Midlands swimmers win titles at SC high school state championships

Chapin’s Simon Thompson and A.C. Flora’s Darden Tate led a strong showing from Midlands at Monday’s South Carolina boys state swimming championships.

Thompson won the 50 and 100 freestyle and was part of the Eagles’ winning 200 freestyle relay team at the Class 5A championships. Chapin finished fourth overall with a score of 214. JL Mann won the title with a score of 314.

Other area individual champions in the 5A meet were Spring Valley’s Rhett Moore (200 freestyle) and River Bluff’s Matthew Swain (100 backstroke). Moore was part of SV’s 200 medley relay team that finished third. Lexington’s David James was second in the 100 butterfly.

As a team, Spring Valley finished sixth, River Bluff seventh and Lexington 11th.

Tate won a pair of individual state titles in the 50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke and was part of AC Flora’s runner-up 200 medley relay. The Falcons finished fifth with 194 points. Eastside won the title with 603.5 points. Irmo was 13th and Dreher 14th. Irmo’s Emmanuel Gadsen was third in the 100 breaststroke.

In Class 3A, St. Joseph’s won the team championship. Mid-Carolina (11th) and Gilbert (15th) top finishing Midlands schools Gilbert’s Mattew Ambos was second second in 100 butterfly and third in 100 backstroke for the Indians, who were fielding a swimming team for the first time this year.

The girls state championships were held on Saturday. Wando won the Class 5A girls championship with 412 points. Dutch Fork was fifth, Chapin eighth and Lexington 11th. Dutch Fork was second in the 200 freestyle relay and third in the 200 medley relay.

In Class 4A girls, Eastside won with 609 points. AC Flora was ninth and Dreher 10th. ACF’s Hannah Montgomery was second in the 100 breaststroke and Dreher’s Jane Koch was third in the 50 freestyle.

In Class 3A, Oceanside Collegiate won the championship. Newberry was the top local finishing team at 11th.