Three Records Get Shattered in the First Day of the 2024 AHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships
Huntsville’s Luke Bedsole Breaks State Record in 200 IM Medley
Three AHSAA records toppled Friday as the 65th state swimming and diving championships began at the Huntsville Aquatics Center.
Huntsville’s Luke Bedsole Breaks Records, Leads the 6A/7A Boys
Huntsville High School senior Luke Bedsole made waves in the Class 6A/7A boys’ division, smashing his own record in the 50-yard freestyle. Bedsole clocked in at 19.82 seconds, breaking his previous mark of 20.16 from last year’s championship. The senior now holds five individual AHSAA state records and shares two team relay records.
This performance gave Huntsville an impressive 143 points, putting them in first place after day one of the meet. Vestavia Hills trailed with 107 points, and James Clemens followed in third with 84 points.
Girls’ Division Highlights
Bob Jones High School emerged as the frontrunner for the Class 6A/7A girls, scoring 138 points. Huntsville secured the second spot with 114.5, while Grissom came in third at 106 points.
For the Class 1A/5A girls, Westminster Christian Academy claimed the lead with 104 points, followed by LAMP of Montgomery with 90 points and the Alabama School for Cyber Technology at 86 points.
Boys’ 1A/5A Teams
Scottsboro took the top spot in the boys’ Class 1A/5A team standings with 92 points, while defending champion Boaz followed with 75 points after Friday’s events.
Record-Breaking Performances
Westminster Christian Academy’s 200-yard medley relay team raised the bar with a record-breaking 1:50.26. Made up of Leilani Teter, Jackie Faircloth, A.J. Teter, and Lucia Perez, the team shattered their school’s previous record of 1:51.43 set in 2016.
LAMP senior Alex Park also stood out by setting a new record in the 1A/5A boys’ 200-yard individual medley. Park swam an impressive 1:52.67, breaking his own record of 1:53.23 from last year.
Diving Achievements
Friday’s action also included the 2024 AHSAA State Diving Championships. Caroline Foster of Briarwood Christian and Elizabeth Elliott of UMS-Wright took top honors for their classifications.
Looking Ahead
Saturday marks the championship’s second day, starting with swimming preliminaries at 9:30 a.m. The boys’ diving event will take place at 1 p.m., followed by swimming finals at 6 p.m.
Defending state champions entering the competition include Huntsville in boys’ 6A/7A and Boaz in 1A/5A. Whitesburg Christian, the reigning girls’ 1A/5A champion, has moved up to the 6A/7A division this year.
The 65th AHSAA Swimming Championships continue to showcase record-breaking talent and fierce competition as Alabama’s best high school athletes compete for state titles.
FEATURED IMAGE: LAMP High School senior Alex Park breaks his own AHSAA state record in the 200 IM in the Class 1A/5A competition on Friday. (AHSAA PHOTO | David Holtsford)
