Swimming Closes Out at State
Olivia '24 and both girls' relays earn state finalist swims
Eight members of the USN Swimming Tigers competed at the TISCA State Championship meet this past weekend.
The meet was broken up into regional sites to maintain facility limitations and didn’t quite have the electricity of the usual (900+ athlete state meet), the Tigers showed up prepared to race and put a strong punctuation mark on the season. Our region competed locally at the Ensworth Natatorium.
The girls’ team, six qualifiers strong, earned three state finalist swims and swam a whole host of season best times, and our two boys swam all season best times as well.
Olivia Schwarz ’24 led the way, swimming in her first high school state meet. Olivia dropped a second off her seed time and broke the 2:00 barrier for the first time, finishing in 1:59.58 to win her heat and take 14th overall. She also earned her first individual spot on the USN all-time Top list with the performance, just behind Abby Liff ’20.
Other highlights from Day 1 came from Lauren French ’21, who swam a season best by two seconds in the 200 freestyle, and from Kursten Griffin ‘22 and Kara Grace Hess ’23, who swam season bests in the 50 freestyle. Kara Grace returned to the pool a few minutes later to swim right at her season best in the 100 butterfly.
The boys’ session included a lifetime best from William Grobmyer ’22 in the 50 freestyle and a strong effort from Sage Sasaki ‘21 in the 200 IM.
On the second day of the meet, Caroline Cramer ’22 kicked things off by breaking the 1:00 barrier in the 100 freestyle for the first time, dropping a full second off her lifetime best to finish in 59.27. Kursten added a season best (55.70), and Emma Schwarz ’24 and Olivia raced as well.
Lauren returned in the 500 freestyle and swam a season best by 4 seconds, finishing in 5:53.
The girls’ 200 freestyle relay (Kara Grace, Lauren, Olivia, Kursten) posted another top-16 swim, finishing 11th overall. Their time of 1:43.94 was nearly identical to our 2020 performance and the fourth fastest time in school history. And to close out the girls’ meet, the same quartet fought hard to squeeze in at 16th in 3:50.18.
In the boys’ session, both William (51.4 in the 100 freestyle) and Sage (1:05.4 in the 100 breaststroke) swam right at their season best times.
It was great to see this crew supporting each other and engaged in the meet. In our first interscholastic competition since March 2020, they showed up and represented USN with a great deal of focus and passion.
Special congratulations to Lauren and Sage, who completed their high school careers. Lauren and Sage have both brought a LOT of leadership and great performances to our team for the past four years. We are grateful to them for leaving their fingerprints on the USN swimming program and wish them the best in their next steps!
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Ava ’26 recognized by National Council of Teachers of English
Congratulations to the rising senior, who has been selected for a 2025 Achievement Award in Writing by the National Council of Teachers of English.Read More -
Retired faculty, staff return to USN
As part of a longstanding tradition, retired teachers and professionals from USN over the years came together to celebrate, connect, and reminisce during their annual luncheon in Durnan Auditorium.Read More -
Athletes beyond Edgehill
Read MoreIt is common to have five or more University School of Nashville student-athletes sign college athletic commitment letters each year, and this year, USN saw eight more student-athletes commit to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. USN has several alumni participating in their chosen sport at the collegiate level from the Classes of 2021 through 2025. Continue reading to learn more about where Tigers are competing beyond Edgehill.
Contact
Edgehill Campus
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
2000 Edgehill Ave.
Nashville, TN 37212
Phone: 615-321-8000
Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
River Campus
1200 County Hospital Road
Nashville, TN 37218
USN Mission:
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.
University School of Nashville models the best educational practices. In an environment that represents the cultural and ethnic composition of Metropolitan Nashville, USN fosters each student’s intellectual, artistic, and athletic potential, valuing and inspiring integrity, creative expression, a love of learning, and the pursuit of excellence.