CARY -- Corinth Holders swimmers enjoyed an outstanding day at the Class 2-A Eastern Regional Swimming Championships at Triangle Aquatic Center.
Led by freshmen Michaela Carter and Nolan Hopkins – who each placed second in individual events – as well as three top-eight relay teams, the Pirates will send nine swimmers to next weekend’s state championships, which will also be held at TAC.
The Corinth boys will be sending Hopkins, Elliot Hunt, Andrew Mullins, Cody Beamer and Neal Quinn, while the girls will send Carter, Matti Karst, Amanda Knickerbocker and Jessie Sullivan.
Corinth Holders placed seventh in the boys’ standings with 132 points. The girls were 11th with 85 points.
On the boys’ side, Hopkins led the way with a second-place finish in the 500 freestyle (5:16.06) and a fourth-place showing in the 200 free (1:56.24).
Mullins, who was CHHS’s lone boys’ representative at last year’s state meet, is headed there again after finishing sixth in the 500 free (5:37.80). He was also 10th in the 200 individual medley at 2:20.79.
Hunt earned his state spot with a seventh-place finish in the 100 backstroke (1:03.78) and was 11th in the 200 IM (2:22.76).
Neal Quinn earned 11th in the 100 butterfly (1:06.51), Beamer was 18th in the 100 breaststroke (1:14.73) and Brach Gordon was 20th in the 100 free (59.90).
The Pirates were also solid in the relays. The 200 free relay team – made up of Hunt, Beamer, Hopkins and Mullins – was sixth with a time of 1:56.24, while the 400 free relay squad (Mullins, Quinn, Hunt and Hopkins) was seventh overall at 3:47.24).
The 200 free relay team (Beamer, Bailey Blackwell, Gordon and Quinn) was 14th at 1:44.92.
The Corinth girls were led by Carter, who nearly became the regional champion in the 50 free. Carter was second with a time of 24.97 seconds, just .33 off the winning time of 24.64 by Rachel Hatt of Raleigh Charter School. Carter was also third in the 100 free at 53.98 seconds. She was responsible for 33 of the Pirates’ 85 points.
Carter is also a member of the 400 free relay team that placed seventh with a time of 4:12.86. The other members are Sullivan, Knickerbocker and Karst.
Knickerbocker was 10th in the 100 backstroke (1:10.52) and placed 13th in the 200 IM (2:37.42).
Sullivan picked up 12th place in the 200 free (2:20.85) and was 15th in the 100 butterfly (1:11.61).
Karst ended up 18th in the 500 free with a time of 6:25.17 but knocked off almost nine seconds off her seed time.
The Pirates’ 200 free relay team, comprised of Karst, Knickerbocker, Sullivan and Carter, was 12th overall (2:10.97).
Staff report
