Sherando girls win first-ever region swimming title

When asked if the Sherando girls' swimming team was undefeated after the Class 4 Northwestern District swim meet, Warriors coach Joe Knight stated in good-natured fashion, "Don't jinx us."

If there was any bad luck floating around on Saturday at the Claude Moore Recreation Center in Sterling, it sank out of sight pretty quickly.

The Sherando girls stayed unbeaten and won the first team region swimming title in school history for either gender in dominant fashion, scoring 338 points to win by 119 over runner-up Kettle Run.

The Warriors swept all three relays and junior Taylor Smith won the 200-yard individual medley and 100 butterfly to lead the way, but Knight couldn't emphasize enough that it was a total team effort that gave Sherando the victory. Almost everyone who participated in the meet scored points for the Warriors.

"All of those points added up to the success we had today," said Knight in a phone interview on Saturday night. "I'm just kind of overwhelmed at how this team has performed all year long. They're a very resilient group of kids."

The Class 4 Northwestern District claimed the top three girls' spots (James Wood placed third with 194 points) and the top two spots in the boys' meet, with Kettle Run taking first with 302 points and the Colonels placing second with 242.5.

The region that Sherando and James Wood compete in has undergone numerous name changes over the years, but what's remained consistent is having Dulles District schools atop the standings. But not this year.

"This speaks to the overall depth and strength of the Northwestern District," said Knight, who credited the Northwestern swimmers for pushing his team to be at its best. "In years past, we'd run up against teams from the Dulles District, and they always seemed to have an edge on us, with the exception of a couple individual swimmers. This year, it just seems we've kind of turned the tables on them. The Northwestern District is really loaded with a lot of talent."

In the girls' meet, Millbrook placed eighth with 116 points and Handley was ninth with 112 out of 16 teams. Sherando was ninth in the boys' meet with 95 points, Handley was 11th with 67 and Millbrook was 12th with 47.

The top five individuals and top four relays in each event, as well as those with qualifying times, advance to the Class 4 state meet on Friday at SwimRVA in Richmond.

Sherando's girls' 200 medley relay team of sophomore Madelyn Twigg, Smith, junior Chelsey Jones and sophomore Madison Reed won by 3.02 seconds in a school-record time of 1:50.58; the 200 free relay team of Reed, Jones, senior Natalee Tusing and junior Lexee Schellhammer won by 2.23 seconds in 1:42.71; and the 400 free relay team of Tusing, Schellhammer, Twigg and Smith won by 2.07 seconds in 3:42.42.

Sherando moved Tusing from the 200 medley to the 200 free relay to strengthen that relay, and put Reed on the 200 medley relay.

"We really take pride in our relay teams," Knight said. "Winning those relays, that was 120 points for us right there.

"For Chelsey and Lexee to really drop time in the 500 free and get us some valuable points, then turn around a few minutes later and swim on that 200 free relay team and swim so well, that says a lot about those girls and their overall will to win and how determined they are once they get in the pool."

Smith won the 100 fly by 0.69 in 58.83 and captured the 200 individual medley in 2:09.76 to improve on her school-record time, holding off a closing charge from James Wood senior Paige Simko (second in 2:10.28) to do so.

"It was just a really close race," Knight said. "Taylor somehow managed to prevail and finish strong. It just shows how tough she is. We've seen Taylor do this time and time again where she just kind of digs down and finds that little extra to get to the wall when she needs to get to the wall."

Other state-qualifying performances from Sherando came from Twigg in the 100 back (second in 1:00.98) and 100 free (fourth in 55.07), Jones in the 100 fly (third in 1:00.11) and 500 free (third in 5:23.68) and Tusing in the 50 free (fourth in 25.40) and 100 free (fifth in 55.26).

Other key performances came from Reed (seventh in the 50 free, 26.11, eighth in the 100 breast, 1:12.55); freshman Gracie Defibaugh (seventh in the 200 IM, 2:22.00, and in the 100 fly, 1:04.54); Schellhammer (sixth in the 100 back in 1:03.97 and a best-ever time of 5:44.05 to place eighth in the 500 free); and senior Stella Wallin (11th in the 200 free, 2:16.50, 13th in the 100 free, 1:02.06).

Other local individual girls' champions were James Wood junior Lauren Masters in the 50 free (24.38) and 100 free (52.51); and Handley sophomore Grace Morgan in the 500 free (5:09.61).

Individual boys' champions for James Wood were Paul Warnagiris in the 200 IM (1:56.69) and 100 breaststroke (1:00.70) and Joseph Warnagiris in the 100 backstroke (54.05). The brothers also helped the 200 medley relay team that included Andrew Thompson and Alex Hua win in 1:40.55 and the 400 free relay team that included Thompson and Trent Rakowski win in 3:22.38. Handley senior Henry Fowler won the 200 free in 1:50.21.

Other state-qualifying performances:

James Wood girls: Simko, second in 100 breast, 1:05.59; 200 medley relay (Leah Snapp, Simko, Masters, Annie Hua), second, 1:53.60; 200 free relay (Hua, Simko, Kallie Gyurisin, Masters), second, 1:45.74.

Millbrook girls: Olivia Webster, fifth in 200 IM, 2:18.43; Lyddie Esslinger, fifth in 100 backstroke, 1:03.16; 400 free relay team (Olivia Webster, Avery Sigler, Esslinger, Kiera Webster), fourth in 3:54.87.

Handley girls: Morgan, second in 200 free, 1:56.43; Hailey Brown, second in 500 free, 5:16.85, third in 200 IM, 2:13.16; 200 free relay (Laura Salley, Sullivan Morefield, Brown, Morgan), second in 1:44.94.

James Wood boys: Thompson, tied for second in 100 fly, 55.58; fourth in 200 free, 1:51.75; Joseph Warnagiris, third in the 200 IM, 2:01.14.

Sherando boys: Evan Mercer, third in the 100 breast, 1:02.64; Toby Winston, fourth in 50 free, 22.64.

Handley boys: Fowler, fourth in 500 free, 5:11.80.

— Contact Robert Niedzwiecki at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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