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Look for these swimmers and divers to make a splash at the Southwest Ohio Classic

brendan connelly, cincinnati enquirer
·7 min read

The 40th annual Southwest Ohio Swimming & Diving Classic will be held this weekend at various natatoriums throughout Cincinnati.

The meet, which is one of the largest district meets in the United States, is expected to welcome 112 schools and feature about 2,450 swimmers and 165 divers.

Diving preliminary rounds will be at Miami University, Milford, Mason and Trotwood-Madison on Saturday, Jan. 13. The finals will begin at 11 a.m. Sunday, Jan. 14, at West Clermont.

The swimming preliminaries will start at 9 a.m. on Jan. 13 and 14 at Countryside YMCA, Dayton Raider Aquatic Center, Miami University, M.E. Lyons YMCA, Powel Crosley YMCA, Washington Township Rec Center, West Clermont YMCA, Mason, Princeton and Trotwood-Madison. The swimming finals will begin at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 13 and 14 at St. Xavier's Keating Natatorium.

Here are several swimmers and divers to watch before competition begins on Saturday.

Coaching carousel: Gamble Montessori football coach Robert Rachel steps down, heads to Purcell Marian

Boys

Cooper Burt, Ross

Cooper Burt swam a leg of the 400-yard medley relay for Ross at the 2023 at the Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.
Cooper Burt swam a leg of the 400-yard medley relay for Ross at the 2023 at the Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.

Burt is a freestyle specialist, having swam every distance from 50 yards to 500 yards this season. He has one individual win and three runner-up finishes so far.

Ryan Corson, La Salle

The junior has been active this year, swimming multiple disciplines across seven total meets. Most recently, he lowered his times in the 50-yard freestyle (22.50 seconds), the 100-yard freestyle (49.14 seconds), the 200-yard individual medley (2:09.79) and the 500-yard freestyle (5:17.65).

Cam Craft, Walnut Hills

The reigning Eastern Cincinnati Conference swimmer of the year has expanded his repertoire. Last year, he made first-team ECC in multiple freestyle events, but he has already swam times of 55.72 seconds and 55.93 seconds in the 100-yard backstroke this season.

Jaeger Ellerman, Alex Ingram, Ocean Isham and Thackston McMullan, St. Xavier

The Bombers will try to keep their undefeated record alive in the Southwest Ohio Classic. If they can pull it off, four names will be a big reason why - Jaeger Ellerman, Alex Ingram, Ocean Isham and Thackston McMullan.

St. Xavier's Jaeger Ellerman has been a key part of the Bombers' program over the past three years.
St. Xavier's Jaeger Ellerman has been a key part of the Bombers' program over the past three years.

Isham is capable of swimming all four strokes. Ellerman and Ingram are as well, and they swam with McMullan on a state championship relay in 2023. McMullan, a freestyle aficionado, is on the path to adding to his personal state medal count.

Luke and Patrick Eminger, Milford

The Eminger family is at the forefront of Milford's diving program. Patrick's scores are a few points higher than his older brother's. He has scored 363.35 points for 11 dives and 263.65 points for six dives. Luke's season-highs are 343.85 points and 215.80 points, respectively. They also have a younger brother, Jacob, who will be a name to watch as he is only a freshman.

Ethan Fang, Mason

Fang will be in prime form for this meet. Just last weekend, he swam in dual meets against New Albany and Upper Arlington where he won a 50-yard freestyle race, a 100-yard breaststroke and a 200-yard individual medley. He also swam for the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay.

Patrick Gibbons, Badin

Gibbons is a sprint specialist but has the endurance to swim the 500-yard freestyle if his coaches call on him. Most recently, he won both the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard butterfly in a meet with Colerain, Finneytown and Wyoming.

Leo Gustavsson, Purcell Marian

Leo Gustavsson is wuickly becoming one of the best male swimmers in Purcell Marian school history.
Leo Gustavsson is wuickly becoming one of the best male swimmers in Purcell Marian school history.

Fresh off a historic appearance in the 100-yard backstroke state championship swim, Gustavsson is making more history on Hackberry Street. He broke the school record in the 200-yard freestyle and has competed in the 50-yard freestyle, 50-yard butterfly, 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley.

Noah Horwitz, Anderson

Horwitz burst onto the scene as a freshman, winning Eastern Cincinnati Conference diver of the year honors. He has recorded season highs of 271.90 points for six dives and 476.15 points for 11 dives.

Collin Preissler, Sycamore

Preissler was an all-conference swimmer in multiple events for the 2022-2023 season. This year, he already boasts top three times in the Greater Miami Conference in the 100-yard butterfly, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley.

Nathan Spetz, Lakota West

Lakota West senior Nathan Spetz is one of the top swimmers in the Greater Miami Conference this year.
Lakota West senior Nathan Spetz is one of the top swimmers in the Greater Miami Conference this year.

Halfway through the season, the senior is making his case for Greater Miami Conference swimmer of the year. The freestyle is his strongest stroke, but he has the top time in the conference in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley. He has also set personal bests in the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley.

Girls

Taylor Bacher and Julia Shafer, CHCA

After winning the 200-yard freestyle state title and finishing as the 500-yard freestyle runner-up, Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy's Taylor Bacher has continued her dominance in that stroke. She has already won several freestyle races ranging from 50 yards to 200 yards.

CHCA juniors Julia Shafer, left, and Taylor Bacher, right, both swam in the 200-yard freestyle in the 2023 Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.
CHCA juniors Julia Shafer, left, and Taylor Bacher, right, both swam in the 200-yard freestyle in the 2023 Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.

Shafer gave the Eagles a state title in 2023 in the 200-yard individual medley. She also excels in the backstroke. Expect her to make the finals in multiple events this weekend.

Before their prep careers are over, Bacher and Shafer could add their names to the list of state tournament record holders who have also competed in the Southwest Ohio Classic.

Bella Basford and Natalie Reising, Anderson

Basford is in her third year of high school diving while Reising is in her second. Both juniors are quickly ascending to the top of the ECC and the local diving community as a whole.

Natalie Reising of Anderson holds a tight tuck while diving in the ladies diving finals at the Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic at the West Clermont Natatorium, Jan. 15, 2023.
Natalie Reising of Anderson holds a tight tuck while diving in the ladies diving finals at the Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic at the West Clermont Natatorium, Jan. 15, 2023.

In the past two months, Basford has been slightly better in six-dive competitions with a personal best of 225.95 points to Reising's 205.40. Reising has outpaced Basford in 11-dive competitions with a high score of 391.20 points to 354.30 for Basford.

Dana Fairbanks, Mason

Fairbanks has performed well lately, swimming in dual meets against New Albany and Upper Arlington. Her times have been consistent as she has hovered around two minutes for the 200-yard freestyle and has stayed under a minute for the 100-yard backstroke.

Grier Gordon, Ursuline

Gordon had a good start to the week as she was a top performer at the Lions' meet with Alter and Valley View. She won the 100-yard butterfly, in which she has a season-best of 56.50, and contributed to two winning relays.

Gabby Henz and Marina Oria, Indian Hill

Henz was one of six individual state qualifiers for the Braves last year, swimming the 200-yard individual medley. Now a sophomore, she recently placed second in both the medley and the 100-yard butterfly at Walnut Hills.

Oria, a senior, swam in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2023 state meet. She won that same event at Walnut Hills. She also won the 100-yard backstroke by improving her time to 1:01.58.

Maggie O'Toole, Anderson

Of the five individual events in which she has competed this season, O'Toole holds the top time in the ECC in five of them. She has only set one personal best this year, in the 200-yard individual medley (2:19.08), but her versatility is invaluable to her team.

Emma Palmer, Lebanon

The sophomore has had an enjoyable sophomore season to date. In a quad meet, she improved her 100-yard freestyle time by 14 seconds. At the Holiday Classic, she improved her 50-yard backstroke time by over six seconds.

Reese Reilly, Roger Bacon

Roger Bacon's Reese Reilly recently set a Princeton Invitational meet record and could be on her way to setting school records in the pool.
Roger Bacon's Reese Reilly recently set a Princeton Invitational meet record and could be on her way to setting school records in the pool.

The sophomore has competed in several strokes this season, racing the 50-yard freestyle, 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard freestyle. Just last weekend, she set a Princeton Invitational meet record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:11.53.

Addie Robillard, St. Ursula

St. Ursula junior Addie Robillard will be a major factor for the Bulldogs in the team standings of this weekend's Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.
St. Ursula junior Addie Robillard will be a major factor for the Bulldogs in the team standings of this weekend's Southwest Ohio High School Swimming and Diving Classic.

The junior is one of the best swimmers in the state of Ohio. She won two individual championships in 2023 by sizeable margins. Look for her to not only make the finals but win all of her individual events. Robillard recently committed to Stanford while also taking visits to California-Berkeley and Texas

Other St. Ursula swimmers to watch include Sydney Herr and Natalie Gockerman.

Faith Rudowski and Maya Schweikert, Kings

Rudowski already has a few wins to her name this season, namely the 50- and 100-yard freestyle at the Holiday Classic. She is also a valuable asset to the Knights' relay teams, competing in the 100-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays.

Schweikert, the reigning ECC swimmer of the year, is also a sprint specialist with season-best times of 26.30 seconds in the 50-yard backstroke and 1:02.02 in the 100-yard individual medley.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: 2024 Southwest Ohio Classic high school swimming, diving is Jan. 13-14