Girls Gold Star Awards

2000-2009

Ohio High School Swimming

"Keep in mind that the past is not history, but a much vaster region of the dead, gone, unknowable or forgotten. History is what we choose to remember."
Joseph J. Ellis

2000

  • Tami Ransom & Whitney Myers
    Junior & Freshman
    Cincinnati Ursuline
    • The girls may not have had as prolific a national showing as the boys’ side this year, but that doesn’t mean the picking of the Gold Star winner was any easier. In fact, the line was so close that the best choice was to give it to a pair of teammates that combined to lead Ursuline to their 3rd girls team title, overtaking the defending champion Hawken girls, and upstart Toledo Notre Dame Academy squad.

    Tami Ransom and Whitney Myers each won both of their events this year, making them the only 2 double-event champions for the girls in 2000. Ransom won the 200 IM for the second straight year, and took her first title in the 100 Freestyle, while Myers cruised to titles of her own in the 200 and 500 Freestyle. These 2 girls were so similar on the national scale, with Ransom scoring 21 points and Myers 29, that it was too close to call. Ransom was right on her best 200 IM time with a 2:01.20, giving her the 4th best national time, and then her close victory in the 100 Freestyle over Katie Carroll from Notre Dame gave her the 11th best time. Myers won the 200 and 500 Freestyle with relative ease, posting 1:48.60 and 4:48.70 times that were ranked 6th and 3rd in the country this year. Myers having better national rankings was determined to be offset by Ransom’s more competitive 100 Freestyle and the fact that she was the team anchor.

    It should be noted that this is the year Ohio split the girls into 2 divisions, making it so the ‘state champion’ was the girl who had the best finals time between the 2 divisions. Hawken Girls’ won the division 2 meet by a landslide, but after combining the results of both divisions, the defending champions finished just 3rd and had no girls make the all-star team.

    The 2nd best squad this year was that Toledo Notre Dame Academy team, and those girls were led by a trio of freshmen who really burst onto the scene at the right moment. Their best swimmer was Katie Carroll, a sprinter who was state champion in the 50 Freestyle and 2nd to Ransom by 0.04 in the 100 Freestyle. Her 100 Freestyle of 50.91 was the 13th best time in the nation this year. The Johnson sisters were the other 2 Notre Dame all-stars, and they scored a combined 61 individual state points. Ellen Johnson was 3rd in the 200 Freestyle and 4th in the 500 Freestyle, while Susan was 3rd in the 100 Backstroke and 5th in the 200 IM. The Johnson sisters and Carroll led Notre Dame to state titles in both the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay, taking down Ursuline, and setting a 400 Freestyle Relay state record in the process.

    The only other swimmer deserving mention here in the Gold Star summary is Anne Weilbacher of Columbus St. Francis. The division 2 senior and now 2x all-star was state champion in the 100 Butterfly and 4th in the 100 Freestyle, and her 56.04 time was 6th best in the nation this year.

2001

  • Tami Ransom
    Senior
    Cincinnati Ursuline
    • In the easiest Gold Star pick since the days of Alison Fealey, Tami Ransom of Ursuline had a record breaking season that tied 80’s legend Aimee Berzins for the most national level points by a girl in state history. Ransom won the 200 IM for the 3rd straight year, and the 100 Freestyle for the 2nd straight, and anchored Ursuline to gold in both the 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay. That 4 victory performance made her just the 3rd girl in state history to win all 4 of her events at the state meet, and gave her 11 total state titles, another Ohio record.

    While she dominated at the state meet, her best times actually came a week prior at Districts. There, Ransom swam a state record in both the 200 IM and 100 Freestyle with times of 1:58.76 in the and 49.90, respectively. These state records were especially significant given the girls whose records were broken. That 200 IM beat Alison Fealey’s 1995 mark, an event Fealey had dropped the state record in almost 4 seconds during her tenure; and just as impressive, the 100 Freestyle record beat Beth Washut’s legendary 1983 mark. Ransom’s 200 IM and 100 Freestyle were the 1st and 2nd fastest swims in the country this year, and she tied another record by making her 4th straight all-star team.

    While not quite as fast as her freshman year, Ransom’s teammate, Whitney Myers, was still very relevant on the national scale, and equaled Ransom’s mark of becoming the 3rd girl in state history to win all 4 of her events at the state meet. Myers repeated as state champion in both the 200 and 500 Freestyle, and it really wasn’t close. Her 1:49.47 time in the 200 Freestyle at state finals won by a second and a half, and her 500 Freestyle state time of 4:51.59 won by over 4 seconds. Those were the 12th and 9th best times in the country, respectively. Myers also joined Ransom on those state title freestyle relays, and her leadoff 100 Freestyle time on that 400 Freestyle Relay was a 50.87, giving her a 3rd Top-16 national time this year. Last year, Myers became the first freshman of any Ohioan to win both of their events at the state meet, and this year, she became the first sophomore to successfully defend multiple events. After combining divisions 1 and 2, this Ransom/Myers led Ursuline team scored 271 points at the state meet while the next 3 teams (Hawken, St. Ursula, Centerville) scored 159, 158, and 143, respectively.

    The only other swimmer that will be mentioned here in the Gold Star summary this year is Centerville freshman, Erin Forster. Besides Myers and Ransom, Forster was the only girls’ swimmer to score national level points, and she did it all in the 100 Backstroke where she was the 9th best national swimmer this year. Her time of 56.00 tied Sheri White’s 12-year-old state record, and when White swam that time, it was a national record. Forster was also 3rd this year in the 200 IM.

2002

  • Whitney Myers
    Junior
    Cincinnati Ursuline
    • In 2000, Whitney Myers was the co-winner of the Gold Star along with her teammate Tami Ransom, and she became the first freshman to win both of her events at the state meet. Last year, she became the first sophomore to successfully defend a state title in 2 events. Here as a junior, she still hasn’t lost an individual race, and was the easy pick for the Gold Star in 2002.

    Myers started off with her best event, the 200 Freestyle, and won her 3rd straight state title in that event with a 1:47.19. The significance there is that that time not only set a new state record, but beat the oldest record on the board, Beth Washut’s legendary mark from 1981! That was also the 2nd fastest time in the nation this year. She then switched from the 500 Freestyle, (an event she’s a 2x defending champion in,) to the 100 Butterfly, and was equally as brilliant. Her time of 54.07 blew away the old state record and was the 3rd fastest time in the nation this year. While the 3rd place finish in the 200 Medley Relay prevented her from once again winning 4 events at the state meet, she ended things with a victory in the 200 Freestyle Relay. In that, Ursuline broke the state record by 8 tenths of a second and had the top time in the nation that year! Myers finished her junior year with 9 state titles to her name.

    Besides Myers leading Ursuline to yet another state team title, the girls’ backstroke was the most notable event this year. Elaine Ferritto, an Upper Arlington junior is 2nd in our Gold Star ranks this year after winning the 100 Backstroke and finishing runner-up in the 200 IM. She also was part of the 200 Medley Relay team that broke the state record by over a second and had the 2nd best time in the nation this year. Ferritto’s backstroke time of 55.34 was 7th best in the nation this year, and broke the old state record by almost 7 tenths of a second! Her 200 IM was the 10th best time in the nation, and her leadoff split on the 200 Medley Relay of 26.15 was another record. Ferritto beat last year’s state champion, Erin Forster, who tied the state record last season. The thing is Forster went an event faster 55.25 time at districts the week prior, setting the official state record which gets her a spot on the all-star team despite scoring less than 30 points at the state meet!

    Katie Carroll returned for Toledo Notre Dame Academy this year to win her 2nd 50 Freestyle title and lead her team to another 400 Freestyle Relay victory. She switched from the 100 Freestyle to the 200 IM this year and finished 3rd to Ferritto and Megan Tomes of Anderson, another junior whose 2:02.41 time was 9th best in the nation this year. Other national point scorers this year were Katie Ball, St. Ursula junior and state champion in the 500 Freestyle; and Ellis Schieman, a Shaker Heights sophomore who finished right behind Ball in that 500 with a Top-16 time.

2003

  • Whitney Myers
    Senior
    Cincinnati Ursuline
    • For the second straight year and third time overall, Whitney Myers wins the Gold Star, closing out arguably the most impressive tenure of any swimmer in Ohio high school history.

    First, it’s no coincidence that Ursuline was the top scoring girls school all 4 years of Myers’ tenure in the combined division format. She graduates as the first girl in Ohio history to win all 8 of her events at the state meet, and the third girl to win the same event all 4 years (200 Freestyle). This season, she won the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly, setting a state record in the latter. That 100 Butterfly time she posted at finals of 53.89 broke her own mark of 54.07 from last year and was the national title winning swim for girls this season. Myers’ 200 free time was no joke as her 1:48.40 was 6th best in the country this year. She also had the state’s top relay splits in the 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle Relays, going a record 24.94 on the butterfly leg of Ursuline’s medley and 22.99 anchoring the 200 Freestyle Relay (although those relays finished just 2nd at state).

    Adding in her 3 relay titles over her 4 years, Myers ties Tami Ransom’s record for most total gold medals during a 4-year stretch (11). Considering no other girl in Ohio history has won more than 6 individual events, there was really no question that Myers would win the award this year, but some other swimmers still deserve mention.

    Megan Tomes of Cincinnati Anderson would have been the clear-cut choice for the Swimmer of the Year after Myers as she put together almost equally impressive a season. Tomes blew away the field in the 200 IM with the fastest Ohio time by almost 3 seconds, at 1:59.46. That time was just off Tami Ransom’s 2001 state record of 1:58.76, but Ransom’s swim was done at the district meet so Tomes now holds the state meet record. Moreover, that 1:59.46 time was the national title winning swim this season! Almost as an afterthought, Tomes also won the 100 free this year with a 50.48 that was the 10th best time in the nation.

    There are 2 other girls worth mentioning in the Swimmer of the Year talk, including Alyssa Kiel of Hawken. Just a sophomore, Kiel won the 500 freestyle this year and had the 2nd best 200 free time (to Myers), both of which were nationally ranked (top-16). Kiel’s 500 free time of 4:45.62 was actually the 2nd best time in the nation this year and was less than a tenth of a second off of Olympian Diana Munz’s state record.

    Finally, Susan Johnson of Toledo Notre Dame, a 3x member of the all-star team, deserves much credit for coming through with far and away her best meet where she finished 2nd to Myers in the 100 Butterfly, and took down two powerhouse defending 100 Backstroke champions in Erin Forster (Centerville) and Elaine Ferritto (Upper Arlington), both of whom have broken state records in the past 2 seasons. Johnson’s times were top-16, and she helped lead her team to a 200 Freestyle relay victory.

2004

  • Jennifer Bradford
    Senior
    Groveport Madison
    • Not even in contention for a spot on the all-star team last season, Jennifer Bradford of Groveport Madison came out of relative nowhere to become hands-down the best girls’ swimmer in Ohio this year, and her competition was far from weak. Bradford won the 50 and 100 Freestyle with very fast best times of 22.73 and 50.16. That 100 Freestyle was 6th best in the nation, but it’s the 50 Freestyle performance that was the most eye-opening. She swam a 22.73 in the morning and a 22.77 at night, both of which were fast enough to give her the top time in the nation this year. More significantly than that though is the fact that Bradford broke the oldest record on the board! Aimee Berzins 22.94 time from 1984 wasn’t really contested much in the last 20 years but Bradford posting multiple swims at 22.7 proved it was gone for good.

    Second in this year’s Gold Star rankings is Alyssa Kiel of Hawken. She was the state champion this year in both the 200 and 500 Freestyle, winning with times of 1:49.18 and 4:43.82. That 500 Freestyle time was good, but her time of 4:42.15 at the district meet the week prior is the mark that gave her the 3rd best time in the nation. More than that, the 4:42.15 beat Olympian Diana Munz’s state record by almost 3 and a half seconds! Kiel’s 200 Freestyle district time of 1:48.81 was no joke, either, as it was the 6th best swim in the country this year. Her Hawken girls’ team destroyed the division 2 state meet (per usual) but finished 2nd to Centerville in the overall standings by just a few points.

    Centerville won their first girls’ team title this year and they were led by the Forster girls. Senior Erin Forster and sophomore Jenny Forster were forces at the state meet, and finish 4th and 3rd in the Gold Star ranks, respectively. Erin makes her 4th straight all-star team after winning her first state title in the 100 Backstroke since her freshman year. Her 55.66 time was 8th best in the nation this year, and she also finished 4th in the 200 IM. Jenny, meanwhile, was 200 IM state champion, blowing away the field with a best time of 2:00.37 that was 4th best in the nation this year. She also finished runner-up in the 100 Butterfly to Gold Star winner Jennifer Bradford’s sister, Heather. The Forster girls led their team to a 3rd place finish in the 200 Medley Relay, and then came into the final relay needing to win to bring home their first team title. They took down Upper Arlington by 2 seconds and Jenny notably split a 49.83 to clinch it.

2005

  • Alyssa Kiel
    Senior
    Hawken
    • Two girls shone above everyone else in Ohio this year but picking Alyssa Kiel over Jenny Forster for the Gold Star wasn’t too difficult a decision at the end of the day. Both girls had fantastic meets, and were easily the top national presences from the state, but Kiel tied the record by making her 4th straight all-star team, and she notably led the Hawken girls to their first team title since 1999, making this the first time Hawken has had the best point total after combining divisions 1 and 2.

    It wasn’t even close, as Hawken scored 265 points in that format with runner-up Upper Arlington a distant 83 points back at 182. Kiel, who destroyed Olympian Diana Munz’s state record in the 500 Freestyle last season, wasn’t quite able to match the 4:42.15 mark she set at last year’s district meet, but she did better her own state meet record time with a 4:43.17 to win her 3rd straight title in that event. She also won her 2nd straight 200 Freestyle title with her best season time being a 1:48.98. Those times were the 2nd and 11th fastest in the country this year. Kiel was also part of Hawken’s 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay teams, the latter of which finally gave her that coveted relay state title to go along with her 5 individual wins. Kiel graduates 9th all-time in national points scored for Ohio girls’ swimming with 70.

    Centerville’s Jenny Forster, who helped lead her team to the state title last year, was more of a one-trick-pony this season, but her results definitely still stood out. She started off the meet winning her 2nd straight state title in the 200 IM with a 2:00.38. While that was fast, the big swim was at the prelim session, and there, she went a 1:59.21 that broke Megan Tomes’ state meet record and gave her the 2nd fastest time in the nation this year! She followed it up with a 56.00 championship time to win the 100 Backstroke. That was the 12th best time in the nation. Centerville’s 200 Freestyle Relay got disqualified for a false start in the middle, but despite that, Forster led off that relay with a 23.54 time that gave her the fastest 50 Freestyle time in the state this year as well. Finishing thing off, she anchored Centerville’s 400 Freestyle Relay with a 50.02 split that didn’t quite catch Upper Arlington, but gave her the rare distinction of having the fastest time in all 4 of her swims at the state meet.

    Besides Kiel and Forster, 2 other girls deserve mention. 3rd in our Gold Star rankings this year is Allison Kay, a senior from Rocky River Magnificat. Kay was the state champion in the 100 Butterfly and runner-up to Forster in the 200 IM. Her 55.00 time in that 100 Butterfly was 8th best in the nation while her 2:03.85 time in the IM was 14th best. Finally, Kiel’s Hawken team was dominant because they had a slew of girls posting state finals times, but the best other than Kiel was Fiona O’Donnell-McCarthy. The senior had the state’s 2nd best 100 Backstroke, 3rd best 100 Butterfly, and was part of Hawken’s state title winning 200 Medley and 400 Freestyle Relay teams with the best splits on each relay.

2006

  • Jenny Forster
    Senior
    Centerville
    • After finishing 3rd in the Gold Star rankings as a sophomore and 2nd as a junior, this seemed like a long time coming for Forster. In almost every respect, she was the best girls’ swimmer in Ohio this year. Most experienced, best overall national rankings, state points, and best individual swim, she had it all. Forster joining the small club of swimmers to have made the all-star team all 4 years was never in doubt as she was the only double-event winner this year. She took first in the 200 IM and 100 Freestyle, and it really wasn’t close. Her state championship 200 IM time of 2:01 wasn’t near her best, but her district time was. There, she posted a 1:59.62 that gave her the 4th best time in the nation this year, and made her the only Ohio girl ever to have multiple seasons under 2:00 in the 200 IM.

    Forster’s best event has always been the 200 IM, but she holds a unique distinction now by having swum a different 2nd event every single year. As a freshman, she was 3rd in the 500 Freestyle; as a sophomore, she was 2nd in the 100 Butterfly; last year she was state champion in the 100 Backstroke; and this year it was the 100 Freestyle. She graduates having had the best state swim at one point or another in the 50 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, 200 IM, 100 Backstroke, and both relay splits, suggesting she’s maybe the most versatile swimmer the state ever saw.

    The only other girls’ swimmer to hold a candle to Forster this year was sophomore Alisa Vereschagin of Solon. She basically stole the 100 Breaststroke state title from last year’s champion, Lindsey Grassele. Both girls were among the very best in the nation (6th and 10th). Vereschagin notably went a 1:02.31, which means she broke the 1:02.35 state record of Kelly Jones (1998) and Mandy Commons (1999). Vereschagin finishes 2nd in our Gold Star ranks but her 4th place 200 IM finish means she scored just 35 points to Forster’s 40, pretty much guaranteeing Forster the award from the start.

    The only other swimmer deserving mention in the Gold Star summary this year is Upper Arlington freshman Darcy Fishback. She led the UA squad to their first ever team title (after combining divisions 1 and 2). She was state champion in the 100 Butterfly, 4th in the 100 Freestyle, and part of UA’s state title 400 Freestyle Relay team.

2007

  • Brittany Strumbel
    Junior
    Hawken
    • From a national presence standpoint, 2007 was one of the weakest years on record for Ohio girls’ swimming. That still shouldn’t take anything away from Brittany Strumbel, who was a fairly easy pick after her performance made her the only double-event champion this year and granted her the most national level points of any girls’ swimmer. Strumbel, who was part of Hawken’s state title in 2005 and relay victories the last 2 years, improved her individual times this year to take down those who had been her closest competitors. She cruised to victory in the 200 Freestyle, but it was the 500 Freestyle that got her the most recognition. She joined an exclusive club of Ohio girls who have gone under 4:50 in the 500 Freestyle, and with her 4:49.10 time, she had the 9th best swim in the country this year. Hawken was nowhere near Upper Arlington in points after combining divisions 1 and 2 this year, but on the back of Strumbel, they once again destroyed the division 2 competition.

    Besides Strumbel, a few girls deserve at least some mention, starting with Jenna Hillier. Now a junior, last year’s 50 Freestyle champion switched to Upper Arlington this season and was a huge reason they were able to repeat as state champions. She defended her own title in the 50 Freestyle, and also finished 2nd in the 100 Freestyle. Her 22-second split on the anchor leg of the 200 Medley Relay was a big reason they were able to win that as well.

    Amanda Smith, an Indian Hill senior makes her 3rd straight all-star team (the most of anyone this year) after coming through with her 2nd individual title. She switched from the 200 Freestyle to the 100 Butterfly, and won that with a 55-second time. Her 500 Freestyle was as good as ever with her 4:51 time posting 2nd to Strumbel.

    Margo Geer, just a freshman, won the 100 Freestyle over Hillier and finished 2nd to her in the 50 Freestyle. Sarah Tanner, an Ursuline junior, was the 2nd best swimmer on the national scale this year. She was the 200 IM state champion, 3rd in the 100 Butterfly, and helped Ursuline win the 200 Freestyle Relay. Both of her events were ranked 13th in the nation as she posted best times (earlier than state) of 2:01.85 in the 200 IM and 55.26 in the 100 Butterfly.

    Finally, Darcy Fishback of Upper Arlington makes her 2nd all-star team despite only scoring 28 state level points. The thought was that had she been given the chance to race Smith, she may have come through and defended her 100 Butterfly title. Either way, she did what was necessary to retain her division 1 state title in that event, and she was obviously big in helping Upper Arlington win their 2nd straight team title after being the primary swimmer on their state title winning 200 Freestyle and 400 Freestyle relay teams.

2008

  • Darcy Fishback
    Junior
    Upper Arlington
    • In most cases, the winner of the Gold Star is the swimmer who scores the most points at the state meet. In fact, in the entire history of the Gold Star, there have only been 6 instances where the winner didn’t score the most points at the state mee - this is one of them.

    Despite Margo Geer winning both of her events with Top-16 national times, Darcy Fishback has been picked as this year’s Gold Star winner for setting 4 state records and having easily the best national presence of any girls’ swimmer in Ohio. Not just that, Fishback was the primary swimmer on an Upper Arlington team that after combining divisions 1 and 2, set a girls’ state record by scoring 372 total points!

    Fishback’s primary event, the 100 Butterfly, saw her swim a finals time of 53.85, which broke Whitney Myers’ state record by .04 and was the 5th best time in the nation this year. Fishback also swam the 100 Freestyle, and perhaps controversially, was beaten by Geer in that. Still, it’s not as if Fishback lacked a 2nd event, as her 100 Freestyle best time of 51.16 was still All-American (and finished 5th at state). Fishback’s true reason for winning the award though, as stated, is her contributions to Upper Arlington’s record meet. She was part of UA’s 200 Medley Relay and 200 Freestyle Relay, both of which set state records. The 200 Medley Relay’s 1:44.47 was ranked 5th nationally while the 200 Freestyle Relay at 1:35.08 was ranked 4th. Fishback also had a 24.52 butterfly split on that 200 Medley Relay that broke another one of Myers’ state records. A final note applicable to Fishback winning the Gold Star is that Upper Arlington’s best swimmer from last year, Jenna Hillier, wasn’t part of the record-breaking team, making Fishback’s presence as team leader that much more important. This UA team had a slew of names helping but the only other all-star was Beth Loe, a senior who won the 500 Freestyle, finished 2nd in the 200 Freestyle, and swam the state title 400 Freestyle Relay that Fishback wasn’t a part of.

    As previously stated, Milford Center Fairbanks sophomore Margo Geer’s meet was one that would have won the Gold Star in probably 9 out of 10 seasons. She was the only double-event-winner this year, and doing so in some of the most competitive events in the sport (50 and 100 Freestyle) definitely helps her cause. She won with 23.25 and 50.30 times that were 16th and 14th best in the country this year. Had her times been closer to Ohio’s girls’ state records of 22.73 and 49.90, she’d have probably overtaken Fishback for the award.

    A few other swimmers deserve some mention, including Lindsay Lash and Kate McNeilis. Lash, a senior from Westerville North, makes her 2nd straight all-star team after successfully defending her 100 Backstroke state title and also finishing 2nd in the 100 Butterfly. Lash had the 12th best 100 Butterfly time in the country this year at 54-mid. McNeilis notably finished 2nd to Lash in that 100 Backstroke despite setting a new state record in that event prior to the state finals! Her best time of 54.94 made her the first Ohio girl to break 55, and was the 14th best swim in the country. Brittany Strumbel of Hawken followed up her Gold Star win from 2007 with a slightly slower, but still impressive performance where she finished 2nd in both the 200 and 500 Freestyle. Her 34 points ensured that she made her state leading 3rd straight all-star team (tied with Fishback for current). Finally, sophomore Danielle Jansen of Mason notably won the 200 Freestyle with a 1:48.52 time that was All-American and makes her the 3rd fastest 200 Freestyle girls’ swimmer in state history behind Myers and Beth Washut.

2009

  • Margo Geer
    Junior
    Milford Center Fairbanks
    • Margo Geer almost won the Gold Star last year after a double-victory performance where her 50 and 100 Freestyle were both Top-16 nationally ranked. This time, she made sure it was no contest as she bettered her times by full seconds, destroying the state records in the process. It’s true that the full body tech suits such as Blue Seventy and LZR aided in record breaking performances all across the nation this year, but that shouldn’t take away from just how dominant Geer was at the Ohio level. This was her 2nd win in the 50 Freestyle and 3rd straight in the 100 Freestyle.

    Coming into this year, the state records in those events were 22.73 and 49.90. Geer’s best times this season were 22.40 and 48.99, and she swam near those times on multiple occasions. That 22.40 was the national title winning time this year, while the 100 Freestyle time was 4th in the country. For perspective on how impressive Geer’s 100 Freestyle time was (despite being ranked lower nationally than her 50), Beth Washut swam the first sub-50 time in 1982, and through this season, no girl had swum faster than 49.90.

    Besides Geer’s dominance in the speed events, there were several other record setters this year, and it starts with Upper Arlington. The UA girls won their first (combined) team title 3 years ago, and they’ve now made it 4 in a row with another completely dominant 302 points. It’s no coincidence that these 4 years are the ones that Darcy Fishback has attended the school. Like last year, Fishback was completely dominant in the 100 Butterfly, 200 Medley and 200 Freestyle Relays, setting a state record in all 3. She bettered her own 100 Butterfly swimming a 53.38 that was again, 5th best in the country. Also, like last year, she broke her own record by splitting a 24.04 on the butterfly leg of the state record setting 200 Medley Relay. Fishback ties the all-star team mark by making her 4th straight.

    Kate McNeilis, a junior from Dublin Scioto, was actually 2nd in our Gold Star rankings this season after winning the 100 Backstroke and finishing 3rd in the 50 Freestyle. After setting the state record in the 100 Backstroke last year with a 54.94, she demolished that time with a 53.55 that was ranked 3rd in the country! Also setting a state record this year was Ashley Specht of Olentangy Liberty. She made her 3rd straight all-star team after winning the 100 Butterfly for the 3rd straight year, and her winning time of 1:01.89 was ranked 9th nationally. Breanna McCann of Akron Firestone was a powerhouse this year, swimming a 2:00 time in the 200 IM that was 9th best int eh country and easily the best in Ohio, and she also finished 2nd to Specht in the 100 Breaststroke. Finally, Gracie Finnegan of Columbus Bishop Watterson deserves recognition for finishing 2nd to Geer in the 50 and 100 Freestyle with times that were right on the old state records. Her 22.89 in the 50 Freestyle and 49.67 in the 100 Freestyle were ranked 10th and 13th, respectively.