MORGANTOWN — The 2024 WVSSAC state swim meet kicks off Thursday morning inside the WVU swimming and diving complex at Mylan Aquatic Center.
Teams from all across the Mountain State will make the trip to Morgantown for their shot at one of the individual or team championships up for grabs over the next two days. Two teams that won’t have to travel far are those of local schools Morgantown and University.
Both programs will see a plethora of swimmers on both the boys and girls teams in the pool on both days as eight Hawks and 14 Mohigans qualified to swim at the state meet.
For UHS and coach Nicolle Davis, four boys and four girls will swim in both individual races and team relays.
On the girls’ side, seniors Maddie McCoy and Haley Kramer and junior Isabella Ratnour will race in solo events — McCoy in the 50 and 100-yard freestyle, Kramer in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard breaststroke, and Ratnour joining Kramer in the breaststroke event.
Those three will be joined by freshman Monica Fisher as the fourth member of the 200 and 400-yard freestyle relays. Sophomore Arabella Donato will serve as the alternate for the girls’ team.
Four boys will also enter the pool for the Hawks in both individual and relay competitions. Junior Nate Lindsay and freshman Tyler Zundell will swim individual races, with Lindsay in the 200-yard medley and 100-yard freestyle and Zundell competing in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle.
They will be joined by junior Owen Cosner and sophomore Sam Denee in the 200 and 400-yard freestyle relay events.
“Both the boys and girls have worked very hard this season to get to this moment,” Davis said. “Between the relays and individual qualifiers with have 13 events among our eight swimmers which is great. I could not be more proud to be their coach. Now it’s time to leave it all in the water and focus on the task at hand which is making finals first.”
Each day, preliminary races will be run in the morning session with championships happening in the evening sessions beginning at 4:45 p.m.
MHS will have a chance to make a splash at the state meet across both days also, with 14 swimmers qualifying in individual and relay events.
Seniors Delany Householder and Lillian Linscheid will each compete in the 500-freestyle race. Linscheid will also compete as an individual in the 200-yard freestyle, while Householder, who is a WVU signee, will race the 200-yard medley.
Natalia Sobolsky will be the lone junior for MHS to swim at states as she competes in the 200 and 500-yard freestyle races. She will be joined by sophomore Avery Householder in those races.
A pair of freshmen will round out the girls roster as Samantha Lindquist and Maya Nalcakan also qualified for individual races, Lindquist in the 100-yard breaststroke and Nalcakan in the 100-yard butterfly and the 200-yard medley.
Senior Belle DeVall will join Sobolsky, Lindquist, and sophomore Maggie Davis in the 200-yard freestyle relay event. The Householder sisters, Lindquist and Linscheid make up the 200-yard medley relay team for MHS. Finally, the Householders and Linscheid will be joined by Nalcakan in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
For the boys, four swimmers will compete in individual events with senior Daniel Hammer leading the way in the 100-yard butterfly and backstroke races. Sophomore Lincoln Alugbuo will join Hammer in the backstroke event while fellow sophomore Christian Hammer competes in the 100-yard butterfly and 500-yard freestyle swim. Lone freshman James McGinnis will swim the 200-yard freestyle.
Every one of those swimmers for the boys’ team will compete in one of the relay teams for MHS, with Alugbuo and McGinnis being joined by senior Axel Anderson and junior Colin Bailey in the 200-yard medley relay.
The Hammer brothers, Bailey, and Alugbuo will swim in two relay events with the 200 and 400-yard relay races ahead of them. Sophomore Connor Glass will serve as the alternate for the boys.
“It means a lot to qualify so many swimmers,” MHS coach Eric Householder said. “This is a testament to all the hard work that the kids and coaches have put in throughout the year. I just want them to have fun and swim fast, finish strong, and most importantly, enjoy the moment. Swimming is a sport we all love and the state meet with your teammates and friends is fun no matter what.”
Session one will be held each day beginning at 9:45 a.m. with the preliminary races. Session two will include the championship races for those who qualified from prelims in session one. and begin at 4:45 p.m.
