Andrei Dordea earns four All-Ohio medals during Wooster's big state swim weekend

CANTON — As Andrei Dordea stood on the podium for the final time Saturday at the OHSAA State Championships, he was still in disbelief.

A journey that started as a middle schooler that wasn't interested in competing had ended for the Wooster senior with four All-Ohio medals as the Generals finished 14th overall in Division I at the C.T. Branin Natatorium.

“If you would have told seventh-grade me, who didn't swim in meets and did the bare minimum of practices, that in a matter of five-ish years I would end up where I'm at today, I would have said you're nuts,” Dordea said. “To finish my career going to finals in all four of my events and achieving All Ohio in each is far more than I ever expected. God has truly blessed me with the talent to swim and I am just overjoyed to have been able to use it to glorify Him, lift others, and make Wooster proud with the guys.

“I'm no Patrick Mahomes or Brock Purdy, but truly all glory goes to Him.”

With a pair of individual medals in the 50- and 100-yard freestyles, along with swimming on the 200- and 400 free relays that also brought home medals, it was quite a weekend for Dordea.

The highlight of the magical final day of the state championships came in the 200 free relay as Dordea, Luke Boucher, Aidan McMillan and Gabe Bosler-Kilmer — a day after resetting their own school record in the event with a swim of 1:25.33 — placed seventh overall in the A final in 1:25.46.

That same group was 11th in the 400 free in 3:10.24.

“I felt like the guys and I performed incredibly well under all the pressure this week,” Dordea said. “Coming into finals we either held our seeds or moved up. To be able to do that is exactly what we were seeking to do at states. Holding a taper for a week is extremely challenging, so to do what we did over this weekend was a huge success.”

If that wasn’t enough, Dordea won the B final for the 50 free in 21.18 — a 0.2-second victory over Grove City’s Preston Tussing that was good for ninth overall — and was also 12th in the 100 free (46.92).

But he wasn’t alone as Boucher also walked away with multiple All-Ohio honors in his final career meet.

The senior had a record-setting weekend as a day after swimming a personal-record in the 200 individual medley to qualify for finals, he went on to break the program standard in the event with a 1:54.44.

It was something that Boucher knew he had in him after continuing to shave seconds throughout the postseason.

“After the district meet, I realized I could go faster and that gave me confidence,” he said. “So once I got there, I was confident and a little nervous which was good, the nerves kept me on edge. And knowing that I was there with some seriously talented people, both from my team and the competition, just pushed me.”

A pair of other locals also brought home all-state medals in D-I competition earlier in the weekend.

Both Smithville’s Trei Durstine and Waynedale’s Anna Pittman took 15th in their respective 50-free B finals for their first career All-Ohio finishes.

Durstine, a junior who also qualified in the 100 free, saw a 22.16, while Pittman clocked a 25.14 a day after earning the final spot in the prelims by 0.2 seconds.

A handful of other locals also competed in Canton and came up just short of advancing to finals competition.

Bosler-Kilmer was 23rd in the 50 free (21.81) and 24th in the 100 butterfly (51.94) in Friday’s prelim action, while the 200-medley team of Santiago Salazar, Boucher, Cooper Udell and McMillan took 24th (1:39.98). Fellow General Cole Walenciak was 30th in the 500 free in 4:55.45.

“It was a perfectly-fitting ending to the season … one we visualized and worked toward for this past year,” Wooster coach Chris Matthew said. “The NEAC and OCC wins were huge but our focus was states and breaking records.

“It’s just such a truly happy and accomplished feeling because we fulfilled what we intended to and I know all the kids were thrilled with the season.”

On the girls side, the Generals’ 200 free relay of Alessandra Gerber, Miley Green, Lauren Hershberger and Piper Udell took 23rd in prelims, registering a 1:41.26, while Gerber competed individually in the 200 IM and was 30th (2:14.76).

Junior Colleen Frantz competed earlier in the week in the 1-meter dive, an event she placed 24th in with a score of 173.20.

“This end was all I could ask for,” Boucher said. “We finished what we started. We all have been working hard to do what we did, and we did it. So, I couldn't ask for more.

“It was such a blast and I had such an amazing time with the guys, and I'm super stoked it went the way it did,” he added. “Truly an awesome finale.”

This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Swimming: Wooster's Dordea, Boucher, relays earn All-Ohio state status