MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — George Washington swim coach Kaycee Wheeler is no stranger to seeing the Patriots claim a title on the boys or girls side.
A year ago, GW won both, and the boys team was able to repeat Tuesday at the Aquatic Center at Mylan Park. The Patriots finished with 202 points, besting runner-up Bridgeport (165).
“It feels amazing. I’m so proud of those boys,” Wheeler said. “There is no greater group of kids than those boys I coached. They are hard-working, funny and they deserve everything.”
It marked GW’s 10th title since 2009. Only Bridgeport in 2010 and 2019 and Parkersburg South in 2016 have claimed titles since the Patriots’ first championship.
The Patriots had two overall first-place finishes — and it wasn’t a coincidence one was the 200-yard freestyle relay, which was good for 32 points. While senior Ian Adler provided the other with a time of 59.38 in the 100 breaststroke that was enough to edge Bridgeport’s Luke Pinti (59.40), Adler was quick to point out the importance of the win in the relay.
He joined forces in the event with Grant Ridenour, Landon Bostic and Lafe Potters to provide a victory with a finish of 1:30.41.
“It comes down to hard work and strategizing,” Adler said. “Our coaches did a great job this year of strategizing and putting us in the right events to help us win and especially the hard work of everyone paying off. Everyone worked so hard this year.”
Wheeler said she put an extra emphasis on that event this season.
“We’ve never won the 200-free relay as long as I’ve been coaching,” she said. “We’ve never stacked that one. We thought this year was the year. We pulled our best, put them on that relay and they won. I almost had an aneurysm I was so excited. Moving those boys around and getting them in the right places really helped us this year.”
The Patriots also had an important second-place finish in the 200 medley relay, while Ridenour was second in the 200 IM and Adler placed second in the 100 freestyle. Zachary Groe and Ridenour, were third and fourth, respectively in the 100 backstroke.
Ridenour, who returned from a broken ankle in the regional meet, is still in a walking boot.
“Just being able to win in a season as crazy as this means so much,” Adler said. “One of my teammates broke his ankle and we thought he was out for the rest of the year, but luckilly he was able to make a quick recovery and we won it all.”
Paced by junior Randy Keener, Bridgeport led all teams with wins in four events. Keener teamed with Pinti, Mason Titchenal and Marcel Rodriguez for first in the 200 medley relay with a new state record time of 1:36.49.
Keener won the 200 IM (1:53.99) and 100 backstroke (50.99), while again combining with Rodriguez and Titchenal, along with Reed Smith, to win the 400 freestyle relay (3:19.52).
“They swam relays better than you could have told a kid to swim a relay,” Bridgeport coach Wendy Madden said. “It was beautiful. I couldn’t be more proud of these kids. They did great.”
Huntington’s Henry Sheils was first in the 200 freestyle (1:44.50) and 100 butterfly (51.11). Wheeling Park’s Owen Leary joined Shiels in winning two events as the Patriot claimed both the 50 freestyle (21.74) and 100 freestyle (47.68).
Univeristy’s Frank McCutchan was the 500 freestyle champion with a finish of 4:41.84.
Adler, Keener, Sheils, Leary, McCutchan and Buckhannon-Upshur’s Preston Bennett comprised the all-tournament team.
Robert C. Byrd was third in team standings with 105 points, followed by Jefferson (99) and Wheeling Park (87).