Dive into the Future: Introducing the 2024 All-Metro Swimming Teams of New Orleans!

BOYS

Exceptional swimmer

Enzo Solitario

Jesuit

It was more of the same for Jesuit senior Enzo Solitario, who wrapped up his high school swimming journey with numerous records achieved at the metro and state competitions.

Most remarkable were the three all-America times recorded at the state competition in November.

During that event, Solitario established composite state-meet records in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races, clocking in at 43.59 seconds and 1:34.18, respectively, and set the Division I record as he completed the initial 50 yards of the 200-yard freestyle relay in 20.26 seconds. These scores were sufficient for Solitario to automatically gain all-America recognition in those disciplines.

This transpired two weeks after Solitario broke three metro-meet records in the 50, 100, and 200 freestyle events. Similar to the state meet, the 50 record was achieved while swimming the first leg of the 200 relay.

Solitario had previously established metro- and state-meet records in the 50 and 100 freestyle events as a junior.

The season progressed precisely as Solitario had envisioned when he and Jesuit coach Brett Dipuma convened in the spring to outline objectives for the fall.

“He sets ambitious goals and puts in the effort to accomplish them,” Dipuma remarked.

Solitario, honored by the Times-Picayune as the premier metro swimmer for the second consecutive year, plans to continue his swimming career at the University of Wisconsin.

All-metro squad

Nicholas Aldana Huelga

Ben Franklin, Jr., 500 freestyle

Nathan Noel

Destrehan, Sr., 200 IM/100 backstroke

Alex Chehebar

Fontainebleau, Jr., 100 butterfly

Blaise Boyd

Haynes, Sr., 50 freestyle/100 breaststroke

Logan Beebe

Holy Cross, Sr., 200 IM/100 butterfly

Daniel Long

Holy Cross, Jr., 50 freestyle/100 freestyle

Luke Balhoff

Jesuit, Sr., 100 freestyle

Ben Breithaupt

Jesuit, Jr., 100 breaststroke

Grant Castillon

Jesuit, Jr., 100 backstroke

Nathan Flynn

Jesuit, Sr., 100 backstroke

Enzo Solitario

Jesuit, Sr., 200 freestyle/100 freestyle

Aidan Villars

Jesuit, Jr., 200 IM/100 butterfly

Kayden Hedrick

Mandeville, Sr., 200 freestyle/500 freestyle

Gustavo Castilho

Northshore, So., 50 freestyle

Sam Naffa

Northshore, Jr., 100 breaststroke

Wyatt Combs

Pope John Paul II, Sr., 200 IM/100 butterfly

Eric Ring

Pope John Paul II, Jr., 200 freestyle/500 freestyle

Christian Cochran

Slidell, So., 100 breaststroke

Jake Bergeron

St. Paul’s, So., 200 freestyle/500 freestyle

Coach of the year

Tiffany Hill

Pope John Paul II

The Jaguars secured the Division IV boys state swimming title for the fifth consecutive year, but for second-year head coach Tiffany Hill, this was the first occasion the school returned home with two championship awards.

Swimmer Eric Ring and Mady Hill – the coach’s daughter – received outstanding swimmer accolades for their performances at the state competition.

The boys emerged victorious, with every Pope swimmer returning with a medal from either an individual event or relay. The girls’ championship was the school’s first.

GIRLS

Outstanding swimmer

Avery Daigle

Mandeville

Mandeville freshman Avery Daigle maximized her potential in her events throughout the high school swimming season—particularly during the most significant competitions.

Not only did she excel at the New Orleans metro swimming championships in November, but she also triumphed at the LHSAA Division I state championships two weeks later. Daigle won both of her individual events and swam the first leg of a relay, solidifying her reputation as one of the premier swimmers in the state—resulting in the Times-Picayune selecting her as the outstanding swimmer for the 2024 season.

Her quickest times were recorded at the state event, where Daigle achieved all-America consideration in two events, meaning those times must remain in the top 100 nationally among high school swimmers for her to be recognized as an all-American.

The all-America consideration times were in the 100-yard freestyle at 50.36 seconds and during the first leg of the 200 relay with a freestyle time of 23.13. Her other event victory was in the 200 freestyle at 1:50.81.

This followed her remarkable performance at the metro meet, where she established meet records in the 50 (23.24), 100 (50.62), and 200 (1:51.65). Much like at state, the 50 record was set during her stint as the first leg of the 200 relay.

Meet organizers honored Daigle as the outstanding swimmer for the metro and swim championships.

For Daigle, this could signal the start of what might evolve into an exceptional prep career.

“She has already outlined her objectives for next year,” stated Mandeville coach Robby Fritscher.

All-metro team

Annalise Gagliano

Dominican, Jr., 50 freestyle/100 freestyle

Kayleigh Jollands

Dominican, Sr., 100 breaststroke/200 IM

Kendall Jollands

Dominican, So., 55.34, 100 butterfly/100 backstroke

Haley Valdine

Dominican, Sr., 200 IM

Terese Vocke

Dominican, So., 200 freestyle/500 freestyle

Hannah Poynter

Haynes, Sr., 200 IM/500 freestyle

Avery Daigle

Mandeville, Fr., 100 freestyle/200 freestyle

Emma Cate Dobie

Mandeville, Jr., 100 breaststroke/200 IM

Sydney Eagan

Mandeville, Fr., 50 freestyle

Ryleigh McCreary

Northshore, Jr., 100 breaststroke

Addison Provenzano

Northshore, So., 100 backstroke

Lulu Szumski

Northshore, Sr., 200 IM/500 freestyle

Taylor Frick

Pope John Paul II, Sr., 500 freestyle

Mady Hill

Pope John Paul II, Sr. 50 freestyle/100 butterfly

Braylee Ladner

Pope John Paul II, Fr., 200 freestyle/100 freestyle

Juliette Magner

St. Martin’s, Sr., 100 backstroke

Gabby Hall

St. Scholastica, Sr., 100 butterfly/100 backstroke

Emma Mae Smith

St. Scholastica, Jr., 100 freestyle/200 freestyle

Coach of the year

Bret Hanemann

Dominican

Dominican achieved a swimming state championship for the first time since 2001 and did so with vigor.

The championship followed one year after runner-up Dominican ended just one point behind state champion St. Joseph’s.

Hanemann, a coach with 19 state title victories at Jesuit, recalled how the girls boarded the team bus after the previous season’s meet and declared, “We’re not going to lose it again.”

Dominican, securing victory by more than 50 points ahead of St. Joseph’s, accumulated a considerable number of points by placing three swimmers in the finals across three distinct events.