The Shadow
RICHMOND — “Envision greatness.”
It’s been the theme for the Alleghany swim team this season.
Thursday night at the Collegiate School Aquatic Center, not only did they envision it, they followed through with the picture.
Led by a state runner-up finish from the girls 200 freestyle relay team, the Mountaineers put five swimmers on the podium, medaling in five different events at the Class 2 state swimming championships.
The state medals were the first earned in the nine-year history of the program.
Abby Martin had all-state efforts in both the 50 freestyle (5th) and 100 freestyle (7th), Alivia Hoover placed seventh in the 200 freestyle, while David Donnan swam to a sixth place finish in the 100 butterfly.
“Our swimmers executed greatness Thursday night,” said AHS coach Lee Anne Bowling-Angle. “Every swimmer had a PR at some point during the day whether it was in the prelims or finals. Exactly what we want to happen at the championship meet.”
The girls relay team of Hoover, Kiersten Smith, Charlotte Smith and Martin trimmed 10 seconds off their time from the last meet of the regular season to the state finals.
They finished a second a half behind champion George Wythe and edged third place Tazewell by .01 seconds.
Tazewell was initially awarded second place, but Alleghany was elevated to the runner-up spot after a race review.
“This relay knew exactly what they had to accomplish going into their prelim swim on Thursday seeded sixth, finishing 4th in prelims with a three second PR,” said Bowling-Angle. “Before their (finals) swim we discussed there was one second between them and first. That motivation drove them to swim their hearts out to a finish none of us will ever forget. One hundredth of a second between them and third. A truly incredible series of three swims between region and state finals dropping a total of 10 seconds.”
Martin’s two all-state swims and Hoover’s 200 freestyle race helped the Alleghany team to a 10th place team finish.
“The grit Abby Martin has is unmatched,” said Bowling-Angle. “In three short seasons of swimming she has accomplished so much. Her determination and work ethic got her to fifth and seventh.
“Alivia dropped three seconds over the course of Thursday in the 200 free,” she added. “As a freshman, you’re going to be hearing so much about this feisty, little fish.”
Charlotte Smith had a 10th place swim in the 100 breaststroke with a two-second PR.
Donnan added a 14th place finish in the 200 freestyle to his all-state 100 butterfly to lead the AHS boys to 20th place among 31 scoring teams.
“David is the first male to go to states in four events,” said the AHS coach. “David has been an amazing captain and the true force behind the boys 200 and 400 free Relay. As a five-year swimmer, he embodied envisioning greatness and his performance on Thursday was a true testament to that.
“The boys relay team (Keegan Williams, Cody Ouimette, Ethanael Elmore and Donnan) finished higher than they were seeded. A true accomplishment considering we had no idea at the season start they would end up at states.”
The Three Rivers District swept the team championships.
Radford edged Virginia High, 277-276, for the boys crown, while the Glenvar girls were 10 points better than runner-up Bruton.
The state meet performance was the bow on an outstanding season, said Bowling-Angle.
“These swimmers swam with heart, motivation, and greatness,” she said. “They truly left it all in the pool Thursday evening. We could not be more proud of them. None of this would’ve been possible without the endless support of their parents, and the heart, determination, and work ethic of these kids. (Assistant Coach) Maddy (Carter) and I are so lucky to get to share a small portion of their lives with them. We will cherish every memory made forever. Between their performance and the laughter in between, this was a moment none of us will ever forget.”
Boys Team Standings
1. Radford277
2. Virginia High 276
3. Bruton 213
4. Strasburg168
Clarke County168
20. Alleghany 34
(31 teams scored)
AHS BOYS Results
200 Freestyle: 14. David Donnan, 2:11.59
100 Butterfly: 6. Donnan, 1:02.20
200 Freestyle Relay: 12. Alleghany (Keegan Williams, Cody Ouimette, Ethanael Elmore, Donnan), 1:55.73
400 Freestyle Relay: 13. Alleghany (Williams, Ouimette, Elmore, Donnan), 4:27.65
Girls Team Standings
1. Glenvar242
2. Bruton 232
3. Virginia High167
4. George Wythe164
5. Strasburg161
10. Alleghany 79
(29 teams scored)
AHS girls Results
200 Freestyle: 7. Alivia Hoover, 2:10.25
50 Freestyle: 5. Abby Martin, 26.15
100 Freestyle: 7. Martin, 59.22
200 Freestyle Relay: 2. Alleghany (Hoover, Kiersten Smith, Charlotte Smith, Martin), 1:49.83
100 Breaststroke: 10. C. Smith, 1:21.21
————————————————————————————————————————————-(Photo Courtesy Bob Donnan)
