Tigers battle among Division rivals
HS swimming defeats Ensworth, St. Cecilia, CPA, JP2; falls to Father Ryan
The USN Swimming Tigers headed to Ensworth on Saturday for our third meet in eight days for a big Divisional meet with Ensworth, Father Ryan, JP2, CPA, and St. Cecilia.
We knew that this would be an intense meet on a lot of levels: all of these teams have a strong presence at the Region and State levels, and the multi-team double dual format meant that we couldn't tailor our lineup towards matching up with any one team. This was a meet that could not be won on coaching strategy; we had to battle in every race in order to be competitive in this format.
In the team scoring contests, our combined team emerged 3-1, with victories over Ensworth, JP2, and CPA and a loss to Father Ryan.
Our girls finished 2-2-1 on the day; they defeated St. Cecilia and CPA, tied Ensworth, and lost to Father Ryan and JP2 (by 3 and 6 points, respectively -- those are VERY close meets!).
Our boys finished 3-1, defeating Ensworth, JP2, and St. Cecilia, and falling to Father Ryan.
While we're relatively pleased with the team outcomes, we're more energized by seeing some strong races and improvements as we gear up for our Region and State preparations.
On the girls' side, senior captain Elena Escalas set the tone with a hard fought 200 freestyle. Elena doesn't specialize in freestyle, but her willingness to compete in a strong heat showed some good leadership. Trudy Zou and Margaret Luffman continued the tone with a hard-fought 200 IM, finishing second and third overall.
The sprint freestyles were tough for us, but Marina Escalas and Ky Hall had some good efforts that kept us competitive.
Natalie TeSelle finished second in the 100 butterfly, with Caroline Hollahan and Mary Niarhos joining in. Natalie joined with her classmates Caroline Hollahan and Effie Zuberer-Davis to pick up some points in the 500 freestyle. Effie won her 500 heat with a 16-second improvement, and Caroline and Natalie both had strong in-season times.
Natalie TeSelle finished second in the 100 butterfly, with Caroline Hollahan and Mary Niarhos joining in. Natalie joined with her classmates Caroline Hollahan and Effie Zuberer-Davis to pick up some points in the 500 freestyle. Effie won her 500 heat with a 16-second improvement, and Caroline and Natalie both had strong in-season times.
A trio of girl backstrokers -- Margaret, Katie, and Ky -- continued their march towards the State cut, with Margaret leading the way in 1:08.9 and Katie and Ky following in 1:09.0 and 1:10.6.
Finally, Trudy Zou picked up our only girls' individual win of the day, capturing the 100 breaststroke in a personal best time of 1:11.9.
Our girls' swimmer of the meet was Caroline Hollahan, who posted lifetime bests in both the 100 butterfly and 500 freestyle.
The boys' team felt the challenge of competing with some notable absences but raced well in many events.
Individually, Kellon Patey won the 500 freestyle and added a second-place finish in the 200 free; his relay splits (27.0 leading off the medley relay; 52.1 anchoring the 400 free relay) were especially encouraging.
Other individual highlights came from Neil Zheng, who had a strong 200 IM and 100 fly double, Ben Werther, who two lifetime bests in the 100 fly and 500 free, and Mackenzie Myers, who contributed a strong 100 breaststroke to the effort.
Our boy's swimmer of the meet was Jack Reed. Jack had four good swims and continues to get closer to the State cut in the 50 freestyle every time he races. He added a solid 100 split on the 400 free relay as well (56.1).
Henry Standard broke the minute barrier in the 100 freestyle for the first time, winning his heat in 57.9.
The boys' relays were very competitive events, and our teams began to show some real promise and improved depth. Our 200 medley relay (Kellon, Mackenzie, Neil, Joshua) posted their season best time, as did our 400 free relay (Joshua, Neil, Jack, Kellon). The 200 freestyle relay (Jack, Henry, Ben Werther, Mackenzie) saw all four swimmers post season-best splits, which is very encouraging for the Region meet. Finally, Joshua Twillie and Kellon ended the meet with some strong splits to lead the way in the 400 free relay.
The team heads to compete against Centennial High School on Tuesday, 1/20 before beginning preparations for the Region and State championships.
More USN News
List of 3 news stories.
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Middle School Quiz Bowl Team competes at National Championship
On Friday, May 9, members of the MS Quiz Bowl team traveled to Chicago to compete against schools from across the country in the National Academic Quiz Tournament Middle School National Championship.Read More -
Sandidge named Shmerling Chair for Excellence in Teaching
Sixth Grade English Teacher Katie Reen Sandidge assumes the role of USN’s first endowed chair, named in honor of a Distinguished Alumnus and former Board of Trustees President.Read More -
HS hosts annual awards day
High School faculty closed the academic year with a special tribute to seniors and recognition of stand-out students during the annual award assembly on Friday, May 9.Read More
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Fax: 615-321-0889
Email: info@usn.org
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1200 County Hospital Road
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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
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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.