USN Tigers split with Franklin on Senior Night
USN boys team completes Division sweep with win over Franklin, but girls and combined team fall. Spence earns first Region cuts, Tattersfield earns State cut.
The USN Swimming Tigers traveled to Brentwood to take on the Franklin High School Rebels for the team’s final dual meet of the season. Franklin’s combined team and boys’ teams entered the meet undefeated, but we felt confident about matching up with them well, so we knew that it would be a close meet all around.
Our boys’ team emerged with a 96.5-73.5 win, solidifying their MTHSSA Division III championship. Our girls lost 101-66, giving Franklin a combined win by 12 points (174.5-162.5). Nevertheless, we were proud to send our senior class off with a strong showing headed into our championship meets.
Our senior boys led the way, contributing five individual event wins. Mark Rusznak captured both the 200 and 500 freestyles, Nicholas Ng won the 200 IM and 100 butterfly, and Daniel Pannock won the 100 backstroke.
The Class of 2014 boys also combined for two relay wins. Daniel Pannock, Nicholas Ng, Will Jones, and Ben Tattersfield captured the 200 medley relay, while Ng, Tattersfield, Rob Dobie, and Mark Rusznak won the 200 freestyle relay. Both swims were USN’s fastest dual meet swims ever. Nicholas’ 200 freestyle relay leadoff was also the second-fastest 50 freestyle in school history.
Apart from our event winners, we were impressed with a host of individual performances. Senior John Spence earned his first two Region cuts ever in the 50 and 100 freestyle, dropping 6 seconds off his previous best in the 100 free. Ben Tattersfield swam a lifetime best in the 50 free, earning his State cut along the way. Dylan Young dropped eight seconds in his 500 free and showed great range across all the freestyle distances.
Our girls’ team continued to battle, winning five events, but couldn’t match Franklin’s depth. Elena Escalas swam some off-events and won both the 100 and 200 freestyles. Her 200 freestyle time moved her up to 7th on the USN all-time Top 10 list. Elena's absence in the 100 breaststroke left the event wide open for Trudy Zou and Marina Escalas to finish 1-2. The girls’ 200 medley relay (Zou, Elena, Natalie TeSelle, Marina) and 400 freestyle relay (Zou, TeSelle, Elena, and senior captain Julianna Lewis) also won in close, exciting races.
Other individual highlights came from Caroline Hollahan, who swam big lifetime bests in both the 100 fly and 500 free, and Marina Escalas, who continues to improve and is knocking on the door of multiple State cuts
Although it hasn’t made itself apparent in dual meet scores yet, we’re proud of the way our girls have set themselves up for a great Region and State meet, with three girls already qualified for State and eight qualified for Region.
Congratulations to our swimmers of the meet, Caroline Hollahan and Ben Tattersfield, and to all the members of the Class of 2014: Kenyon Carpenter, Rob Dobie, Will Jones, Julianna Lewis, Sophia Navarre, Nicholas Ng, Case Nieboer, Daniel Pannock, Mark Rusznak, John Spence, Ben Tattersfield, and Dylan Young.
We now begin our preparations for the Region and State championships, with 25 Regional qualifiers and 10 State qualifiers to date. A special thank you to all our Dr. Fitzpatrick and all our student supporters who came to cheer on the team last night!
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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.