Swimmers cap off a remarkable season at State

Justin Karpinos
Saturday Prelims:
 
Trudy and Natalie kicked off the second morning with the 500 freestyle.  Both girls dropped seven seconds off their season bests and broke six minutes for the first time, with Trudy finishing in 5:56.4 and Natalie in 5:59.7.  The logistical challenges of not having our pool this season have most affected our team in our distance races, so we were particularly pleased with these performances.
 
We spent a lot of time on Friday evening deliberating over which of the two freestyle relays to try to stack.  While we felt very confident in our medley relay, the freestyle relays have been traditionally harder for us to score in.  Ultimately, the 200 freestyle relay had to take a back seat to the 400 freestyle relay, and our expectation for Ben, Kellon, Neil, and Rob’s job was really just to try to help us discern which freestylers to place on the “higher priority” 400 free relay.
 
At least that was the plan….
 
Instead, these four won their early heat, breaking the 2011 school record in the process.  Their time (1:33.05) included two sub-23 splits by Kellon and Rob.  It held up all the way through the rest of the seeded heats, and we ended up with a scoring swim that we hadn’t anticipated at all!
 
Mark, Kellon, and Daniel came back in the 100 backstroke a few minutes later with three more best times.  Daniel dropped 1.5 seconds off his best time, finishing in 58.01.  Kellon, who had barely broken a minute for the first time at Regions, crushed his heat and finished in 55.74.  That swim made him the third-fastest 100 backstroker in USN history and nearly qualified for finals.
 
Although Elena was probably capable of cruising her way through preliminaries in the 100 breaststroke, she didn’t hold anything back in the morning.  Being aggressive in prelims paid off, as she broke her own school record and earned All-American consideration.  Marina, Will, and Mackenzie added three more lifetime bests, with Marina and Will earning spots on the USN all-time Top 10 list.  Nicholas was just off his performance from Regions and was unable to qualify for finals.
 
The girls had a quick turnaround to the 400 freestyle relay, where they swam a season best by five seconds.  We were particularly proud of Marina’s split (1:02.9), which was much faster than she’s ever been on 400 freestyle relays all year.  The boys’ “B” relay all swam lifetime best splits, with Daniel and Ben both dropping into the 52 range for the first time.  Our “A” team of Mark, Kellon, Rob, and Nicholas broke the school record set last year with strong performances from everyone, qualifying for finals in the process.
 
Saturday finals:
 
The boys’ 200 freestyle relay was geared up for a tight race.  Although they were unable to improve their placing, they still cut another tenth off the school record (1:32.93), with Neil, Kellon, and Ben posting improved splits from prelims.
 
Mark and Elena weren’t able to improve on their preliminary performances, but Elena finished third in the fastest 100 breaststroke final in Tennessee history, beating the All-American consideration time again.  Mark held onto his 14th place to give us valuable points.
 
Finally, to cap off the meet and the season, our boys’ 400 freestyle relay cut another second and a half off their own school record.  Kellon’s split (49.49) was the second fastest 100 freestyle performance in USN history, and Daniel had another huge performance (50.31).  Mark and Nicholas each swam strong 50. splits as well, giving us a final time of 3:21.14.
 
What a meet!  Our team finish (18th overall out of 127 teams statewide), was the fourth place school in Middle TN, and the second highest among TSSAA Division II-A schools.  Our State team’s performances this weekend generated:
 
-93% lifetime bests (26 out of 28 events)
-24 USN all-time Top 10 swims
-7 scoring swims in finals
-5 school records
-1 All-American Consideration time
 
This team has set the standard for what a USN championship meet performance looks like, and we’re very proud of their ability to perform at their best against the best competition.   A huge thank you to all our student/faculty supporters, parents, and especially to our seniors, who have left a remarkable legacy for their teammates in the years to come.
Back

More USN News

List of 3 news stories.

  • 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 members gather in Durnan Auditorium for their annual luncheon.

    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

    It 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.
     
    Read More
Archive

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

Resources

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.