AQUABOMBERS EARN STATE RUNNER-UP TROPHY
St. Xavier had another outstanding performance at the 99^th edition of the OHSAA Swimming and Diving championships held in Canton February 27th and 28th.  The Long Blue Lane finished behind St. Charles in another extremely competitive meet.  As usual, C. T. Branin Natatorium was rocking as it hosted the best high school meet in the country.  On the Division I Boys side, the finals quickly turned into a 2-team race with St. Charles and St. X changing leads 4 times throughout the first 8 events.  Following the 200 Free Relay, "The Charlies" extended their advantage and posted the ultimate victory.
Unique Outcome By The Numbers:

 
Top 5 team scores:
St. Charles                   348.5
St. Xavier                     311
Mason                          214
Upper Arlington           209
St. Ignatius                   183
 

 
"The Boys in Blue" graduated 124 points from a year ago.  This year's participants demonstrated an intensity that was the product of a year long challenge to remain competitive at the highest level.  Leading the way was senior Chase "Bob" Grisi, who defended his title in the 200 Free and anchored the winning 400 Free Relay with the 2^nd fastest split in program history (43.37).  He was joined at the top of the podium by Owen Gee [SO], Alex Nixon [SR] and Tucker Charles [JR].  Charles' split was the 8^th best in history.  All four produced lifetime bests and were less than 5 tenths of a second off the State and school record.
 
The foursome was busy throughout finals with Charles picking up three more medals (200 Medley Relay – 3^rd, 100 Free – 3^rd, 100 Back – 1^st).  Gee did similarly adding (200 Medley – 3^rd, 100 Fly – 3^rd, 500 free – 2^nd). Nixon claimed 5^th in 200 to go along with a bronze in the 500 and silver on the 200 Free Relay. 
 
The medalists had plenty of company in the scoring column as St. X scored in 10 of 11 events, with multiple scorers in 6 of the individual races.

 
Also representing the AquaBombers were Tommy Colvin [SO], Safet Hatic [JR], Brayden Scott [SR], Nabil Sinno [SR], and Gokul Vamadeva [SR].
 
The following achieved Honor Roll recognition for top 24 all-time performances:
 

[Relays are not included in this listing, nor are lead off swims]
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 

 
St. X All-American Status
200 Medley Relay (Automatic)
200 Free – Grisi (Automatic)
50 Free – Grisi (Automatic)
100 Fly  - Grisi (Automatic) Gee (Automatic)
100 Free – Grisi (Automatic) Charles (Consideration)
500 Free – Gee (Consideration)
200 Free Relay – (Automatic)
100 Back – Charles (Automatic)
400 Free Relay – (Automatic)
 
   
 
 
 
 
 

 
"Working beside Coach Brower again this year, coupled with the quality of our student/athletes, was a gratifying experience.  Watching our guys perform so well is meaningful in so many ways.  We congratulate St. Charles on their achievement.  I personally want to thank all of the Long Blue Lane Nation (family, friends, fans) for their support.  It's a long season, but we accomplished a great deal in and out of the pool", noted assistant head coach Tom Keefe.
 
"This meet is so special. The atmosphere is electric.  It is the best high school meet in the country.  The prelim/finals format is a real test. Our athletes rose to the occasion and produced some great results," analyzed coach Tim Beerman.  Coach Beerman is the only coach in Division I history to coach both girls and boys team champions.
 
"We certainly demonstrated a special team effort and a brotherhood that will last a lifetime.  Our athletes and colleagues brought it together in our journey," concluded coach Dave Albert.
 
"Coming home to the "hub" of the swimming universe makes for quite an experience.  Everyone at C. T. Branin was treated to 2 days of incredible swimming.  When you look at the results you realize just how fast swimmers have become.  The number of All-Americans is staggering.  I am profoundly grateful to our team for their efforts throughout the year to keep us at the highest level of our sport," summarized head coach Jim Brower. [Special note – Coach Brower's team have scored 6,637 points under his direction in his Hall of Fame career at the OHSAA State meet.]