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St. Joseph’s Boys Make It Six Straight, Bishop England Girls Claim SCHSL 3A Title

2022 SCHSL 3A Championships

The St. Joseph’s Catholic School boys secured their sixth straight South Carolina High School League (SCHSL) 3A title earlier this month, while the Bishop England girls claimed their second championship in five years.

In South Carolina high school swimming, there are three divisions: AAA, AAAA, and AAAAA. Schools in the AAAAA division are the largest of the three. The state doesn’t include diving in its championship meet.

Girls’ Recap

The Bishop England girls won the title on the strength of a pair of relay victories, with their freshman swimmers playing a pivotal role. The win was a massive step up after placing fifth last year.

Top 5 Team Scores

  1. Bishop England, 418
  2. Oceanside Collegiate Academy, 347
  3. St. Joseph’s Catholic School, 333
  4. Christ Church Episcopal School, 306.5
  5. Academic Magnet, 217

In the 200 free relay, junior Zoe Dewitt combined with first-years Mia DevitoMackenzie LeVeen and Ellie Chalupsky to top the field in a time of 1:39.87, with Chalupsky delivering a swift 23.81 anchor.

At the end of the meet in the 400 free relay, Chalupsky and Dewitt teamed up with Carley Foust and Lindsay Burbage to claim victory in 3:39.27, with Oceanside Collegiate Academy the runner-up in 3:40.26.

Chalpuski was Bishop England’s top point scorer individually, earning two second-place finishes in the 50 free (23.86) and 100 back (59.01), placing second to Christ Church Episcopal’s Kylie Larkin in both.

Larkin, a South Carolina commit, set new best times in the 50 free (23.77) and 100 back (55.64) to earn victory, moving up from second last year in the 100 back and fourth in the 50 free.

Also winning two individual events was Oceanside junior Nell Cagle and St. Joseph’s senior Sylvia Walker.

Cagle set a new best time en route to winning the 100 breast in 1:03.69, and added a second victory in the 200 IM (2:07.41). She also contributed a 29.17 breast split as Oceanside won the 200 medley relay by a tenth over Christ Church, 1:50.47 to 1:50.57.

Walker set new bests to earn wins in the 100 free (51.39) and 200 free (1:53.14), while the other swimmers coming out on top individually were Dreher’s Jane Koch in the 100 fly (56.97) and Walhalla’s Chelsea Burkhart in the 500 free (5:13.18).

BOYS’ RECAP

The boys’ meet came down to the wire, but when all was said and done it was a sixth straight victory for St. Joseph’s Catholic, emerging 13 points clear of Greer Middle College, with Academic Magnet not far off either.

Top 5 Team Scores

  1. St. Joseph’s Catholic School, 376
  2. Greer Middle College, 363
  3. Academic Magnet, 340
  4. Oceanside Collegiate Academy, 287
  5. Bishop England, 269

St. Joseph’s won the meet on the strength of their depth, with no event wins but 12 of 15 swimmers putting points on the board. The team’s top scorer was senior Colin Jordan, who was the runner-up in the 100 free (46.94) and placed third in the 200 free (1:44.00).

In terms of event wins, Bishop England featured prominently, topping the field in two relays while having five additional individual victories.

Junior Justin Haffner set a new lifetime best to win the 200 free in 1:43.84, and added an additional win in the 500 free (4:46.40). Sophomore Owen Fritts won the 200 IM in a lifetime best of 1:56.00 and added another title in the 100 breast (58.98). And then senior Matthew Picard led the way in the 100 free (46.56) and was second to Haffner in the 200 free, less than a tenth back in 1:43.91.

In the relays, that trio combined with senior Asher Western to come out on top in both the 200 free (1:26.99) and 400 free (3:13.05).

Joining Hafner and Fritts with two individual wins was Academic Magnet senior Kyle Hertwig, who triumphed with a pair of lifetime bests in the 50 free (20.76) and 100 fly (50.99). His 50 free victory marked his third straight.

Hertwig’s sophomore teammate Jack Troy added a win in the 100 back, setting a new PB of 50.23.

In the 200 medley relay, despite a blistering lead-off from Troy (23.65) and a swift anchor from Hertwig (20.37), Greer Middle College came away with the win by seven one-hundredths. The team of Jimmy BeesonMaddex TernesDalton Davis and TJ Rickard finished in 1:35.83 to edge out Academic Magnet’s 1:35.90.

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About James Sutherland

James Sutherland

James swam five years at Laurentian University in Sudbury, Ontario, specializing in the 200 free, back and IM. He finished up his collegiate swimming career in 2018, graduating with a bachelor's degree in economics. In 2019 he completed his graduate degree in sports journalism. Prior to going to Laurentian, James swam …

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