By Duncan Nixon
Correspondent
The Fluco boys’ and girls’ swim and dive teams have been very busy. The girl’s and boys’ swimmers competed in a three-way meet Jan. 4 at Chancellor High and both teams took first place. The teams then swam Jan. 8 in the Ben Hair meet, a mega-event held at the University of Virginia pool facility. The girls finished fourth out of 13 teams, while the boys were sixth out of 17 teams.
The Fluco divers, who Coach Feda Morton noted are all diving for the Flucos for the first time, competed in the Ben Hair event Jan. 9. They also dived in competition for the first time at the Blacksburg high school dive event.
At the Ben Hair event, Fluco athletes established four State qualifying times. Hunter Strickland completed the exhausting 200-meter individual medley in a school record time of 2:04.47, which was good enough for third place. The other three State qualifying times were all posted by Spanish exchange student Maialin Sudupe. Morton said that her time of 5:18.04 in the 500-meter freestyle “destroyed” the former school record. Sudupe also set a new school record in the 100-meter backstroke with a time of 58:53. These times were both good for second place in the meet. Sudupe’s third State qualifying time was 25:73 in 50-meter free sprint.
A host of other school records were established at the Ben Hair meet. Gus Jones broke his old school record in the 100-meter breaststroke. Abby Harlow finished second in the 100-meter breaststroke and established a new school record.
Three relay teams set new school records. The girls’ 200-meter free relay team finished first in a new school record time, as did the girl’s 200-meter medley relay team. Both teams consisted of Sudupe, Harlow, Ally Lounsbury and Abby Fuller. The boys’ 200-meter medley relay team also set a new school record. This team consisted of Jones, Jack Kershner, Hunter Strickland and Owen Strickland.
Last, but definitely not least, Fuller was the winner in both the 50-meter free and the 100-meter free. She holds the school record in both these events and was already State qualified in both.
According to Morton the girls and boys both “finished a dominating first place” at the Jan. 4 meet at Fredericksburg. The other schools competing were Chancellor High and Riverbend High. At this meet, State qualifying times were turned in by Fuller in the 200-meter IM and the 100-meter fly. Sudupe swam a State qualifying time in the 500-meter free and also set a new school record.
The Flucos achieved numerous first place finishes. Sudupe was first in the 200-meter free and the 500-meter free. Harlow was first in the 50-meter free and the 100-meter breast. Fuller was first in the 100-meter fly and the 200-meter IM. Megan Farist was first in the 100-meter free, and Emma DiFazio took first in the 100-meter back.
For the boys, there were also numerous first place finishes. Jones was first in the 200-meter IM and in the 100-meter breast. Hunter Strickland was first in the 50-meter free. Owen Strickland was first in the 100-meter back. Connor Bridge was fastest in the 100-meter free.
The boys and girls both won the 200-meter medley relay and the 200-meter free relay. Second place finishers for the Flucos were Owen Strickland in the 200-meter IM, Kershner in the 50-meter free and the 100-meter back, Hunter Strickland in the 100-meter fly, and Olivia Strickland in the 100-meter breast. Both 400-meter free relay teams also came in second.
Each diver had 11 dives at the Ben Hair event held at Woodberry Forest. For the boys, Jason Dech finished fifth and qualified for the State dive meet. Kamden Shephard was ninth. For the girls, Lauren Davis was fifth and Logan Brophy was seventh.
At the meet at the Blacksburg High Invitational, which was a six-dive event, Dech finished third and Davis was sixth.
The Fluco teams have only two events remaining before the Feb. 1 Region swim-in. They host a three-school event at Fork Union Military Academy Jan. 18, and on Jan. 25 they will be swimming at Harrisonburg high.
