Huntsville Earns 8th Consecutive AHSAA State Swimming Title
Auburn, AL – Huntsville High School demonstrated their aquatic prowess yet again by securing their 19th overall AHSAA Class 6A/7A State Swimming Championship, marking their eighth consecutive win. This achievement was reached at the 64th state swimming meet held at the James E. Martin Aquatics Center, on the Auburn University campus.
The Panthers, under the guidance of Coach Arthur Fortin, outpaced second-place Vestavia Hills by a solid 96 points, scoring a total of 348 points. The Panthers prowess in the pool can be attributed to several record-shattering performances, notably in the 200-yard medley relay, 200 freestyle relay, and 400 freestyle relay. Luke Bedsole and Bradford Johnson added to the Panthers’ championship weekend by setting new 6A/7A records in the 50-yard freestyle race, 100 freestyle race, and the 100 butterfly.
In Class 1A/5A competition Coach Dustin Thomas’ Boaz Pirates seized their third state boys’ title and second consecutive win with 235 points, leaving Gulf Shores trailing behind with 214 points. Bob Jones, under the stewardship of Coach Ryan Rhoades, surpassed Auburn High by scoring 298 points, earning the Lady Patriots’ their second successive Class 6A/7A championship. Whitesburg Christian, trained by Joachim Thoenes, celebrated their first ever girls’ state championship by scoring 272 points, nudging past the defending state champion UMS-Wright Bulldogs (264) by a mere eight points.
The final day of state championship swimming witnessed a flurry of record-breaking performances:
Huntsville’s relay team, comprising junior Luke Bedsole, senior Cole Winslow, senior Bradford Johnson, and junior J.P. Pace, etched their name in the 6A/7A Boys’ 200 Medley Relay record books for the second year in a row, clocking a time of 1:29.71. The same team also dominated the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay setting new 6A/7A records.
In the 50 freestyle event, Huntsville’s junior Luke Bedsole registered an impressive 20.16 seconds, thereby setting a new AHSAA record, closely followed by James Clemens senior Cade McComb at 20.36 seconds. Bedsole continued his winning streak by claiming victory in the 100 freestyle with a time of 44.28 seconds.
Bradford Johnson, a senior from Huntsville, set a new record in the 6A/7A Boys’ 100 Butterfly event with a time of 47.51, narrowly defeating Vestavia Hills junior Ari Azrad who clocked 50.15.
LAMP High School of Montgomery’s relay team set a new class record in the 1A/5A Boys’ 400 Freestyle Relay, finishing 17 seconds faster than their preliminary time. LAMP junior Alex Park also set a new record in the 200 IM, winning the race by a significant 10-second margin.
Whitesburg Christian senior Will Neville set a new record in the 1A/5A Boys’ 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle events, edging out runner-up Kai Gregory, a senior from Satsuma, in the finals.
The 6A/7A Girls’ 200 Medley Relay saw a new record time of 1:44.68 set by freshman Abby Chan, junior Finnley Koehler, senior Samantha Chan, and sophomore Meli Mbuko.
