On Saturday, July 14, the Sewanee Tigersharks hosted approximately 640 swimmers and families from 9 other area swim teams at the University of the South Natatorium for the 2018 RACE League Championships. At the conclusion of the 10 & U morning session, Tigershark swimmers were in the lead with a combined score of 890 points to the Manchester Makos 867 points. However by the end of the afternoon session of 11 - 18 year olds the Makos overook the Tigersharks and placed first with 2356 points The Sewanee Tigershark team took 2nd place with 1611 points Fayetteville Area Swim Team finished in 3rd place with 1486 points.

The Tigersharks, a smaller team with 65 swimmers compared to the Makos with 101 swimmers, swam a great meet and hung close to the Makos with 60 Tigersharks setting personal best times in one or more events. Four Tigershark swimmers took home High Point awards for their age group winning all their events. The team also broke 9 Race League Records and 8 Team Records.

The Sewanee Tigersharks will start up again in mid-April with Pre-Season Swim Team practices led by Max Obermiller, Head Coach of the Sewanee Swimming and Diving program. The Swim Team practices led by Head Coach John Noffsinger will start in late May. Swimmers interested in continuing their competitive swim team experience during the school year should contact John Noffsinger at [email protected], also Head Coach of Mountain Aquatic Club, regarding the MAC practice and competition schedule.

High Point Awards - Four Tigershark swimmers took home High Point awards in their age groups at the Championship Meet: Konrad Knoll (age 7) in the 8 & U Boys Category with 1st place finishes in the 25 m Freestyle, 25 m Breaststroke, and 25 m Backstroke; Zolon Knoll (age 14) in the 13-14 Boys Category with 1st place finishes in the 50 m Freestyle, 50 m Butterfly, and 100 m Individual Medley (IM); Reese Michaels (age 12) in the 11-12 Girls Category with 1st place finishes in the 50 m Breaststroke and 100 IM and a 2nd place finish in the 50 m Backstroke; Anara Summers (age 8) in the 7-8 Girls Category with 1st place finishes in the 8 & U Girls Category with 1st places finishes in the 25 m Breaststroke, 25 m Butterfly, and 100 m IM.

Records - Seven Tigershark swimmers set established nine new RACE League records and eight new Tigershark team records at the Championship meet. Sam Frazier established two new 8 & U Boys RACE League records and new team records in the 100 m Individual Medley with a time of 1:37.45, breaking Jackson Frazier’s 2014 record of 1:40.99, and in the 25 m Butterfly with a time of 19.62, breaking Winchester Swim Team’s Carson Huffines 2017 record of 19.92. Konrad Knoll also established two new 8 & U Boys’ RACE League records and new team records with a 25 m Freestyle time of 17.49 sec and 25 m Backstroke time of 21.03 seconds, breaking records of 17.67 (Freestyle) set by Huffines in 2017 and Sewanee Tigershark Will Raulston’s 2003 record time of 21.60 (Backstroke). Loulie Frazier established a new League and team record in the 9-10 Girls 25 m Backstroke, with a time of 18.41, breaking the 2015 record of 19.28 set by Fayetteville Area Swim Team’s Taya Shreve. Zolon Knoll established a new RACE League record and new team record in the 13-14 Boys 50 m Freestyle (27.03), breaking the 27.35 m Freestyle record set in 2010 by Ben McCrary, and a new League record in the 100 m Individual Medley (1:06.44), breaking the 2003 record of 1:07.34 set by Sewanee Tigershark Ralph Long. The 7-8 Tigershark Medley Relay team of Anara Summers, Lily Camp, Sam Frazier, and Konrad Knoll set a new League record and new team record with a time of 1:29.01, breaking the record of 1:33.59 set in 2013 by Sewanee Tigersharks Edie Paterson, Jackson Frazier, Libby Neubauer, and David Dolack. The 7-8 Boys Freestyle Relay team of Konrad Knoll, Will Roberts, Archer Ladd, and Sam Frazier set a new League record and new team record with a time of 1:20.71, breaking the 2003 record time of 1:22.12 set by Sewanee Tigersharks T. Yokley, W. Raulston, W. Pearigen, and J. Raulston. Additional Tigershark team records were set by Loulie Frazier in the 9-10 Girls 50 m Freestyle (36.92) and 25 m Butterfly (17.57), and by Anara Summers in the 8 & U 25 m Breaststroke (23.56).

Great Improvement by Other Swimmers - Twenty additional Tigershark swimmers placed in the top 6 in their individual events, earning significant points for the team: Sawyer Barry 4th in 8 & U 25 m Breaststroke and 100 m IM, 6th in 25 m Butterfly; Lily Camp 5th in 8 & U 25 m Breaststroke; Alex Dolack 5th in 8 & U 25 m Backstroke; Loulie Frazier 1st in 9-10 50 m Freestyle and 25 m Backstroke, 2nd in 25 m Butterfly; Sam Frazier 1st in 8 & U 25 m Butterfly and 100 m IM, 2nd in 25 m Freestyle; Sophia Hartman 5th in 15-18 50 m Backstroke; Cooper Knight 6th in 6 & U 25 m Freestyle; Archer Ladd 3rd in 8 & U 25 m Breaststroke, 4th in 25 m Butterfly; Maya Mauzy 2nd in 11-12 50 m Breaststroke, 3rd in 50 m Backstroke, 4th in 100 m IM; Theo Michaels 5th in 9-10 25 m Breaststroke; Caroline Neubauer 2nd in 9-10 25 m Backstroke, 6th in 25 m Butterfly; Libby Neubauer 2nd in 13-14 50 m Freestyle, 4th in 100 m IM; Porter Neubauer 5th in 15-18 50 m Breaststroke; Eoin Pate 6th in 9-10 25 m Breaststroke; Kathleen Perkins 6th in 13-14 50 m Breaststroke; Sarah Russell Roberson 5th in 9-10 25 m Backstroke and 25 m Butterfly, 6th in 100 m IM; Jack Roberts 1st in 6 & U 25 m Backstroke, 2nd in 25 m Freestyle; Will Roberts 2nd in 8 & U 100 m IM, 3rd in 25 m Butterfly, 4th in 25 m Freestyle; Aidan Smith 3rd in 15-18 50 m Butterfly, 4th in 100 m IM; and Maddie Van de Ven 5th in 9-10 Girls’ 25 m Breaststroke and 25 m Backstroke. 1st place finishes were earned by the following relay teams: 8 & U Mixed Medley (Anara Summers, Lily Camp, Sam Frazier, Konrad Knoll), 8 & U Boys Freestyle (Konrad Knoll, Archer Ladd, Will Roberts, Sam Frazier), 9-10 Girls Freestyle Relay (Caroline Neubauer, Maddie Van de Ven, Sarah Russell Roberson, Loulie Frazier), 15-18 Boys Freestyle Relay (Zolon Knoll, Larson Heitzenrater, Porter Neubauer, Aidan Smith).

Significant time improvements were seen by almost all swimmers on the team at the Championship meet, including 6 year old Nora Jane Elrod with an 18.70 drop on the 25 m Freestyle and a 16.76 drop on the 25 m Backstroke, 8 year old Heidi Bell King with a 10.69 sec drop on the 25 m Backstroke, 9 year old Theo Michaels with a 10.46 drop in the 100 m IM, and 8 year old Rachel Rundle with a 10.69 sec drop on the 25 m Backstroke.