Hilton Head Christian Academy’s boys placed third behind state champions Jack Ussery and Levi Eidson, Hilton Head Prep’s Sterling Burd matched Ussery with two individual titles, and John Paul II’s Aubrey Porada captured a state crown to lead the Lowco contingent at the SCISA State Swimming Championships on Saturday at the North Charleston Aquatic Center.
Ussery won the 100 breaststroke and the 200 freestyle — the latter by a whopping 27 seconds — and joined Eidson, JP Reed, and Wells Sharpe on the runner-up 400 free relay and third-place 200 free relay to lead the HHCA boys to a strong third-place showing in the Class 2A/1A standings. Eidson also placed second in the 200 individual medley, and Sharpe finished second in both the 100 fly and the 100 back, finishing just two seconds off the pace in the latter race.
JPII’s girls also turned in a strong performance, finishing fourth in the Class 2A/1A ranks. Porada led the way with a win in the 500 free, blazing the competition by 15 seconds, and claimed silver in the 100 breast, missing a second gold by just 1.5 seconds. She also anchored the 200 free and 400 free relay teams that placed third, swimming alongside Riley McGoldrick, Nel Winslow, and Olivia Johnson. McGoldrick also took silver in the 100 fly and placed third in the 200 free.
Beaufort Academy placed fifth in both the boys and girls standings thanks to solid showings across the board despite just two individuals posting top-four finishes. Emma Grace Dinkins was fourth in the 100 free, and Kaylee Bartholomew took fourth in the 500 free and the 100 breast for the Eagles.
Heritage Academy’s Dora Prudhomme notched a pair of runner-up finishes in the 200 free and 500 free, and HHCA’s Addeline Lentz placed fourth in the 50 free.
In the Class 3A meet, Burd put on a show, swimming to gold in the 200 free by seven seconds and winning the 500 free by a whopping 32 seconds. On the boys’ side, Mark Lofye placed second in the 500 free and third in the 200 free for the Dolphins.
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