The St. Xavier Bombers won the Southwest Ohio High School Swimming & Diving Classic team championship last weekend.
That might sound like a ho-hum statement considering the Bombers extended their undefeated streak in an event that celebrated its 40th anniversary. The deeper matter is that St. X scored 551.5 points, defeating second-place Mason by 252 points.
"We trust the process. Our kids trust the process. We get up and race when it's important. We get up and race whenever we have the opportunity to," head coach Dave Albert said.
Many of those opportunities come at Keating Natatorium, which is one of the finest facilities in Greater Cincinnati and is the home of the Cincinnati Marlins. In addition to hosting the Southwest Ohio Classic, St. X was the scene for this year's Jesuit Cup and the inaugural Catholic Invitational.
"When you have that many athletes competing in a single event, you're bound to get some really good competition year in and year out," Albert said.
The Southwest Classic has not only become one of the largest high school meets in the nation, it also helps prepare the Bombers for the postseason that follows shortly after. What is almost more impressive than St. Xavier's 40 Southwest Classic win is its 43 boys state championships, 30 more than the next closest school.
The Bombers' first trophy in 1970 started a streak of 12 consecutive titles. They have also had streaks of six years, nine years and 13 years. They followed up a rare runner-up finish in 2022 by winning last year's championship with a 105-point score.
The 16 seniors on this year's squad are focused on starting a new streak, but being leaders for their younger teammates is just as important.
"We're trying to be the best team we can by being the best people we can be," senior Thackston McMullan said. McMullan has won five state titles, three as an individual and two with relays. He's also been a 16-time NISCA All-American, which means his submitted and accepted times in a particular event are among the top 100 in the nation.
St. Xavier's motto is "Men for others." Every member of the team has shown up for each other. Junior varsity swimmers came to the Southwest Classic to support their varsity counterparts. But it's more than cheering each other on at meets. Their desire to win extends to their everyday interactions at school and in the pool. McMullan describes the team's responsibility to each other as "leave no man behind."
"We all have each other's backs, but we also give each other a push in the right direction," McMullan said.
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