2023 GHSA 1-3A & 4-5A State Championship
- Jan. 30 – Feb. 4, 2023
- Georgia Tech Aquatic Center
- Atlanta, Georgia
- 7A Recap
- 6A Recap
- Results on MeetMobile: “2023 GHSA 1-3A & 4-5A State Championship”
New classification, same winning result for the Westminster girls swim program.
After claiming the past five state titles in Class A-3A, the Westminster girls moved up to Class 4A-5A this season and maintained their run of dominance with a sixth consecutive state championship.
University of Virginia commit Katie Christopherson led the way for Westminster, earning victories in the 100 fly (52.77) and 100 breast (1:00.81). Last year as a junior, Christopherson won the 100 breast in the exact same time but swam the 200 IM instead of the 100 fly. Her 200 IM time of 1:56.72 last year broke a state record belonging to two-time Olympian Kathleen Hersey that had stood for more than a decade.
Christopherson led off Westminster’s 200 free relay (1:34.19 total, 22.75 flat-start split) and 400 free relay (3:30.02 total, 49.21 flat-start split) teams that also took home state titles. Bucknell commit Sara Ketron also swam on both of those relays while claiming another individual title for Westminster in the 500 free (5:02.84).
Christopherson wasn’t the only Class 4A-5A swimmer who triumphed in multiple individual events. Cambridge senior Sophie Brison reached the wall first in both the 200 free (1:48.15) and 100 back (53.62). Brison will be taking her talents to the University of Tennessee this upcoming fall.
On the boys side, Westminster’s streak of state titles stopped at five in a row as Chattahoochee prevailed in Class 4A-5A, marking the program’s first boys swimming title since 1996. The Cougars totaled 282 points, outscoring Chamblee (233.5) and Northview (218).
In the 500 free, Logan Calhoun (4:39.63) edged Chattahoochee teammate Landon Slater (4:40.99). The Cougars got another individual win courtesy of Eddie Choi, who claimed the 100 back title in 51.06.
North Spring’s Leo Roden captured multiple crowns in the 100 free (44.79) and 200 free (1:38.00) in his final state meet before heading to Arizona State. Pace Academy’s Carter Freudenstein joined him as a two-time champion in the 200 IM (1:51.48) and 100 fly (49.48), defending his state titles from last year.
In Class A-3A, Wesleyan freshman Hattie Wasmuth won the 200 IM (2:06.03) and 500 free (5:10.93), lifting her squad to its first-ever state title. Wesleyan finished with 300 points, beating out St. Vincent’s Academy (282) for the team championship.
Wasmuth also anchored Wesleyan’s 400 free relay team (3:45.77 total, 52.18 split) that placed first in the final event of the session. The quartet was entirely underclassmen, signaling a bright future for Wesleyan.
Like Wasmuth, Mount Pisgah’s Emma Livezey also brought home multiple individual titles with her sweep of the 100 free (51.74) and 200 free (1:52.88). It represented redemption for the Birmingham Southern commit, who finally topped the podium in the 100 free after placing second last year and third as a sophomore.
The Wesleyan boys also secured a 1A-3A state title, their third in program history. They won both the 200 free relay (1:29.33) and 400 free relay (3:17.65).
Oconee County senior Simon Casey flexed his freestyle range with victories in the 100 free (44.83) and 200 free (1:38.66). Last year, the LSU commit cruised to the 500 free title by more than 10 seconds with a time of 4:33.81. Walker’s Raphael Grand’Pierre placed second behind Casey in the 200 free, but he did top the podium in the 100 fly (50.42).