Swimming & Diving 1/20/2023 2:16:00 PM

Classy Classic Victory for AquaBombers

Classy Classic Victory for AquaBombers

The 39^th edition of the Southwest Classic, the Nation's largest high school swimming meet was held January 14 and 15. Preliminaries were held at eleven different sites with finals at Keating Natatorium. When the four sessions had concluded, the Long Blue Lane hoisted the Championship trophy for the 39^th time. Top five schools on the scoreboard:

St. Xavier - 612.5
Mason - 331
Moeller - 262
Beavercreek - 255
Turpin - 200

The Long Blue Lane was represented by 62 athletes producing over 470 performances over the two-day span. The relays set the tone as St. X captured all four with stellar efforts:

400 Medley Relay – Chase Dillon [SR], Jaeger Ellerman [SO], Max Ward [JR], Alex Ingram [JR]
200 Free Relay – Thackston McMullan [JR], Ward, Luca Eckert [SR], Ingram
200 Medley Relay – Dillon, Ellerman, Ward, McMullan
400 Free Relay – Ingram, Adam Wade [SR], Eckert, McMullan

The three high school contested relays attained All-American consideration status.
The Classic features high school, college, as well as JV sprint events. In all cases, the Boys in Blue were up to the task scoring in every event. McMullan picked up individual wins in the 100 and 200 Free, as well as the 200 Fly. Also claiming gold was Ocean Isham [JR] in the 50 Fly. Gavin Hang continued his high level results adding a first in 1 meter diving. Other medalists were:

Ward 50 Free – 3^rd
McMullan 100 Fly – 2^nd
Jack Thorp [SR] 50 Breast – 2^nd
Ellerman 200 Breast – 2^nd
Ingram 200 IM – 3^rd
Kyle Silvestain [SR] 200 Fly – 3^rd
Ellerman 100 Breast – 3^rd
Isham 50 Back – 2^nd

The AquaBombers were particularly tough in the college events.

1650 – Ingram 4^th, Nick Stroh [SR] 9^th, Dave Fogler [SR] 12^th, Gino Eckert [SO] 13^th, Chase Grisi [FR] 16^th
200 Fly – McMullan 1^st, Silvestain 3^rd, Grisi 4^th, Luke Mangano [JR] 13^th, Braydon Myers [SR] 15^th
400 IM – Ingram 4^th, Ellerman 6^th, Dillon 7^th, Gino Eckert 9^th, Cooper Stenken [SO] 11^th, Brayden Scott [FR] 15th
200 Breast – Ellerman 2^nd, Ingram 4^th, Liam Bien [SO] 10^th, Stenken 16^th

On the other end of the spectrum, the JV sprint finals were filled with the Long Blue Lane.

100 IM – Mangano 5^th, Walker Bailey [SO] 6^th, Thorp 7^th, Isham 9^th, Sam DeMarco [FR] 15^th
50 Fly – Isham 1^st, Caden Young [FR] 5^th, DeMarco 9^th, Fogler 9^th, Alex Nixon [FR] 12^th, Aidan Smith 13^th, Thomas Pitstick [SO] 14^th
50 Back – Isham 2^nd, Caleb Chang [SO] 4^th, Nick Rocker [SO] 7^th, Young 11^th, Hendrix Cross [SO] 12^th

Sunday finals were indeed special as senior Luca Eckert received one of the prestigious Classic scholarships.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS –

470 total St. X swims/dives
Best Times
- 57% Saturday (prelims)
- 77% Saturday (finals)
- 54% Sunday (prelims)
- 68% Sunday (finals)
67 swims would have qualified for District last year
10 swims would have qualified for State last year
"Classic" classes – Seniors 17, Juniors 9, Sophomores 23, Freshmen 13
Varsity & JV scorers from all four classes
2652 competitive swims in last 8 weeks by AquaBombers
Top 24 Classic performances (new listings)

100 Free – McMullan 4^th
200 Free – McMullan 11^th
200 Breast – Ellerman 14^th
50 Fly – Isham 19^th
200 Fly – McMullan 8^th

- COACHES COMMENTS –

"This is the largest contingent we have sent to the Classic in many years. Their ability to get up and race was inspiring. Equally impressive was the spirit the guys displayed over the four sessions," commented head coach Dave Albert.

"This is a remarkable event. So many volunteers working together to make for a smooth operation. Congrats to those in the water, on the deck, in the stands and behind the scenes," reflected assistant head coach Tom Keefe.

"Watching our guys compete at this level continues to keep us focused on getting better each day," offered coach Matt Normile.

"The quality and depth of competition is outstanding. In my decades as a coach, many things have changed. But the "Classic" is indeed a classic," summarized assistant head coach Jim Brower.

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Players Mentioned

Chase Dillon: Junior; Lakota Ridge Jr. School

Max Ward: Sophomore; Loveland Middle School

Walker Bailey: Sophomore

Liam Bien: Sophomore

Caleb Chang: Sophomore

Hendrix Cross: Sophomore

Gino Eckert: Sophomore

Luca Eckert: Senior

Jaeger Ellerman: Sophomore

Gavin Hang: Senior

Ocean Isham: Junior

Luke Mangano: Junior

Players Mentioned

Chase Dillon
: Junior; Lakota Ridge Jr. School

Max Ward
: Sophomore; Loveland Middle School

Walker Bailey
: Sophomore

Liam Bien
: Sophomore

Caleb Chang
: Sophomore

Hendrix Cross
: Sophomore

Gino Eckert
: Sophomore

Luca Eckert
: Senior

Jaeger Ellerman
: Sophomore

Gavin Hang
: Senior

Ocean Isham
: Junior

Luke Mangano
: Junior

ST. XAVIER BOMBERS ATHLETICS

Classy Classic Victory for AquaBombers

Players Mentioned

Chase Dillon

Max Ward

Walker Bailey

Liam Bien

Caleb Chang

Hendrix Cross

Gino Eckert

Luca Eckert

Jaeger Ellerman

Gavin Hang

Ocean Isham

Luke Mangano

Players Mentioned

Chase Dillon

Max Ward

Walker Bailey

Liam Bien

Caleb Chang

Hendrix Cross

Gino Eckert

Luca Eckert

Jaeger Ellerman

Gavin Hang

Ocean Isham

Luke Mangano

Scoreboard