HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Hawke Maynard competes in the boys 200 yard IM during the OVP Health Holiday Invite on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium in Huntington.
HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Keon McClure competes in the Boys 200-yard freestyle during the OVP Health Holiday Invite on Thursday at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium in Huntington.
HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Hawke Maynard competes in the boys 200 yard IM during the OVP Health Holiday Invite on Thursday, Dec. 22, 2022, at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium in Huntington.
HuntingtonÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Keon McClure competes in the Boys 200-yard freestyle during the OVP Health Holiday Invite on Thursday at the Frederick A. Fitch Natatorium in Huntington.
A third-place finish at the Region 3 swim meet hasnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t discouraged Herbert Hoover coach Gary Walker from being optimistic about the HuskiesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ chances at the state meet.
Walker said he considers Hoover one of the top two teams in Class AA heading into the state meet on Thursday and Friday at the Peak Health Aquatic Center at Mylan Park in Morgantown.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œWe finished third at the region meet,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ said Walker, who added that Hoover fell two points shy of second place and Class AAA power Bridgeport. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œElkins won, and theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re the defending state champs.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Hoover only fields a girls team, but the HuskiesÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ third year since being resurrected from a hiatus that started in 2009 has them vying for a state crown.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™d be disappointed if we didnÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™t at least get runner-up,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Walker said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œItÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s going to come down to the relays. WeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re top-four in the 200 or 400 (-yard relays). In the medley, weÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™re not quite as strong.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
The top individual events for HooverÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s swimmers will be the 100-yard fly and the 500 freestyle, in which WalkerÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s daughter Ashton is ranked second, according to her fastest time posted in races this season.
The state meet will begin on Thursday with the girls 200-yard medley relay at 9:45 a.m., followed by the boys race in the same event. The 200 freestyle, 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 butterfly and 100 freestyle follow.
Those events will be split into two sessions, with the second session beginning at 4:45 p.m.
On Friday at 9:45 a.m., the third session will kick off with the boys and girls 500 freestyle, then move on to the 200 freestyle relay, 100 backstroke, 100 breaststroke and conclude with the 400 freestyle relay.
Bridgeport figures to be a favorite to win both the boys and girls state championships, though Doug Price and the George Washington Patriots figure to have some say in that.
GWÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s boys hold five of the possible 11 top seeds in the state meet events. Seeding was determined by the times posted by swimmers at the regional meets.
Patriots junior Kenneth McGlothen locked up two of those seeds by setting records in the 200 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
In the 200 freestyle, McGlothenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s time of 1:43.44 edged Keon McClure of Huntington, who posted a 1:44.25. Both times broke the previous meet record, though both are also short of the state meet record of 1:39.14 set in 2009 by former Parkersburg Big Reds and Ohio State Buckeyes swimmer Tim Phillips.
McGlothenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s time of 50.58 set a record in the 100 backstroke to make him the top seed in that event.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œHeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s rarely lost a high school event,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Price said of McGlothen.
GW has other opportunities to boost its points to claim a boys team championship also. The 200 freestyle relay team ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” comprised of McGlothen, Will Hamrick, Tommy Newell and Sam Lopinsky ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥” finished second to Huntington at the region meet.
The HighlandersÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ team of Hawke Maynard, Christopher Young and brothers Keon and Liam McClure captured the top seed with a time of 1:30.30 at the Region 4 meet to edge the PatriotsÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ quartet, which finished in 1:30.31.
An attempt to reach Huntington coach Anastasia Carr for comment previewing the meet was unsuccessful before deadline.
Bridgeport is seeded third in the event with a Region 1-best time of 1:31.02.
Rick Elmore covers sports. He can be reached at 304-348-5122 or relmore@hdmediallc.com. Follow @ElmoreSports on Twitter/X.
