Jerome captures first title as Columbus area dominates Division I girls state swimming
CANTON — Two Dublin high schools proved Saturday there is more than one way to win championships.
While Coffman’s Emily Brown powered her way to a third consecutive sweep of the 200- and 500-yard freestyle titles during the Division I state meet at Branin Natatorium, Jerome swimmers were close behind in both races.
The Celtics won one event, the 400 free relay, but that and a bevy of secondary points were enough to clinch the girls program’s first team championship.
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Jerome’s Milly Leonard, Zoe Musselman, Libby Grether and Olivia Matson won the final relay in 3:23.91, 3.26 seconds ahead of second-place Coffman, to amass 225 points, hold off runner-up Upper Arlington (215) and dash New Albany’s hopes for a third consecutive team title.
“Our depth is one of our best strengths,” said Jordan Gundlach, who co-coaches the Celtics with Morgan Quesnel. Both are in their first season guiding the program.
“A lot of teams will bring 15 or 20 kids to the state meet, and we brought eight,” Gundlach said. “We have eight girls and three relays all capable of being in the top five. We knew coming into the season that we had our chance. We had it on our minds all year. We always reminded them this is what they should be working toward.”
Jerome got second- and third-place finishes in the 200 free from Grether (1:48.86) and Leonard (1:50.39) and runner-up efforts from Matson in the 50 free (22.89) and the 200 free relay (1:33.96). Leonard was third in the 500 free (4:54.95) and Grether finished fourth in the 100 backstroke (55.03).
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Central Ohio individuals and relays combined for eight wins on a day in which nine finals featured at least four participants from the area. In five of those, five of the eight qualifiers were from the Columbus area.
Wins in the 200 free relay (1:33.3) and 200 medley relay (1:43.42) and from Hayden Hollingsworth in the 50 free (22.84) led UA, which fell short of its first championship since 2018. Hollingsworth was third in the 100 butterfly (55.49), and Lizzie Oliphant was third in the 50 free (23.36) and fourth in the 100 free (51.46). The 400 free relay finished fifth (3:29.11).
“I didn’t breathe in and out of my walls; it helped me get ahead a little bit,” Hollingsworth said. “My first reaction was to cry. It’s the coolest feeling ever to see your name as No. 1.”
Despite tearing her suit about 30 minutes before the first event of the day, the 200 medley relay, Brown won the 200 free in a state- and meet-record 1:45.88. The junior and Tennessee commit swam the 500 free in 4:51.17, holding off Delaware Hayes’ Kaitlyn Sallows (4:54.09) and Leonard.
“I tried not to let the adversity get in my head too much, especially before the 200 free,” Brown said. “I’ve been training to push through mental blocks. My arms were sore from trying to get that suit on for 20 minutes. I was freaking out a little, but I’ve practiced trying to push away those mental blocks to focus on the race ahead.”
Coffman finished third (169), one spot ahead of a tie between New Albany and Cincinnati St. Ursula (160).
New Albany’s Carly Meeting defended her 100 back championship (53.73) and won the 100 free (49.93). The senior and Florida signee was 50 free champion a year ago.
Marie Belli was runner-up in both the 100 breaststroke (1:03.43) and 200 individual medley (2:01.7) to lead Gahanna Lincoln to sixth place (144). Belli led the 200 IM for three laps before being overtaken by St. Ursula’s Addie Robillard, who also won the 100 breast.
“It’s not what I wanted, but I’ll take it,” said Belli, a Kentucky recruit who had been third in the 200 IM each of the past three years. “Addie is a great breaststroker. I knew she was coming and I was prepared for that. I have a good front half so I have been trying to focus on my back half a little more. It paid off. (My mindset was) just hang on and give it all I could.”
Other central Ohio girls swimmers who reached the state meet podium
200 medley relay: Coffman (third, 1:44.21), Jerome (sixth, 1:45.6), Delaware (eighth, 1:46.83)
200 free: Ashlyn Morr, New Albany (fourth, 1:51.85); Cambell Payton, Gahanna (eighth, 1:52.69)
200 IM: Paige Delma, Worthington Kilbourne (third, 2:02.74); Sallows (fourth, 2:02.85); Stella Brofford, Gahanna (fifth, 2:06.4); Helen Randolph, Jerome (seventh, 2:07.44)
50 free: Sloane Antonetz, Thomas Worthington (seventh, 23.93)
100 fly: Ashton Mumaw, UA (seventh, 56.18)
100 free: Morr (fifth, 51.55); McCall Freiburger, UA (eighth, 52.01)
500 free: Gretchen Schneider, Coffman (fifth, 4:55.06); Morgan Hofmeister, Olentangy Liberty (seventh, 5:04.37)
200 free relay: Gahanna (fourth, 1:35.9)
100 back: Hope Schimming, New Albany (third, 54.77)
100 breast: Madelyn Bosler, Westerville North (fourth, 1:04); Delma (sixth, 1:04.35); Grace Rider, Watterson (eighth, 1:04.64)
400 free relay: New Albany (third, 3:28.64); Gahanna (sixth, 3:29.78)
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Dublin Jerome girls win OHSAA Division I state swimming title
