MORGANTOWN — Your cheat sheet for the 2025 state swimming championships:
Location
Peak Health Aquatic at Mylan Park.
Schedule
Thursday and Friday with preliminary races beginning each day at 9:45 a.m. and finals beginning at 4:45 p.m. Day 1 events are the 200 medley relay, 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle. Day 2 events are the 500 freestyle, 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and 400 freestyle relay.
The boys are back
The race for the boys’ high-point scorer will be interesting. The top four from last year all return with Huntington’s Keon McClure, George Washington’s Kenneth McGlothen, Parkersburg South’s Quade Harris and Elkins’ Isaac Anger all competing on the first day. McClure will look to repeat as the state champion in the 100 and 200 freestyle, but McGlothen beat him to the wall in the 200 freestyle in regionals by 1.21 seconds. Harris is one of the favorites in the 100 butterfly, but will get a serious push from George Washington’s Will Hamrick, while Anger will be in a highly-contested 50 freestyle.
Young stars on the rise
Parkersburg High and Fairmont Senior each have two freshmen you need to keep an eye on.
We’ll start with the Polar Bears, who have Tred Brennington and Claire Ciemania who will be a factor in state competition. Ciemania posted the fastest times in the 200 individual medley (2:12.85) and the 100 backstroke (58:07) in the four regions. Her time was about eight seconds faster than her closest competition in the 200 IM, while her backstroke time was the only one under one minute. Brennington will also be a finalist in the boys’ 200 IM and will also be pushing Hamrick and Harris in the 100 butterfly.
Parkersburg will have two ninth graders in Levi Morr and Delaney Snodgrass who will likely dominate the 500 freestyle races on Day 2. Morr’s regional time of 4:41.38 was seven seconds ahead of the best time from the other three regions. Morr will also be a factor in the 200 IM on the first day of competition. Snodgrass’ regional time of 5:10.53 in the 500 free was more than 12 seconds faster than the next best regional winner.
Robert C. Byrd freshman Liza Saas could also put on a show in the girls’ 100 butterfly. Her regional time of 58.17 was the only one under one minute. She’s also the favorite in the 100 breaststroke on Day 2.
Short and fast
The shortest race of the meet – the 50-yard freestyle – may also be the closest finish of the meet. On the boys’ side, Bridgeport’s Owen Guthrie is the favorite and he won his regional with a time of 21.26. Anger (21:51) was right behind him, and there’s also Musselman’s Sawyer Wright (21.92) and University High’s Nate Lindsay (22.18).
On the girls’ side, it could be a photo finish between John Marshall’s Maitlyn Miller (24.83) and Elkins’ Lilly Anger (25.33).
Record watch
Based on regional times, McGlothen’s regional time in the 100 backstroke is the best chance for a state-meet record to be broken. McGlothen won Region IV with a time of 50.58, which is better than the state-meet record of 50.86 set by Parkersburg High’s David Snyder in 2019. The 100 backstroke is on the second day of competition.
