On Tuesday afternoon inside the ODAC, the Hargrave Tigers hosted the VIC/BRC Swimming and Diving Championships and emerged victorious, securing their 12th VIC title and their first since 2015!
In a year that has been nothing but normal, considering the Tigers started their season with an all-virtual meet, the energy was teeming throughout the ODAC on Tuesday afternoon as six schools made their way to Chatham to compete in the latest rendition of the VIC/BRC Swimming and Diving Championships. On the VIC side, Hargrave had swam against each conference school throughout the regular season and found success but after a string of three straight 2nd Place finishes in the championship meet, the Tigers were more determined than ever to seal the deal and take home the title. Led by co-captains Nathan Higdon ’21 (Cairo, GA) and John Mauriello ’21 (Danville, VA), the Tigers stuck to their training and enjoyed the fruits of their labor as they cruised to victory! Head Coach, Amanda Weishaar, stated, “Team unity was the main focus of the season. Bringing the young men together and building a team. It was built through partner workouts, accountability, away trips, hard work, swim meets and time. For some this concept was fairly foreign to them so it’s been a slow and steady process. The end game was to come together and for them to put in their best individual efforts while providing the base for a solid team performance. Last night was that night!”
Team Results
1–Hargrave Military Academy (115)
2–The Covenant School (66)
3–North Cross School (44)
4–Roanoke Catholic School (28)
5–Fishburne Military School (15)
6–New Covenant School (6)
Notable Performances Included
200 Yard Medley Relay
1st: Jay Thompson ’21 (Chatham, VA), Ben Gregori ’21 (Reno, NV), Logan Bonan ’23 (Port St. Lucie, FL), Bryce Adkins ’23 (Gretna, VA) [2:24.09]
200 Yard Freestyle
5th: Peter Shidler-Smith ’24 (Silverton, OR) [3:10.27]
200 Yard Individual Medley
1st: Nathan Higdon ’21 [1:58.90]
4th: Wesley Marquardt ’21 (Charlotte, NC) [2:29.57]
50 Yard Freestyle
1st: Nicholas de Veer ’21 (Canton, CT) [23.84]
3rd: Andrew Ponton ’22 (Simpsonville, SC) [24.81]
5th: Ben Gregori ’21 [26.68]
7th: Jay Thompson ’21 [28.10]
1 Meter Diving
1st: Logan Bonan ’23 [313.85]
100 Yard Butterfly
1st: Nathan Higdon ’21 [53.47]
5th: Gage Crisp ’21 (Maryville, TN) [1:23.35]
100 Yard Freestyle
2nd: Andrew Ponton ’22 [57.28]
3rd: Wesley Marquardt [57.29]
9th: Bryce Adkins ’23 [1:06.77]
10th: Ethan Teluk ’22 (Manilus, NY) [1:09.19]
500 Yard Freestyle
5th: John Mauriello ’21 [8:09.45]
6th: Malachi Dixon ’24 (Ellicott City, MD) [8:28.76]
200 Yard Freestyle Relay
1st: Andrew Ponton ’22, Wesley Marquardt ’21, Nathan Higdon ’21, Nicholas de Veer ’21 [1:35.66]
100 Yard Backstroke
3rd: John Ratchford ’22 (Charlotte, NC) [1:26.55]
4th: Mason Rucker ’22 (Matthews, NC) [1:34.64]
6th: Dimitri Mesidor ’24 (Farmingville, NY) [1:42.69]
100 Yard Breaststroke
1st: Nicholas de Veer ’21 [1:04.15]
4th: Ben Gregori ’21 [1:15.02]
5th: Jay Thompson ’21 [1:22.93]
7th: Ethan Teluk ’22 [1:31.44]
Additionally, Head Coach Amanda Weishaar earned the honors of VIC Coach of the Year for her outstanding effort in preparing these young men to become champions! Noted Weishaar, “From the beginning I said to my swimmers `Give me 100% and come in last and I’ll be the happiest coach. Give me 80% and set a State record, I’ll be one very upset coach!’. Last night everyone gave 100% and left nothing on the table. I couldn’t have been more proud of them becoming a team and supporting one another. Last night was testament to their commitment and faith in each other, themselves and the process!”
