On Thursday, Sept. 9, the Highlands School Middle School Swim Teams traveled to Franklin for a 6-team swim meet where there were eight boys events and eight girls events.
The Highlands boys team won all eight of their events. The Highlands girls team won three of eight events.
Chase Kenter won the 100-yard freestyle and the 50-yard backstroke.
Paolo McRae won the 100-yard Individual Medley and the 50-yard butterfly.
Aniah McKim won the 50-yard freestyle and the 50-yard breaststroke.
The relay of Kenter, McRae, McKim and Timmy McDowell won both the 200-yard Medley Relay and the 200-yard Freestyle Relay.
McDowell scored 2nd in the 50 freestyle and 3rd in the 50 Breaststroke.
Brand new swimmer Jim DeLaCruz had a great first showing and finished 13th in the 50-yard freestyle.
On the girls’ side, Layla Babac won the 100-yard Individual Medley and the 50-yard breaststroke.
Tate Wilson won the 50-yard freestyle and finished 2nd in the 100-yard freestyle.
Margaret Cole finished 9th in the 100-yard freestyle and 8th in the 50-yard freestyle.
Cassie McDowell scored 8th in the 50-yard butterfly and 10th in the 100-yard IM.
The relay of McDowell, Babac, Wilson and Cole finished 3rd in the 200-yard medley relay and 2nd in the 200-freestyle relay.
There were as many as 49 swimmers per event.
As a team, due to the much larger number of swimmers on all of the other teams – where the top 16 places in each event scored – the boys finished 3rd, the girls 4th and the combined team 3rd. The other five middle school teams at the meet were Macon Middle School that won boys, girls and combined, Cane Creek, Hanger Hall, Rabun Gap Nacoochee, and Valley Springs.
The next meet was scheduled for Thursday, Sept. 23 but due to newly announced COVID restrictions in Buncombe County, Highlands, Macon Middle and Rabun Gap were uninvited.
Highlands has a home meet on Friday, October 1 at 6 pm.
Pictured at the top of the article is the Highlands MS swim team. From left are Cassie McDowell, Paolo McRae, Tate Wilson, Timmy McDowell, Jim DeLaCruz, Chase Kenter, Aniah McKim, Margaret Cole, and Layla Babac.
By Coach Steve Hott