By Steve Hott, Head Coach Highlands Varsity Swimming and Diving
The Highlands Varsity Swim Team is 5-0 after travelling to Brevard on Dec. 5 to swim against the Asheville Trailblazers and the Brevard varsity swim team.
The boys won 105 to 45 to 93. Tate Wilson, the one-person girls team won the 200 freestyle, scoring 7.
The boys won 7 of 11 events. Freshman Jack Sumner won the 100 butterfly, and the 100 backstroke.
Junior Finneaus Garner won the 50 freestyle, and 2nd in the 100 freestyle. Sophomore Conner Hughes won the 500 freestyle and 5th in the 200 IM.
Freshman Chase Kenter won the200 IM and 2nd in the 100 butterfly.
Sophomore Aniah McKim won the 100 breaststroke and 3rd in the 200 IM.
Paolo McRae got 2nd at the 50 freestyle and 3rd in the 200 freestyle.
Jesus Mendoza-Tentle got 3rd in the 100 breaststroke and 5th in the 200 freestyle.
The relay team of Garner, McRae, Hughes, & Sumner won the 400 freestyle relay.
Pictured at the top of the article from left are Highlands Conner Hughes, Aniah McKim, and Chase Kenter on the starting blocks.
Highlands varsity swim team win vs Pisgah and Tuscola
Highlands varsity swim team competing in Waynesville.
The 1A Highlands boys and girls varsity swim teams traveled to Waynesville on Nov. 29 and competed against 3A Pisgah, 3A Tuscola, and the Trailblazers.
The Boys not only won, they more than doubled the score of all of the other teams, including the much larger 3A schools.
The final was Highlands 137, Asheville Trailblazers 65, Tuscola 52, and Pisgah 41.
The one person Highlands girls team of Tate Wilson finished 3rd, ahead of Pisgah by winning the 50 and 500 Freestyle (Free).
The Highlanders had 3 of the top scorers in the quad meet. In addition to Wilson, Finneaus Garner won the 50 and 100 free, and Chase Kenter won the 500 free and the 100 backstroke (back). All 3 scored 18 pts.
Garner qualified for Western North Carolina Regionals in February in both of his events, and Kenter in the 500. Wilson qualified for consideration for Regionals in her 2 events and Kenter in the 100 back.
The boys won 8 of the 10 events they entered.
Kenter, Anaih McKim, Jack Sumner, and Garner won the 200 Medley Relay and qualified for Regionals. Sumner won and qualified for Regionals in the 200 IM (Individual Medley) and consideration in the 100 Breaststroke (Breast).
McKim swam consideration times in the 100 Breast and the 100 Butterfly (Fly).
The relay team of Paolo McRae, Sumner, Conner Hughes, and Aniah McKim won the 200 Free Relay.
Hughes also won the 100 Fly qualifying for Regionals and swam a consideration time in the 50 free. McRae swam Regional Consideration times in the 200 IM and the 100 Free.
In the 400 Free Relay the team of McRae, Hughes, Kenter and Garner won and swam a Regional Consideration time.
The most improved swimmer of the meet for Highlands was Jesus Mendoza-Tentle who dropped 5 seconds off of his 50 free time and 13 seconds from his 100 free time.