The Zachary High School swim team competed at the state championship meet on November 22 and 23, finishing with an 11th place finish for the girls and a 14th place finish for the boys. Eight individual swimmers on the team qualified to compete, more than any other year. Three of the swimmers made it to finals on Saturday: Evelyn Deroche (12), Joseph Johnson (12), and Jamarcus Samuel (12). Deroche placed 8th in the 50 freestyle and 9th in the 100 butterfly. Johnson placed 8th in the 50 freestyle and 12th in the 100 freestyle. Finally, Samuel placed 16th in the 100 breaststroke.
All six relay teams made it to finals. The Girl’s 200 Medley relay consisted of Chloe Wedblad (11) leading off with backstroke, Maddy Snyder (12) following with breaststroke, Evelyn Deroche (12) swimming next with butterfly, and Ava Ordonio (11) anchoring with freestyle. The group holds the school record for the fastest girl’s 200 medley time, and they placed 9th in the event. The Boy’s 200 Medley relay consisted of Matthew Hughes (12) starting with backstroke, Jamarcus Samuels (12) next to swim with breaststroke, Kelvin Ridgley (12) following with butterfly, and Joseph Johnson (12) anchoring with freestyle. The boys also placed 9th in the event.
The Girl’s 200 Freestyle Relay consisted of Maddy Snyder (12), Camille Harms (11), Libby Hughes (10), and Isabel Rupnow (10), swimming in that order. The girls finished 15th in the event. The Boy’s 200 Freestyle Relay was formed by Rickey Wells (11), Aaron Gaines (11), Warren Griffin (9), and Kevlin Ridgley (12), in that order. The group placed 16th overall.
The Girl’s 400 Freestyle Relay broke another school record on Saturday evening. The team was made up of Ava Ordonio (11) starting off strong, Chloe Wedblad (11) following second, Maddy Snyder (12) swimming next, and Evelyn Deroche (12) anchoring. They finished 8th overall. The Boy’s 400 Freestyle Relay consisted of Matthew Hughes (12), Ricky Wells (11), Jamarcus Samuel (12), and Joseph Johnson (12). The boys finished 11th overall.
The girls’ overall ranking was the highest in the history of Zachary High swimming, and the boys’ placement was the highest since 2019. The team saw incredible results, and the school is so proud of these athletes!
