Sacred Heart Academy continued their record-setting season in the pool with a dominating performance in the Kentucky High School Athletic Association 5th Region tournament.
Four Valkyrie swimmers broke region records, including a pair by senior Brooke Bauer, and the relay team broke two more region records on their way to a 583-point performance at the Ralph Wright Natatorium on the campus of University of Louisville on Thursday evening.
“It was great,” Bauer said after the meet. “I think we all did a really good job stepping up and always having fun like dressing up in our camo gear. We just had a great time and did our best. We swam really fast tonight. It was awesome.”
In addition to the Valkyries, Trinity and Christian Academy of Louisville put together some impressive team and individual performances. Shamrocks freshman Hunter Tapp set a region record in the boys 50-yard freestyle and Centurions’ junior Nicolas Albiero, son of University of Louisville head swimming coach Arthur Albiero, set two region records in the 100-yard butterfly and 100-yard backstroke. Albiero was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer on the boys’ side, with Valkyrie senior Kennedy Lohman earning the honor on the girls’ side.
GALLERY: KHSAA Region 5 Swimming Championships
Overall, Sacred Heart won the women’s team competition, finishing above Christian Academy (281 points), Assumption (147), Louisville Collegiate (108), and Ballard (103) to round out the top five. On the men’s side, Trinity scored the win in the team competition with 406 points, followed by Collegiate (301), Eastern (167), Christian Academy (155), and Ballard (90).
The top two finishers in each event qualified for the state championships, which will be held on February 25-27 at U of L. Others may qualify based on their times and scores compared with other swimmers from across the state.
GIRLS
Sacred Heart’s domination in the water was clear to see from the opening event. Sophomore Tonner DeBeer, senior Asia Seidt, Lohman, and Bauer swam for the Valkyries in the 200-yard medley relay that set a region record and was an All-American qualifier with a time of 1:41.18.
Lohman beat her own state record in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.60, setting a region record in the process, and her time was even good enough to have placed second in the boys side of the event. The heat was so fast that it will likely land her among the top ten high school swimmers in the nation in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Bauer set region records in the 50-yard and 100 yard freestyle events, finishing with times of 23.08 and 50.43, respectively, both all-american qualifiers. Seidt set a region record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:00.81 and was an all-american qualifier in that and the 100-yard backstroke. DeBeer broke two region records with a second-place finish in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, and junior Brooke Forde broke a region record in the 200-yard freestyle and qualified with an all-american time in the 500-yard freestyle.
Bauer, Lohman, and Seidt are all heading to Division I colleges for swimming.
“I was just trying to win my heat, the same thing I’ve been doing since I was little, and it worked out,” Bauer said. “It’s comfortable (being at U of L), we’ve been here a lot, it’s a fast pool and there’s a lot of fast swimming.”
Outside of the Valkyries, Centurions swimmer Julia Roy won the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 58.38 and Collegiate’s Kaylee Wheeler finished in second place but secured an all-american time of 1:03.93 in the 100 yard backstroke.
BOYS
While Trinity won the team competition overall, the day’s plaudits clearly belonged to Albiero.
The junior swimmer defeated the field with ease, setting two regional records with all-america times individually as well as helping the Centurions relay team to a first-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
Albiero’s time in the 100-yard butterfly of 48.15 not only set a region record but was also more than six seconds faster than his next closest competitor.
“My goal this weekend was to set myself up to perform the best, especially breaking my own records,” Albiero said. “I’m really proud of the way that CAL came in today and performed under pressure.”
Shamrock’s freshman Tapp was also very impressive at the meet, finishing with an all-american time of 21.02 in the 50 yard freestyle, a region record.
“Hunter is an awesome swimmer,” Trinity head coach Kelly Horrell said. “I’m really happy that he’s going to be here the next three years. He works really hard, he’s got the perfect body type, he’s 6-foot 4-inches. He’s the ideal swimmer.”
Other top performers on the men’s side included Collegiate senior Coley Sullivan, who won the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:56.72, and his teammate, sophomore Grayson Schroering, who won the 100 yard breaststroke with a time of 59.25.
Here’s a look at the top two finishers in each of the events, plus the All-Region teams:
Girls 200-Yard Medley Relay: 1. Sacred Heart Academy 1:41.18 (Al American and region record) Tonner DeBeer 10, Kennedy Lohman 12, Asia Seidt 12, Brooke Bauer 12; 2. Christian Acad of Louisville 1:51.52 Allie Rassenfoss 10, Rachel Hughes 11, Julia Roy 10, Christin Eckerle 11.
Boys 200-Yard Medley Relay: 1. Collegiate School 1:36.44 Region Record Coley Sullivan 12, Grayson Schroering 10, Alex Brehm 7, George Isaacs 12; 2. Christian Academy of Louisville 1:37.68 Nicolas Albiero 11, Jake Burd 9, Broder Magnuson 9, Jason Coultrap 12.
Girls 200-Yard Freestyle: 1. Brooke Forde 11 1:48.46 All America Region Record; 2. Cameron Brown 12 Christian Acad. Of Louisville 1:50.71 All America Con.
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle: 1. Arthur Ensign-George 12 Atherton 1:47.12; 2. Taylor Owen 11 Trinity 1:51.36.
Girls 200 Yard IM: 1. Asia Seidt Sacred Heart 12 2:00.81 Region Record All America; 2. Kennedy Lohman 12 Sacred Heart All America 2:02.41.
Boys 200 Yard IM: 1. Coley Sullivan 12 Louisville Collegiate 1:56.72; 2. Grayson Schroering 10 Collegiate 1:57.24.
Girls 50 Yard Freestyle: 1. Brooke Bauer 12 Sacred Heart 23.08 Region Record All America Auto; 2. Tonner DeBeer 10 Sacred Heart 23.35 Region Record All America (Broke Her Own Record).
Boys 50 Yard Freestyle: 1. Hunter Tapp 9 Trinity 21.02 Region Record All American-Con; 2. Jason Coultrap Christian Academy of Louisville 21.69.
Girls 100 Yard Butterfly: 1. Julia Roy 10 Christian Academy 58.38; 2. Madison McKim 11 Sacred Heart 58.45.
Boys 100 Yard Butterfly: 1. Nicolas Albiero 11 Christian Academy 48.15 Region Record AA-A; 2. Alex Brehm 7 Collegiate 53.42.
Girls 100 Yard Freestyle: 1. Brooke Bauer 12 Sacred Heart Academy 50.43 AA-A Region Record; 2. Tonner DeBeer 10 Sacred Heart 50.84 AA-C Region Record.
Boys 100 Yd. Freestyle: 1. Hunter Tapp 9 Trinity 46.14; 2. Lee Bradley 12 Louisville Collegiate 47.12.
Girls 500 Yard Freestyle: 1. Brooke Forde 11 Sacred Heart 4:50.83 AA-A; 2. Cameron Brown 12 Christian Academy of Louisville 4:57.42 AA-C.
Boys 500 Yard Freestyle: 1. Arthur Ensign-George 12 Atherton 4:51.47; 2. William Kemp 11 Eastern 4:57.16.
Event 17: Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay
1. Sacred Heart 1:36.61 AA-C Kennedy Lohman 12 Alli Erena 9 Brooke Forde 11 Molly O’Hara 12
2. Christian Academy of Louisville 1:37.66 – Rachel Howard 11 Hope Clark 11 Cameron Brown 12 Gabi Albiero 8.
Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Christian Academy of Louisville 1:28.53 – Nicolas Albiero 11 Jason Coultrap 12 Jake Burd 9 Broder Magnuson 9; 2. Collegiate 1:28.67 – Jonathan Schmidt 12, Lee Bradley 12, Alex Brehm 7, George Isaacs 12.
Girls 100 Yard Backstroke: 1. Asia Seidt 12 Sacred Heart 55.19 AA-A; 2. Emily LeClair 12 Sacred Heart 56.55 AA-C.
Boys 100 Yd. Backstroke: 1. Nicolas Albiero 11 Christian Acad. 48.87 Region Record AA-A; 2. Coley Sullivan 12 Collegiate 50.05 Region Record AA-C.
Girls 100 Yd. Breastroke: 1. Kennedy Lohman 12 Sacred Heart 1:00.60 Region Record AA-A; 2. Kaylee Wheeler 10 Collegiate 1:03.93 AA-C.
Boys 100 Yd. Breastroke: 1. Grayson Schroering 10 Collegiate 59.25; 2. Jake Burd 9 Christian Academy 1:00.71.
Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Sacred Heart 3:25.89 Region Record AA-A Brooke Bauer 12, Brooke Forde 11, Tonner DeBeer 10, Asia Seidt 12; 2. Christian Acad. 3:34.19 Cameron Brown 12, Hope Clark 11, Rachel Howard 11, Gabi Albiero 8.
Boys 300 Yard Freestyle Relay: 1. Louisville Collegiate 3:18.89 – Lee Bradley 12, George Isaacs 12, Alex Blom 9, Coley Sullivan 12; 2. Trinity 3:26.51 – Luke Bunnell 9, Evan Thompson 12, Taylor Owen 11, Hunter Tapp 9.
Sportsmanship Award:
Girls – Grace Galyon 12
Boys – Eastern Arthur Ensign-George 12 Atherton
Coach of the Year:
Girls – Assumption Rick and Carolyn Steward
Boys – Kelly Horrell Trinity
Boys All Region
1. Nicolas Albiero 11 Christian Acad. Most Outstanding Swimmer
2. Hunter Tapp 9 Trinity
3. Coley Sullivan 12 Collegiate
4. Lee Bradley Collegiate
5. Grayson Schroering 10 Collegiate
6. Misha Semenov 11 KCD
7. Jason Coultrap 12 Christian Acad.
8. Arthur Ensign-George 12 Atherton
9. Hunter Cobb 10 Ballard
Girls All-Region
1. Kennedy Lohman 12 Sacred Heart Most Outstanding Swimmer
2. Asia Seidt 12 Sacred Heart
3. Brooke Bauer 12 Sacred Heart
4. Brooke Forde 11 Sacred Heart
5. Tonner DeBeer 10 Sacred Heart
6. Kaylee Wheeler 10 Collegiate
7. Gabi Albiero 8 Christian Academy
8. Julia Roy 10 Christian Academy