Oklahoma high school swimming: Carl Albert boys, Altus girls win Class 5A West Regional
EDMOND — Carl Albert’s boys swimming program was just one point away from making school history last season.
The Titans, who have never won a state title in boys swimming, nearly got over the hump last year but fell just short, falling to Tulsa Bishop Kelley.
Carl Albert has been on a mission since then, and the Titans got a step closer to avenging the loss Friday.
The Titans ran away in the team standings at the Class 5A West Regional at Edmond School Aquatic Center as they won with 446½ points and finished well ahead of runner-up Altus, which had 317.
Among those leading Carl Albert was Owen Ramirez, who placed third in the 50-yard freestyle (23.02 seconds) and fifth in the 100 freestyle (52.95). He also helped the Titans win the 200 freestyle relay (1:33.42) and 400 freestyle relay (3:28.59).
“We had a hard week of practice,” Ramirez said. “And honestly, it was a challenge for us to get here, but I think we responded to the challenge well. And all of us crushed our PRs. And individually, I feel like I did really good and the hard work is paying off.”
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Shane McClung was another swimmer who stood out for the Titans. He was also a member of the 400 freestyle relay. McClung had an impressive performance in the 100 freestyle, placing second in 51.39.
Last year’s loss has certainly pushed McClung and the entire team.
“I’m obviously not glad we lost last year, but I’m glad that we have that motivation from last year to push us,” McClung said. “It’s definitely set a fire inside of us to be good this year.”
Carl Albert had six swimmers other than Ramirez and McClung who had a top-three finish in an individual event.
Mason Corey placed second in the 100 backstroke (58.74), Jackson Lorenz was second in the 200 individual medley (2:11.96), Evan Wilcox was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.94), Andrew Campbell was third in the 100 freestyle (52.04), Ridge Thornton finished in tie for third in the 100 butterfly (58.64) and Ben Sutterfield placed third in the 100 backstroke (1:00.37).
Carl Albert thrived overall, and coach Josh Norman wasn’t surprised by the large differential in team points.
“We had mathematically planned on right there,” Norman said. “That was actually almost exactly what I had when I did it out the first time. We had a lot of kids, a couple performances that could have been more crisp that dropped some points off, but the vast majority of swims, picked those up elsewhere.”
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Altus wins girls division
Altus has won four state titles in boys swimming since 2010, but the Bulldogs have never claimed a championship on the girls side.
After a solid showing at regionals in which they edged Carl Albert 375-373 atop the standings, they’ll try to make school history later this month.
Caisyn Davis was the only girls swimmer from Altus who claimed an individual championship. She captured the title in the 100 backstroke in 1:07.62 and helped the Bulldogs win the 400 freestyle relay in 4:10.85, along with Neely Bonds, Natalie Blonien and Bailey Allemeier.
Altus coach Linda Wiginton said this is the smallest team she’s had in a while.
“We knew we were stronger the back half of the meet, the girls especially,” said Wiginton, who has been the head coach at Altus for 44 years. “And so we just kept encouraging them, just keep pushing hard. Have the heart of a champion and just keep on going. That’s what they did.”
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Five swimmers claim two individual titles
Five swimmers won their two individual events, and each of them is from the Oklahoma City metro area.
On the boys side, Newcastle’s Connor Leader, Bishop McGuinness’ John Nguyen and Casady’s Thomas Rudnicki dominated.
Leader was the champion in the 100 butterfly (54.85) and 100 backstroke (56.91), while Nguyen won the 200 freestyle (1:49.24) and 200 individual medley (2:11.21). Rudnicki claimed titles in the 50 freestyle (22.64) and 100 freestyle (50.36).
On the girls side, Harding Charter Prep’s Kaitlyn Simmons won the 200 freestyle (2:07.27) and 500 freestyle (5:36.38), while Casady’s Maddy Lu was the champion in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.73) and 200 individual medley (2:19.30).
Nick Sardis covers high school sports for The Oklahoman. Have a story idea for Nick? He can be reached at nsardis@oklahoman.com or on Twitter at @nicksardis. Sign up for The Varsity Club newsletter to access more high school coverage. Support Nick's work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at subscribe.oklahoman.com.
This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma high school swimming results from 2024 5A West Regional meet
