Hilton Head Island girls claim 5th straight 3-A swimming title

It was obvious the afternoon would go Hilton Head Island High School's way after the first event of the day Saturday.

The Seahawks' 200-yard medley relay team of senior Lilla Felix, junior Madison Field, sophomore Karah Kurtz and sophomore Isobella Brockman was seeded eighth but didn't swim like it.

The girls swam to victory in 1 minute, 52.20 seconds in the day's first event and rolled to the Class 3-A state championship -- the team's fifth in a row -- in the S.C. High School League Swimming Championships at the University of South Carolina Natatorium in Columbia.

"It's like a kickoff return for a touchdown," Hilton Head High coach Mike Lane said. "You're ecstatic, you're just looking to place. It was really amazing. An amazing, amazing swim."

The Seahawks won the team title by 130 points over Academic Magnet.

"Kids graduate and move on and kids step up," Lane said. "And they just stepped up out of their minds today."

If the 200 medley relay was where the Seahawks announced their presence, the 500 freestyle is where they started etching their names on the trophy.

Felix defended her state title with a time of 5:00.70. And the Seahawks piled on. Sarah Reamy finished second to earn an All-State nod, followed by Lily Kerr in fourth and Ellen Vanagel in sixth.

"That was the dagger, the big point of the meet where we really put some points on the board," Lane said. "The freestyle events were the really big events for us."

Felix finished a close second in the 100 backstroke in 57.16, breaking the school record, and the 400 freestyle relay team of Felix, Sophomore Victoria Gill, the junior Reamy and Field earned a victory, as well.

"It was just an unbelievable team effort," Lane said. "I'll be remembering this one for a while. I think they even surprised themselves."

The meet was the Seahawks swan song for Felix, who found out this week she'll be swimming at Yale next season.

"Training next to (these girls) every day, to see how hard they work, we put everything into it," Felix said. "If they're working that hard, they deserve my best, so I always wanted to do my best. It's how you say thank you for being there for me, and I want to be there for you."

The senior never lost a meet at Hilton Head High.

"I never dreamed of being on a team this successful," Felix said. "I couldn't have ended my season with a better group of girls. They made my season.

"This is the most incredible group of girls, I couldn't ask for a better team."

The Hilton Head Island boys had a special meet, as well, finishing fifth, the best finish in school history.

Christ Church was the state champion.

The Seahawks were led by a second-place finish in the 400 freestyle relay by the team of junior Tristan Cummings, junior Ryan Naddy, sophomore Clayton North and junior Elliott Gayken in a time of 3:20.39.

"The boys had no seniors this year," Lane said. "Our sights are set very high for next year. We're definitely going to be a contender."

CLASS 4-A

Bluffton's boys team finished seventh in the Class 4-A meet earlier in the day, while the girls placed 15th.

Riverside swept both state championships.

On the boys side, the Bobcats were led by John Evans' second-place finish in the 200 individual medley in a time of 1:56.37.

The top finisher on the girls side for Bluffton was Abby Hess, who was 10th in the 100 backstroke in 1:02.97.

SCHSL Swimming State Championships

Saturday, University of South Carolina Natatorium, Columbia

(Results include champions and area finishers; Top 3 finishers are named All-State)

CLASS 3-A RESULTS

Girls Team Scores

1, Hilton Head, 422. 2, Academic Magnet, 292. 3, A C Flora, 279.5. 4, Bishop England, 223. 5, Myrtle Beach, 219. 6, St Josephs, 202. 7, Christ Church, 200. 8, Aiken, 198. 9, Eastside, 183. 10, Chapin, 151.5. 11, Brashier Middle College, 138. 12, Dreher, 136. 13, Lancaster, 107. 14, St James, 83. 15, Brookland Cayce, 69. 16, Daniel, 67. 17, South Pointe, 56. 18, North Myrtle Beach, 47. 19, Berkeley, 38. 19, Greenville Tech Charter, 38. 21, Beaufort, 29. 22, Latta, 22. 23, Governor's School, 18. 24, Waccamaw, 8.

Boys Team Scores

1, Christ Church, 365. 2, Academic Magnet, 331.5. 3, Eastside, 251.5. 4, Dreher, 248. 5, Hilton Head, 218. 6, Waccamaw, 212. 7, Aiken, 210. 8, St. Josephs, 181. 9, A C Flora, 165. 10, North Myrtle Beach, 147. 11, Bishop England, 139. 12, Myrtle Beach, 134. 13, Governor's School, 120. 14, Lancaster, 90. 15, Greenville Tech Charter, 63. 16, Newberry, 57. 17, Brookland Cayce, 55. 18, Brashier Middle College, 50. 19, Palmetto, 48. 20, South Pointe, 26. 21, Hartsville, 25. 22, Southside Christian School, 22. 23, Chapin, 16. 24, St James, 15. 25, Airport, 14. 26, Greer, 8. 27, Georgetown, 6. 28, Daniel, 4. 29, Berkeley, 3.

Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay

1, Hilton Head 'A' (Felix, Lilla SR, Field, Madison JR, Kurtz, Karah SO, Brockmann, Isobella SO), 1:52.20. 16, Beaufort 'A' (Mandell, Rebecca , Bostwick, Carsyn , Bostwick, Maya , Evering, Delaney ), 2:08.51.

Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay

1, Christ Church 'A' (Leftwich, Walker JR, Muse, Dylan FR, Barker, Bryan JR, Hovart, Rak FR), 1:38.39. 7, Hilton Head 'A' (Gayken, Elliott JR, Naddy, Ryan JR, North, Clayton SO, Cummings, Tristan JR), 1:43.93.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle

1, Baker, Sydney, CCH, 1:51.81. 2, Reamy, Sarah, HHD, 1:54.45. 4, Gill, Victoria, HHD, 1:55.65. 6, Kerr, Lily, HHD, 2:01.22. 8, Vanagel, Ellen, HHD, 2:04.20.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle

1, Davis, Tal, PAL, 1:42.29. 6, Cummings, Tristan, HHD, 1:48.57.

Girls 200 Yard IM

1, Baker, Maddie, CCH, 2:07.29. 5, Field, Madison, HHD, 2:12.79. 20, Bostwick, Maya, BEU, 2:31.04.

Boys 200 Yard IM

1, Pitts, Cooper, ACM, 1:54.26. 7, North, Clayton, HHD, 2:02.82. 12, McLoud, Will, HHD, 2:13.77.

Girls 50 Yard Freestyle

1, Konopka, Katrina, SJO, 22.99#.

Boys 50 Yard Freestyle

1, Kelly, John, SJO, 22.01.

Girls 100 Yard Butterfly

1, Zhou, Elaine, ACM, 54.63. 7, Field, Madison, HHD, 1:01.34. 8, Kurtz, Karah, HHD, 1:01.85.

Boys 100 Yard Butterfly

1, Barker, Bryan, CCH, 53.22.

Girls 100 Yard Freestyle

1, Konopka, Katrina, SJO, 49.82#. 4, Gill, Victoria, HHD, 55.67. 7, Brockmann, Isobella, HHD, 56.87. 8, Kurtz, Karah, HHD, 56.90. 19, Bostwick, Maya, BEU, 59.93. 20, Stokes, Mary Margaret, AKN, 1:00.23.

Boys 100 Yard Freestyle

1, Kelly, John, SJO, 48.46. 4, Gayken, Elliott, HHD, 48.79. 10, Naddy, Ryan, HHD, 50.95.

Girls 500 Yard Freestyle

1, Felix, Lilla, HHD, 5:00.70. 2, Reamy, Sarah, HHD, 5:06.29. 4, Kerr, Lily, HHD, 5:21.32. 6, Vanagel, Ellen, HHD, 5:29.12.

Boys 500 Yard Freestyle

1, Davis, Tal, PAL, 4:35.21. 7, North, Clayton, HHD, 4:59.43.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Myrtle Beach 'A' (Soapes, Kandes , Drew, Kennedy , McGonigal, Olivia , Langdale, Maggie ), 1:40.45. 4, Hilton Head 'A' (Gill, Victoria SO, Kerr, Lily SO, Kurtz, Karah SO, Brockmann, Isobella SO), 1:45.07. 13, Beaufort 'A' (Bostwick, Maya , Evering, Delaney , Bostwick, Carsyn , Mandell, Rebecca ), 1:52.07.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Dreher 'A' (Hahn, Nathan , Sawyer, Cameron , Konkle, Austin , Rue, Zachary), 1:30.20. 19, Hilton Head 'A' (McLoud, Will SO, Cummings, Bryson SO, Esteves, Gian SO, Howard, Michael), 1:45.12.

Girls 100 Yard Backstroke

1, Soapes, Kandes, MYR, 57.09. 2, Felix, Lilla, HHD, 57.16. 8, Brockmann, Isobella, HHD, 1:02.99.

Boys 100 Yard Backstroke

1, Bryan, Mason, NMB, 51.59. 7, Walton, Nathan, BRC, 56.58. 8, Cummings, Tristan, HHD, 58.14.

Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke

1, Baker, Sydney, CCH, 1:05.54.

Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke

1, Pitts, Cooper, ACM, 58.56. 3, Gayken, Elliott, HHD, 1:00.45. 8, Naddy, Ryan, HHD, 1:04.30.

Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Hilton Head 'A' (Felix, Lilla SR, Gill, Victoria SO, Reamy, Sarah JR, Field, Madison JR), 3:39.31.

Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Christ Church 'A' (Morse, Jonathan JR, Hovart, Rak FR, Kabas, Jackson SO, Barker, Bryan JR), 3:17.51. 2, Hilton Head 'A' (Cummings, Tristan JR, Naddy, Ryan JR, North, Clayton SO, Gayken, Elliott JR), 3:20.39.

CLASS 4-A RESULTS

Girls Team Scores

1, Riverside, 419. 2, Fort Mill, 351.5. 3, Wando, 295.5. 4, JL Mann, 233. 5, James Island, 214. 6, South Aiken, 193. 7, Wade Hampton, 182. 8, Mauldin, 177. 9, Dorman, 164. 10, River Bluff, 139.5. 11, TL Hanna, 135. 12, Clover, 133. 13, Greenville, 95. 14, North Augusta, 82. 15, Bluffton, 56.5. 16, Socastee, 50. 17, West Ashley, 45.5. 18, Spring Valley, 45. 19, Summerville, 42. 20, Lexington, 35. 21, Gaffney, 31. 22, Ft Dorchester, 28. 23, Ashley Ridge, 24. 24, York, 21. 25, Irmo, 18. 26, Spartanburg, 13. 27, Rock Hill, 12.5. 28, West Florence, 11. 29, Carolina Forest, 6. 30, Sumter, 3. 31, Boiling Springs, 2. 32, Blythewood, 1.

Boys Team Scores

1, Riverside, 363. 2, Fort Mill, 260. 3, Ft Dorchester, 242.5. 4, Nation Ford, 183. 5, West Ashley, 180.5. 6, Mauldin, 177.5. 7, Bluffton, 174. 8, River Bluff, 169. 9, Wando, 166.5. 10, Spring Valley, 161. 11, Clover, 155. 12, JL Mann, 145.5. 13, Socastee, 140.5. 14, Boiling Springs, 122. 15, Wade Hampton, 118.5. 16, Spartanburg, 59.5. 17, Dutch Fork, 55. 18, TL Hanna, 52. 19, Summerville, 50.5. 20, Lexington, 50. 21, Rock Hill, 45. 22, Blythewood, 35.5. 23, Northwestern, 30. 23, Easley, 30. 25, James Island, 22. 26, Ashley Ridge, 18. 27, Dorman, 13. 28, Irmo, 11. 29, West Florence, 8. 30, Gaffney, 7. 31, Goose Creek, 3.

Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay

1, Riverside 'A' (Reilly, Madeline FR, Horomanski, Jessica JR, Rudolph, Maegan SO, Prewette, Bay JR), 1:47.71.

Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay

1, Fort Mill 'A' (Kohlhoff, Jacob , Fairbanks, Lucas , Piedt, Zach , Fenwick, Ben ), 1:37.58. 6, Bluffton 'A' (Nelson, Erek SO, Evans, John SR, Reid, Camron SO, Funk, David JR), 1:40.69.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle

1, Galyer, Ali, JLM, 1:49.12. 15, Pangilinan, Kaitlyn, BLF, 2:01.73.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle

1, Kohlhoff, Jacob, FOM, 1:41.09. 14, Nelson, Erek, BLF, 1:53.01.

Girls 200 Yard IM

1, Faulconer, Savanna, JLM, 2:02.14.

Boys 200 Yard IM

1, Delahunty, Nathan, RVS, 1:55.48. 2, Evans, John, BLF, 1:56.37. 15, Suaza, Nicholas, BLF, 2:05.07.

Girls 50 Yard Freestyle

1, Wilson, Peyton, JIS, 23.92.

Boys 50 Yard Freestyle

1, Piedt, Zach, FOM, 20.71#.

Girls 100 Yard Butterfly

1, Whisenhunt, Meredith, GRV, 55.13.

Boys 100 Yard Butterfly

1, Frazier, Jack, RVS, 50.25.

Girls 100 Yard Freestyle

1, Wilson, Peyton, JIS, 51.74.

Boys 100 Yard Freestyle

1, Piedt, Zach, FOM, 45.14#.

Girls 500 Yard Freestyle

1, Whisenhunt, Meredith, GRV, 4:59.28. 14, Pangilinan, Kaitlyn, BLF, 5:22.49.

Boys 500 Yard Freestyle

1, Sweezer, David, NFD, 4:35.24. 5, Nelson, Erek, BLF, 4:52.43.

Girls 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Fort Mill 'A' (Herron, Tori , Pehowski, Jenna , Coughlen, Madison , Little, Madison ), 1:38.64.

Boys 200 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Fort Mill 'A' (Fenwick, Ben , Fairbanks, Lucas , Kohlhoff, Jacob , Piedt, Zach ), 1:27.68. 8, Bluffton 'A' (Nelson, Erek SO, Evans, John SR, DiCarlo, Nik FR, Funk, David JR), 1:33.25.

Girls 100 Yard Backstroke

1, Galyer, Ali, JLM, 55.67. 10, Hess, Abby, BLF, 1:02.97.

Boys 100 Yard Backstroke

1, Bagwell, Jackson, RKH, 51.52.

Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke

1, Faulconer, Savanna, JLM, 1:04.01#.

Boys 100 Yard Breaststroke

1, Delahunty, Nathan, RVS, 59.96. 6, Evans, John, BLF, 1:00.65.

Girls 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Wando 'A' (Burton, Allison , Groves, Rebecca , Conley, Victoria, Brotherton, Laura ), 3:35.82. 13, Bluffton 'A' (Shaw, Ali SR, Pangilinan, Brittany SR, Pangilinan, Kaitlyn FR, Hess, Abby SO), 3:55.21.

Boys 400 Yard Freestyle Relay

1, Spring Valley 'A' (Gregg, Alexander , Lobitz, Carl , Greene, Matthew , Agostini, Thomas ), 3:17.94. 11, Bluffton 'A' (Reid, Camron SO, Suaza, Nicholas SO, DiCarlo, Nik FR, Funk, David JR), 3:29.79.

This story was originally published October 11, 2014 at 11:01 PM with the headline "Hilton Head Island girls claim 5th straight 3-A swimming title."