Tigers Make Strides at Region Championship

Justin Karpinos
The USN Swimming team brought 28 individual qualifiers to the MTHSSA Region Championship, featuring over 50 schools, last Friday. Coming off a 5th place combined team finish last year, we knew that it would be difficult to replicate that team finish this season, especially as fast as the Middle TN Region has been this season.
 
Our girls' earned a 9th place finish with 84 points, while our boys' finished 8th overall with 106 points.  This gave us 190 points overall, which was good enough for 10th place.
 
From an improvement standpoint, we could not have asked for much more.  43 of our 50 individual swims (86%) were seasonal best performances, and all of our relays were USN's seasonal best times.  Many of the time drops represented breakthrough swims:
 
One of our major focus points was adding new State qualifiers to the team, and Jack Reed, Mackenzie Myers, Katie Watke, and Marina Escalas all punched their tickets with new qualifying times.  Margaret Luffman added a new individual cut as well.
 
-Caroline Hollahan dropped 3 seconds in her 100 butterfly and 2 seconds in her 200 freestyle
-Natalie TeSelle dropped 7 seconds in her 500 freestyle
-Ben Werther dropped nearly 2 seconds in his 50 freestyle and 3 in the 100 butterfly
-Skye Cameron dropped 3 more seconds in his 100 butterfly
-Claire Saxon dropped 3.5 seconds in her 100 freestyle and even more in her 100 backstroke
-Foster Cook and Connor Crenshaw each cut 3 seconds in the 100 breaststroke
-Tebyn Chittester cut over 3 seconds in his 100 freestyle
-Jessica Mei cut 2.5 seconds in her 100 freestyle
 
On the girls' side, individual scoring swims came from Trudy Zou (200 IM, 100 breast), Elena Escalas (100 fly, 100 breast), and Marina Escalas (100 breast).  Kellon Patey, Joshua Twillie, Mackenzie Myers, and Neil Zheng all contributed individual scoring swims.  Additionally, both the girls' 200 medley relay (4th) and 400 freestyle relay (10th) added big points, as did all the boys' relays, which placed 8th in all three.

Twelve members of the team will continue on to the TISCA State championship in February.  Special congratulations to Tebyn Chittester, Connor Crenshaw, and Skye Cameron, who all finished their high school swimming careers with some great swims and have contributed positively to our program in significant ways.


USN all-time Top 10 performances:
Natalie TeSelle's 100 butterfly (9th) and 500 freestyle (9th)
Trudy Zou's 100 breaststroke (4th)
Katie Watke's 100 backstroke (5th)
Margaret Luffman's 100 backstroke (6th)
Mackenzie Myers' 100 breaststroke (7th)
Joshua Twillie's 50 freestyle (4th) and 100 freestyle (7th)
-girls' 200 medley relay: 5th
-boys' 200 medley relay: 5th
-boys' 200 freestyle relay: 6th
-girls' 400 freestyle relay: 7th
-boys' 400 freestyle relay: 9th
 
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.