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Which swimmers and divers will make a splash this winter in Greater Cincinnati?

Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer
·7 min read

As the temperatures outside turn cold, the action in pools across Greater Cincinnati is heating up.

Several schools are coming off dominant performances at their respective state meets, while other individuals made school and state history. Regardless of gender or event, there is plenty of aquatic talent in the tri-state.

Here are a few swimmers and divers in Ohio and Kentucky to keep an eye on as the newest season unfolds.

Vote: Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky high school athlete of the week, Nov. 20

Ohio

Girls

Taylor Bacher, CHCA: As a sophomore, she improved on a runner-up finish in the 200-yard freestyle in 2022 to win by almost two seconds. Bacher also took second place in the 500-yard freestyle.

CHCA's Taylor Bacher took home two top-three finishes at the 2023 OHSAA swimming and diving state championships.
CHCA's Taylor Bacher took home two top-three finishes at the 2023 OHSAA swimming and diving state championships.

Julia Bohl, Mariemont: As a sophomore, she took fourth place in the 500-yard freestyle at the district meet on her way to a 13th-place finish at state. She also swam a leg of the fifth-place 200-yard medley relay and the eighth-place 400-yard freestyle relay.

Josie Festa, Indian Hill: She is the highest-placing returning diver from last year's state diving championships. Festa placed seventh with a score of 346.20. Her score and place should improve in her final campaign as several divers who place ahead of her were seniors.

Indian Hill's Josie Festa finished in seventh place of the 2023 OHSAA state diving championships.
Indian Hill's Josie Festa finished in seventh place of the 2023 OHSAA state diving championships.

Isabella Giraldo, Mason: As a freshman, she appeared in the preliminary rounds of the state diving championships. Many of last year's top divers were seniors, meaning Giraldo should make her way to the semifinal rounds and possibly the finals.

Reese Reilly, Roger Bacon: As a freshman, she won the 100-yard breaststroke district title and finished third in the same event at state. She also placed seventh at state in the 200-yard individual medley.

Natalie Reising, Anderson: As a senior, she will look to improve on an appearance in the preliminary rounds of the state diving championships.

Addie Robillard of St. Ursula swims the girls 200-yard individual medley to first place at the 2023 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 25, 2023.
Addie Robillard of St. Ursula swims the girls 200-yard individual medley to first place at the 2023 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 25, 2023.

Addie Robillard, St. Ursula: The junior is quickly becoming one of the greatest female swimmers in Cincinnati in recent history. Robillard already has three individual state titles to her name, including the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke as a sophomore.

Quinn Schureck, Walnut Hills: You can't appear in four state championships if you don't qualify your freshman year, right? Schureck took third place in the 100-yard breaststroke and ninth in the 200-yard individual medley as a rookie. She also swam on two relay teams for the Eagles.

Maya Schweikert, Kings: Speaking of freshmen appearing in the state meet, Schweikert took the podium in the 100-yard butterfly and the 100-yard backstroke, finishing in sixth and fifth, respectively.

Julia Shafer, CHCA: The junior switched events after participating in the 500-yard freestyle at the 2022 state championships. This past February, Shafer won the 200-yard individual medley and placed sixth in the 100-yard backstroke.

Rolling on the lanes: A look at Southwest Ohio, Northern Kentucky high school bowlers to watch this season.

Boys

Cooper Burt, Ross: In his first appearance at the state championships, Burt took sixth place in the 100-yard backstroke.

Patrick Gibbons, Badin: The senior will look to make his third appearance at the state meet. He took fourth place in the 200-yard freestyle and fifth place in the 100-yard butterfly last February, earning medals for both finishes.

Leo Gustavsson, Purcell Marian: In making the 2023 state meet, Gustavsson became the first Cavaliers swimmer to compete at C.T. Branin Natatorium since 2011. He placed 16th in the 100-yard freestyle and the 100-yard backstroke as a sophomore.

Noah Horwitz, Anderson: The sophomore is the highest-placing returning diver in DI. Horwitz finished in 11th place at the 2023 state meet. He will certainly be a name to keep an eye on as his high school career progresses.

Thackston McMullan placed first for St. Xavier in the boys 500 freestyle at the 2023 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 25, 2023.
Thackston McMullan placed first for St. Xavier in the boys 500 freestyle at the 2023 Division I Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 25, 2023.

Thackston McMullan, St. Xavier: The senior has an impressive state championship resume already, and will compete this season for a third-straight 500-yard freestyle championship, and back-to-back 200-yard freestyle championships. He also swam a leg of the winning 200-yard freestyle relay team as a junior.

Nathan Spetz, Lakota West: As a junior, he leaned on his prior state championship experience to guide him to a seventh-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle and a ninth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle. A third appearance at the state meet is imminent for the Firebirds senior.

Max Ward St. Xavier: Another prolific Bomber on this list, he took third in the 100-yard butterfly and eighth in the 50-yard freestyle at the 2023 state championships. He also helped the Bombers win two relay titles.

Jason Zhao, Indian Hill: The junior has had an eventful year. In February, het set a new state record in the 500-meter freestyle to win an individual state title. He also swam a leg of the first-place 400-meter freestyle relay and 200-meter medley relay.

Jason Zhao of Indian Hill leaps off the block on his way to a state record-breaking swim in the boys 500-yard freestyle at the 2023 Division II Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 23-24, 2023.
Jason Zhao of Indian Hill leaps off the block on his way to a state record-breaking swim in the boys 500-yard freestyle at the 2023 Division II Ohio High School Athletic Association Swimming and Diving Championships, Feb. 23-24, 2023.

'I am super honored': Indian Hill swimming standout Jason Zhao sets junior world record

In August, he won a junior national championship in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 49.39 seconds. Just a few weeks later, he was a part of the Team USA 400-meter freestyle relay team that set a world record at the World Junior Swimming Championships.

Northern Kentucky

Girls

Ryon Argo, Beechwood: The junior placed seventh in the 200-yard individual medley and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle at the 2023 state championships.

Savannah Bien, Notre Dame: Bien's future is as bright as the lights that illuminate the natatoriums she steps into. In February, she was the only eighth-grader to advance to the state diving finals, earning a seventh-place finish.

Sadie Hartig, Notre Dame: She has a chance to fill Lainy Kruger's shoes as the next multi-time state championship winner for the Pandas. Hartig is coming off a season in which she placed second in the 500-yard freestyle and 12th in the 100-yard backstroke at the state meet. She also helped Notre Dame to a pair of fourth-place finishes in two relays.

Notre Dame's Sadie Hartig has won back-to-back regional titles in the 500-yard freestyle and will try to win her first state championship in the event this year.
Notre Dame's Sadie Hartig has won back-to-back regional titles in the 500-yard freestyle and will try to win her first state championship in the event this year.

Grace Hedger, Campbell County: She will look to improve on her fifth-place finish on the diving board at the 2023 state championships.

Peytton Moore, Cooper: Moore is in search of her third diving state championship in four years. At last year's championships, she was the runner-up to Madison Southern's Reagan Patterson, with whom Moore has dueled for the entirety of her high school career.

Peytton Moore won the first KHSAA state diving championship in school history as a freshman, the doubled down with a victory in 2022.
Peytton Moore won the first KHSAA state diving championship in school history as a freshman, the doubled down with a victory in 2022.

Ragan Moore, Highlands: She finished ninth in the state in a crowded 50-yard freestyle field as a freshman. Her time of 24.87 seconds was a second and a half out of first place.

Reese Yauger, Ryle: As a sophomore, Yauger won a regional title in the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. She had top-eight finishes in both races at the state championship as well as swimming on the seventh-place 400-yard freestyle relay team.

Boys

Griffin Barlow, Highlands: The junior will enter the pool looking to match his three podium finishes from the 2023 state championships. Barlow placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke, seventh in the 200-yard individual medley, and swam on the sixth-place 200-yard freestyle relay.

Lake Durrett, St. Henry: Coming off a successful cross country season, the senior will certainly have the stamina to compete in the pool all year long. Last year, he tied for fourth in the region in the 50-yard freestyle and was fourth in the 100-yard freestyle.

Ty Dropic, Villa Madonna: He appeared in the state meet in several different events but didn't quite make the podium. What Dropic did do was finish third in the region in the 200-yard individual medley and second in the 100-yard breaststroke. He also swam legs of the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay.

Landon Isler, Ryle: The senior has worked his way up the diving ranks, finishing fifth in the state as a sophomore and runner-up last February. His final score of 517.75 was less than two points away from first place.

Ryle's Chase Knopf, top, took home three state medals in 2023, two as a member of a relay team and one as an individual.
Ryle's Chase Knopf, top, took home three state medals in 2023, two as a member of a relay team and one as an individual.

Chase Knopf, Ryle: The sophomore is coming off a rookie season that ended on the state podium with a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle, and as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay. He also placed ninth in the 100-yard backstroke.

Jake Larkin, Covington Catholic: The senior has been on the diving podium every year of his high school career. He was sixth as a freshman and third each of the last two years. His competition is Isler, Lexington Catholic's Michael Buchart, and Bryan Station's Tyler Bobadilla.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Greater Cincinnati high school swimming: swimmers and divers to watch