Hawks’ Losch Wins 100 Free OHSAA Swimming Championship

Geauga County swimmers had been properly represented on the OHSAA Swimming State Championships on the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton on Feb. 26 to Feb. 28.

Swimmers from Chagrin Falls, Chardon, Hawken and NDCL participated within the State Championships.

And tops amongst Geauga County swimmers was Hawken Hawks sophomore Everett Losch who received the OHSAA Div. II State Championship within the Boys 100-Yard Freestyle.

In addition, Losch additionally completed runner up and All-Ohio within the Boys 100-Yard Backstroke.

After profitable the 100-Yard Freestyle, Losch stated it was a dream come true to win the State Championship.

“I’m so honored to be here,” Losch stated. “It is really a dream come true, especially winning the State Championship.”

After qualifying for the finals because the 4th seed, Losch stated that he got here into the 100-Yard Freestyle finals with a transparent thoughts.

He heeded the recommendation of his coach, Hawken Head Swimming and Diving Coach Doug Djang as he ready for the 100-Yard Freestyle Finals.

“Doug told me to just race and that’s what I did,” Losch stated. “I didn’t focus on kick counts, that’s what I did in prelims and I didn’t do as well. (Coach Djang’s advice for the finals) helped me so much.”

The OHSAA Div. II 100-Yard Freestyle Finals was an especially shut race by which solely tenths of a second separated first and second place.

To win the OHSAA Div. II State Championship within the 100-Yard Freestyle, Losch swam 44.57 which defeated runner up, Levi Priddy from Bidwell River Valley, by .19 seconds.

With such an in depth, aggressive race, Losch stated that he didn’t know who had received when he accomplished the race.

“I saw the person to my left, and I saw him and honestly had no clue,” Losch stated. “Then I looked over at the board. The first thing I saw was GMH, Gates Mills Hawken, and then first. I was so happy. I still am. I was shaking for the next 20 minutes. This was something I wanted to do for so long. It’s amazing. It truly is.”

As a group, the Hawks Girls Swim Team completed as OHSAA Div. II State Runners Up. It was the thirtieth time previously 31 years that the Hawks Girls Swim Team has completed both first or second within the state.

In addition, the Hawks Boys Swim Team completed eleventh in Div. II.

The Hawks Girls Swim Team completed on the rostrum and All-Ohio in seven occasions together with the 200-Yard Medley Relay (Mackenzie Duncan, Nina Newton, Kate Rosenbaum, and Ellery Losch – third – 1:47.11), 50-Yard Freestyle (Ellery Losch – eighth – 24.39), 100-Yard Butterfly (Rosenbaum – 4th – 56.97), 100-Yard Freestyle (Newton – sixth – 52.43), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (Ellery Losch, Duncan, Rosenbaum, Leighton Lentz – 2nd – 1:37.63), 100-Yard Backstroke (Duncan – eighth – 58.85), 400-Yard Freestyle Relay (Ellery Losch, Rosenbaum, Lentz, Newton 2nd – 3:32.9).

In addition, ending All-Ohio for the Hawks Girls Team had been Leighton Lentz (100-Yard Freestyle – fifteenth – 54.39; 100-Yard Backstroke – eleventh – 59.49), and Nina Newton (100-Yard Breaststroke – tenth – 1:05.6).

The Hawken Boys Swim Team additionally completed All-Ohio within the 200-Yard Medley Relay (Losch, Ben Azok, Cal McCoy, Atlas Lorion – eleventh – 1:39.06), and 400 Yard Freestyle Relay (Everett Losch, Sabih Halim, Lorion, Azok – eleventh – 3:17.36).

With the Hawks profitable efficiency on the state championships, Everett Losch mirrored on how the Hawks new teaching workers had an excellent affect on the success of the group.

“From a team perspective, we have come so far,” Losch stated. “Our Coach Doug (Djang) completely turned this team around. We weren’t here last year. We didn’t have any relays. It was just me and two others. It’s just crazy to see how much progress we have made.”

In addition to the success of the Hawks, the NDCL Lions completed on the rostrum in three occasions. Senior Brooke Dynes completed third within the state in OHSAA Div. II for the Girls 100 Yard Breaststroke (1:04.00). Dynes additionally completed All-Ohio within the Girls 200 Yard IM (ninth – 2:11.21). In addition Max Platz completed on the rostrum and All-Ohio within the Boys 50-Yard Paralympic Freestyle (4th – 39.9) and the Boys 100-Yard Paralympic Backstroke (4th – 1:58.12).

After ending on the rostrum and All-Ohio for the 100-Yard Breastroke, Dynes talked about swimming within the state championships.

“It’s been a great run, I’ve been so encouraged by all of my teammates and coaches,” Dynes stated. “It’s really been such a blessing to be able to compete at this level and be able to make it back to finals two years in a row. All of these girls are lovely girls to compete with. They are just great competitors and great people in general.”

Finishing on the rostrum and incomes All-Ohio for the Chagrin Falls Tigers Boys Team was Simone De Santis who completed sixth within the 200 Yard IM (1:56.42). De Santis additionally earned All-Ohio within the 100-Yard Butterfly (sixteenth – 53.14).

Also incomes All-Ohio Honors for the Tigers Boys Swim Team was the 200 Yard Freestyle Relay (Noah Publicover, Wade Daugherty, Adin Ignatowski, De Santis – fifteenth – 1:30.32) and Noah Publicover (50-Yard Freestyle – 22.35).

Earning All-Ohio Honors for the Tigers Girls Swim Team had been Catherine Eagar (100-Yard Backstroke – 14th – 59.74), 200-Yard Freestyle Relay (Eagar, Hayden Schron, Anna Wardrop, Claire Simon – sixteenth – 1:43.48) and 200-Yard Medley Relay (Eagar, Simon, Wardrop, Schron – fifteenth – 1:53.11).

Toby Rogers earned All-Ohio Honors for the Chardon Hilltoppers Boys Swim Team within the 100-Yard Backstroke (fifth – 51.97) and the 100-Yard Freestyle (fifteenth – 48.46).