In the final high school swim meet of her career, Sacred Heart Academy’s Kennedy Lohman was in so much pain that she considered bowing out.
“I looked up at my dad in the stands, and I was like, ‘I can’t do this,’” Lohman said, recalling the moments right after she swam her preliminary race Friday in the 200-yard individual medley. “He and my coach were like, ‘You’re tough. You can do this. You only have one more day. Do this for your team.’”
Lohman battled through the pain and joined her fellow seniors in putting the finishing touches on an incredible four-year run at Sacred Heart.
The Valkyries won seven of 12 events – setting five state records – and cruised to their fourth straight team title Saturday in the State Swimming and Diving Championships at the University of Louisville’s Ralph Wright Natatorium.
Lohman was a member of the victorious 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams and also took third place in the 100 breaststroke. Her injury forced her out of Saturday’s 200 IM, but Sacred Heart coach Jim Luebbe likened Lohman’s story to that of the Valkyries of Norse mythology.
“We have a saying: ‘No Valkyrie left behind,’” Luebbe said. “It comes from those Valkyries who went out on the battlefield and retrieved the fallen soldiers. Kennedy was a little bit of a fallen soldier, and we rely on our team to pick our teammates up.”
Sacred Heart finished with 435 points, easily ahead of runner-up Notre Dame (268). Christian Academy was third with 218 points, followed by North Oldham (175), Paul Dunbar (132) and Manual (122).
Lohman joined fellow seniors Asia Seidt and Brooke Bauer and sophomore Tonner DeBeer in getting the Valkyries off to a rousing start Saturday in the 200 medley relay. The foursome finished with a time of 1 minute, 40.61 seconds – the second-fastest time in national high school history. Carmel (Ind.) set the mark of 1:39.25 last year.
Seidt said the group didn’t feel pressure to break the Carmel mark, especially given Lohman’s injury.
“You could tell how much pain she was in. It was amazing and courageous to see her go through what she did,” Seidt said.
Seidt and junior Brooke Forde both won two individual events and were members of two victorious relay teams.
Seidt broke her own state records in winning the 200 individual medley (1:56.83) and the 100 backstroke (52.89 seconds). She also helped Sacred Heart capture the final event of the meet, the 400 free relay, and joined Paul Dunbar’s Madison Winstead as the Co-Outstanding Meet Competitors.
Forde battled a sinus infection to win the 200 free with a state-record time of 1:46.76 and capture the 500 free in 4:48.46. Along with being a member of the 400 free-relay squad, she joined Molly O’Hara, Bauer and Lohman in winning the 200 free relay with a state-record time of 1:34.09.
Sacred Heart now has a record 27 state titles, but this is the Valkyries first four-year run of titles since winning six straight from 1995-2000. Luebbe called the current senior class “great role models.”
“We’re certainly going to miss them,” he said. “More than anything they’ve showed our younger swimmers not only how to be strong performers in the pool but also how to be strong women of great faith.”
Two other state records fell Saturday as Paul Dunbar senior Madison Winstead won the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.45 and Christian Academy eighth-grader Gabi Albiero took the 50 free in 22.80 seconds.
Albiero, daughter of U of L swim coach Arthur Albiero, said she was surprised the break record. Sacred Heart’s Bauer was the runner-up in 23.03 seconds.
“I was really nervous going into it because I’m only in eighth grade and everyone is really big and they’ve been doing this for a long time,” Albiero said. “It was more about just having fun and giving the glory to God and trying my best. Winning is always the goal, but going into it I wasn’t really thinking about the place.”
North Oldham’s Grace Oglesby, a U of L signee, won the 100 butterfly for the third straight year, posting a time of 53.64 seconds.
Other winners were Scott’s Lindsey Fox (diving) and Notre Dame’s Sophie Skinner (100 freestyle).
Jason Frakes can be reached at (502) 582-4046 and jfrakes@courier-journal.com.
GIRLS SWIMMING AND DIVING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS
At University of Louisville Ralph Wright Natatorium
Top team results: 1. Sacred Heart, 435; 2. Notre Dame, 268; 3. Christian Academy, 218; 4. North Oldham, 175; 5. Paul Dunbar, 132; 6. Manual, 122; 7. Tates Creek, 118; 8. Beechwood, 110; 9. Dixie Heights, 105; 10. Bowling Green, 61; (12. Collegiate, 47; 14. (tie) South Oldham, 37; 17. Assumption, 31; 25. (tie) Collins, 15; 28. (tie) Oldham County, 12; 28. (tie) Ballard, 12).
200-yard medley relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Tonner DeBeer, Kennedy Lohman, Asia Seidt, Brooke Bauer), 1:40.61; 2. Notre Dame, 1:42.06; 3. Paul Dunbar, 1:48.92; 4. Dixie Heights, 1:49.18.
200 freestyle: 1. Brooke Forde, Sacred Heart, 1:46.76; 2. Sophie Skinner, Notre Dame, 1:48.15; 3. Lydia Jackson, South Oldham, 1:49.60; 4. Cameron Brown, Christian Academy, 1:49.94.
200 individual medley: 1. Asia Seidt, Sacred Heart, 1:56.83; 2. Zorry Mason, Manual, 2:01.70; 3. Madeleine Vonderhaar, Notre Dame, 2:03.33; 4. Hannah Fuchs, Sacred Heart, 2:04.85.
50 freestyle: 1. Gabi Albiero, Christian Academy, 22.80; 2. Brooke Bauer, Sacred Heart, 23.03; 3. Grace Oglesby, North Oldham, 23.39; 4. Tonner DeBeer, Sacred Heart, 23.42.
1-meter diving: 1. Lindsey Fox, Scott, 413.45; 2. Elana Ehl, Henry Clay, 381.95; 3. Flanary Patterson, Madison Southern, 377.95; 4. Van McKinley, Lafayette, 365.80.
100 butterfly: 1. Grace Oglesby, North Oldham, 53.64; 2. Zorry Mason, Manual, 54.88; 3. Madison Winstead, Paul Dunbar, 54.92; 4. Mallory Beil, Dixie Heights, 55.51.
100 freestyle: 1. Sophie Skinner, Notre Dame, 50.13; 2. Brooke Bauer, Sacred Heart, 50.18; 3. Tonner DeBeer, Sacred Heart, 50.94; 4. Gabi Albiero, Christian Academy, 51.50.
500 freestyle: 1. Brooke Forde, Sacred Heart, 4:48.46; 2. Lydia Jackson, South Oldham, 4:51.76; 3. Rachel Klinker, Tates Creek, 4:55.81; 4. Cameron Brown, Christian Academy, 4:58.98.
200 freestyle relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Molly O’Hara, Kennedy Lohman, Brooke Forde, Brooke Bauer), 1:34.09; 2. Christian Academy, 1:35.44; 3. North Oldham, 1:36.22; 4. Notre Dame, 1:37.84.
100 backstroke: 1. Asia Seidt, Sacred Heart, 52.89; 2. Amanda Smith, Notre Dame, 55.80; 3. Hitona Miyabayashi, Elizabethtown, 55.93; Ali Fort, Collins, 56.03.
100 breaststroke: 1. Madison Winstead, Paul Dunbar, 1:00.45; 2. Madeleine Vonderhaar, Notre Dame, 1:01.52; 3. Kennedy Lohman, Sacred Heart, 1:01.94; 4. Kaylee Wheeler, Collegiate, 1:03.60.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Sacred Heart (Tonner DeBeer, Molly O’Hara, Brooke Forde, Asia Seidt), 3:24.14; 2. Christian Academy, 3:28.22; 3. Paul Dunbar, 3:29.91; 4. North Oldham, 3:30.71.
Outstanding Meet Competitors: Asia Seidt (Sacred Heart), Madison Winstead (Paul Dunbar).
Tim Cahill Outstanding Coach Award: Amy Albiero (Christian Academy).
Outstanding Diving Coach: Katie McGonigal (Notre Dame).
All-State first team: Brooke Forde, Asia Seidt, Brooke Bauer, Kennedy Lohman (Sacred Heart); Sophie Skinner, Madeleine Vonderhaar (Notre Dame); Zorry Mason (Manual); Gabi Albiero (Christian Academy); Lindsey Fox (Scott); Grace Oglesby (North Oldham); Lydia Jackson (South Oldham); Madison Winstead (Paul Dunbar).
All-State second team: Rachel Klinker (Tates Creek); Cameron Brown (Christian Academy); Amanda Smith (Notre Dame); Katie Hampel (Owensboro Catholic); Tonner DeBeer, Emily LeClair, Hannah Fuchs (Sacred Heart); Elana Ehl (Henry Clay); Flanary Patterson (Madison Southern); Mallory Beil (Dixie Heights); Samantha Glass (Notre Dame); Hitona Miyabayashi (Elizabethtown); Ali Fort (Collins); Kaylee Wheeler (Collegiate); Mollie Bushelman (Beechwood).