MANSFIELD, TX -- The Bishop Lynch women's swim team has been dominating the pool for nearly five years now and that didn't change at the TAPPS North Regional last Friday. The women won nine of the 11 events on their way to defeating Ursuline 161.5-145 for the title.
The ladies started the meet off with a bang by winning the 200-meter Medley Relay and then never looked back, winning a total of 13 medals in the 11 events. On the first winning relay team were
Amie Perna,
Hanna Whitney,
Ella Whitney, and
Abby Beeson who swam a great race finishing a 1:47.39.
The next event was the 200-meter Freestyle where the ladies would get their first and only 1-2 finish of the afternoon. Perna and
Ella Whitney were the only two swimmers to swim under two minutes on their way to the podium.
The gold rush continued in the third event with
Hanna Whitney winning a close race in the 200-yard IM with a time of 2:10.07. The next race was the intense 50-yard Freestyle where the Friars had three swimmers finish in the top 12 with
Abby Beeson leading the way with a third-place finish.
Bishop Lynch once again found themselves with two swimmers on the podium after the 100-yard Butterfly.
Phoebe Johnson (58.12) and
Ella Whitney (1:00.42) finished second and third respectively. Harmon Holt on the men's side provided the only medal for Bishop Lynch in this event as the freshman finished third with a time of 59.63.
With six events left to go in the meet, the women's team decided it was time to take over as they won gold in each of the final six events. Starting with the 100-yard Freestyle,
Amie Perna won with a time of 52.53 with
Carolina Girard and
Ella Nichols finishing in fifth and sixth.
In the grueling 500-yard Freestyle,
Phoebe Johnson not only won the race but did so in great fashion, finishing 27 seconds ahead of the second-place finisher.
Caroline Ellis finished fourth in the race as well.
The Friars have been very good at relays over the past five years and that continued to show as they got their second relay gold in the 200-yard Freestyle Relay. This race was one of the most intense, with Bishop Lynch squeaking by Ursuline by just 0.37 seconds to earn the gold. Swimming on the relay team was
Hanna Whitney,
Carolina Girard,
Phoebe Johnson, and
Amie Perna.
With a savvy coaching/swimming decision,
Abby Beeson swam in the 100-yard Backstroke. The senior delivered as she won the gold with her teammate
Lily Roe finishing fourth. In the final individual event, the crowd saw
Hanna Whitney win her fourth gold medal of the afternoon in the 100-yard Breaststroke.
The final event of the meet was the 400-yard Freestyle Relay where the Friars would finish in first place going 3-3 in the relay races.
Abby Beeson,
Carolina Girard,
Ella Whitney, and
Phoebe Johnson were on the winning relay team.
Overall, Friday afternoon in Mansfield was a very successful day for the Friars in the pool. The women did what they needed to do to have a real shot at the state championship and the young men's team earned valuable experience while having a couple of swimmers earn a ticket to the state meet.
For full results, click here the following link:
https://blfriars.org/documents/2024/2/5/North-region-results-individual.pdf
Women's Final Results
1) Bishop Lynch High School -161. 50
2) Ursuline Academy -145
3) John Paul II High School - 59
4) Parish Episcopal School - 38
5) Prestonwood Christian Academy - 36.50
6) Nolan Catholic - 36
7) Trinity Christian Academy - 22
Men's Final Results
1) Nolan Catholic -169
2) John Paul II High School -101
3) Prestonwood Christian Academy - 59
3) Parish Episcopal School - 59
5) Bishop Lynch High School - 40
5) Trinity Christian Academy - 40
NEXT UP:
Swimming heads to San Antonio, TX to compete in the TAPPS Swimming State Championship next Monday, February 12.
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