thrilled the crowd.
After completing his first 50 in 24.64 seconds, his next fastest first 50 split was 25.21 seconds. The LSU freshman smoked the second half in 26.31 seconds and finished with a score of 50.95.
At this time, Woods was ranked fifth on the all-time top 10 list. She is also the fifth female swimmer in state history to record 100 free times of less than 51 seconds.
Despite those times, Woods is confident he can finish down in either race in Saturday's final.
“If it's in the 50s, I feel like I can go faster tomorrow,” Woods said. “My turns weren't good in today's race, but in the rest of the races my turns were much better. I felt pretty tired after over 100 meters, so tomorrow's relay will definitely be I think it will be faster.”
In his first three state championships, Woods competed in the 200-meter and 500-meter freestyle races, winning both distances as a freshman and sophomore and second in both in 2023.
Woods said he was very happy to compete in the two shortest races of the year, as it is good preparation for his sprint career, which begins next season in Baton Rouge.
“I was watching the 200 free and I was just so glad I didn't swim that race,” Woods said. “It's a lot different, but I don't feel tired. The best thing is that I don't feel like I'm going to go home right now and collapse. I hope I feel the same tomorrow.”
