2017 West Virginia High School State Championships
- Hosted at the WVU Natatorium, Morgantown, WV
- Friday, February 17th – Saturday, February 18th
- 2016 State Championship Results (Boys & Girls)
- Girl’s Psych Sheets
- Boy’s Psych Sheets
Girl’s meet
Morgantown High School senior Courtney Deem will not seek to defend her state title in the 200 freestyle this year, instead opting to race the 200 IM where she is seeded first by nearly 7 seconds with a time of 2:09.96 heading into prelims. Deem, the state record holder in the 100 and 200 freestyles, will return to the 100 free where she commands the field with a seed time of 52.57, about 1.5 seconds ahead of number two seed Regan Raines of St. Albans High School. If Deem is able to secure both state titles she will finish her high school swimming career with an impressive 7-for-8 record of individual state championships, having only taken second once when she was a freshman. Deem could also help lead the Morgantown girls to victories in the 400 free relay where Morgantown is seeded first by a commanding four seconds. While the seed times favor Morgantown, George Washington High School has claimed the title in the 400 free relay every year since 2013.
Kelsey Drennen and Adriana Abruzzino both stand a chance to score major points for Fairmont Senior High School which finished sixth last year. Abruzzino is the top seed in both the 200 and 500 freestyles, while Drennen is the top seed in the 100 fly and 100 back. Together Drennen and Abruzzino will join forces to possibly win Fairmont a pair of state titles in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, though they will face tough competition from Wheeling Park, George Washington, and Parkersburg.
George Washington High School is also looking to defend its title in the 200 medley relay, an event it has not lost since 2013. The squad from George Washington does not have the top seed going into the meet, instead sitting second to Wheeling Park High School. Wheeling Park, a team that has never won the girl’s state championship, could possibly pull it off this year, though the meet will be very close.
Boy’s meet
The boys from George Washington High School have finished either first or second every year since 2009, but for the first time in five year were upset last year and finished second to Parkersburg High School. The team from George Washington enters the meet as the top seeds in both the 200 medley and 400 freestyle relays, and also as a contender for a top-six finish in the 200 free relay.
George Washington’s Robbie Hageboeck enters the meet as the number three seed in both the 200 and 500 freestyles, and George Washington’s Reed Patrick comes in seeded first in the 200 IM and 100 breast. Along with many other athletes adding to George Washington’s depth across all events, the squad stands a good chance of reclaiming the title. Cameron Penn also holds strong incoming positions in the 100 fly (4th) and 100 back (1st), though the top 3 seeds in each race are within tenths of one another. Unfortunately for George Washington, last year’s champion in the 100 breast and runner-up in the 200 IM Majester Abdul-Jalil is not on the roster this year.
Parkersburg’s David Snider holds the top seed time in the 200 free and the second-fastest time in the 100 back. Nathan Burd, also from Parkersburg, comes into the championship ranked first in the 100 free and second in the 50. Both Snider and Burd will contribute to Parkersburg’s 200 medley and 400 free relays, both of which could snag a top-three finish.