The O’Neal varsity girls and boys swim team had a great meet at the 2020 North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA) Championships this past Monday at the Triangle Aquatics Center in Greensboro.
The girls’ team placed an impressive third and the boys’ team placed ninth, showing great improvement from 16th place the previous year.
The Lady Falcons had impressive swims from Senior Captain Natalie Williams. She placed second in the 200 free and sixth in the 50 free. Natalie lead off the state championship winning the 200 freestyle relay along with Junior Molly Kuzma, Senior Captain Hayley Sager, and eighth-grader Alexis Coates. They also placed second in the 200 medley relay.
Alexis Coates won the state championship in the 100 backstroke and placed third in the 200 IM. Molly Kuzma placed fifth in the 200 IM and the 100 fly.
Seventh-grader Michaela Stone place 15th in the 100 backstroke and Senior Captain Hayley Sager placed 16th both scoring for the Falcons.
The 400 free relay placed 10th with seventh-grader Holi Harp, ninth-grader Emma Sager, seventh-grader Michaela Stone, and seventh-grader Morgan Lewis. Emma Sager and Morgan Lewis also qualified individually.
The boys’ team showed great improvement this season by doubling the number of individual event qualifiers.
The 200 medley relay team consisted of eighth-grader John Shepherd, Senior Trygve O’Grady, Junior Tim Richardson and Sophomore Jace Brown finished sixth place.
John Shepherd placed ninth in the 200 free. Tim Richardson placed seventh in the 100 fly. Tim Richardson placed fifth in the 100 breaststroke and Trygve O’Grady placed ninth. John Shepherd placed eighth in the 100 backstroke.
The 400 free relay team of Nathan Brianas, Jaden Bozovich, Charlie Kuzma, and Andrew Lewis placed 13th. Xander Furs also qualified individually.
NCISAA has ranked O’Neal as having the top athletic program among Division 2A schools in the state and has awarded O’Neal with the Wells Fargo Cup for 2018-2019. The Falcons are a part of the Tri-TAC conference.
Courtesy photo: State Champions for 200 freestyle relay Molly Kuzma, Natalie Williams, Alexis Coates and Haley Sager.
Contributed
