Boys Gold Star Awards

2010-2019

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

2010

  • Steven Zimmerman
    Junior
    Morrow Little Miami
    • In a matter of just a couple years, the landscape of Ohio boys’ swimming has completely changed. First of all, Cincinnati St. Xavier’s dominance has subsided for the time being: In 2008, they were beaten for the first time in a decade (by Columbus St. Charles) and this year, although they deserve credit for winning the Division 1 title, the results after combining divisions 1 and 2 leave them in 2nd place to University.

    On the individual scale, a considerably lower number of swimmers have been posting times that place on the national level. From 1990-2008, the average number of swims a season that were ranked top 8 in the nation was over 6. The last 2 years, that number has been 1. From a straight up scoring standpoint, 2010 is the lowest total number of national level points scored in Ohio since 1989! This isn’t meant to be a rip to the current swimmers, rather a necessary perspective for Ohio swimming.

    Steven Zimmerman, a great swimmer, put up a great season and made picking the Gold Star a fairly easy choice. He was the only boys’ swimmer to win both of his events, not just in his respective division but in all of Ohio as well. Zimmerman was the top 200 IMer in Ohio by a second, and his 100 Backstroke was first by 1.2 seconds. That 100 Backstroke time of 49.08 was 8th best in the country this year. Zimmerman is also just a junior and while that usually wouldn’t be noteworthy, the fact that the all-star team this year has 7 seniors and no underclassmen suggests he’d be a huge favorite to repeat as the best swimmer next year.

    While Cincinnati St. Xavier’s combined point total was less than that of University, they still celebrated like old times after winning that Division 1 crown, and leading the way for them were 2 seniors. Alex Miller was state champion in the 500 Freestyle and runner-up in the 200 Freestyle, while Sam Lipari was runner up in the 200 IM and 5th in the 100 Breaststroke. Both swimmers were huge on keeping X in contention on relays despite not winning any.

    The top scoring school in Ohio this year, University, was led by an all-star of their own in senior Mike Gaudiani. He was runner-up to Miller in the 500 Freestyle and 6th in the 200 Freestyle. Arguably the 2nd best swimmer in Ohio this year was Nick Schuttinger of Westerville Central. A senior and former member of Columbus St. Charles and their 2008 winning team, he had a 48.74 win in the 100 Butterfly that was 11th best in the country. Finally, Sandy Whitaker of Columbus St. Charles, a swimmer who won both the 100 Backstroke and Butterfly last year, finished just 3rd and 2nd in those events, respectively, but his 49.16 best time in the 100 Butterfly was Top-16.

2011

  • Steven Zimmerman
    Senior
    Morrow Little Miami
    • Steven Zimmerman takes his 2nd straight Gold Star Award after showing considerable improvement from last year; a season where he was already winning his events by more than a second. Zimmerman bettered his 100 Backstroke best time from a 49.08 to a 48.30, and his 200 IM went from a 1:51.5 to a 1:49.39. After combining all Ohio results, that still gave Zimmerman the fastest time in each of those events by almost 2 seconds a piece! That 100 Backstroke time was the 4th best swim in the country this year and 2nd fastest in Ohio history, while his 200 IM time was 15th best in the country. Zimmerman graduates as one of 13 boys’ swimmers since 1970 with 4 or more individual wins that includes 2 repeat victories.

    St. Xavier once again took the division 1 title, but after combining the finals results from d1 and d2 into a single division, Toledo St. Francis and University actually come out ahead of St. Xavier with final team scores in that single division being: St. Francis, 247; University, 232; St. Xavier, 212. Leading that St. Francis team was senior Michael DiSalle, who won the 200 Freestyle, was 2nd in the 100 Freestyle, and was the primary swimmer on their winning 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay teams.

    University’s success had a lot to do with their star, Andrew Malone, who is actually 2nd in the Gold Star ranks this year. He matched Zimmerman with a double-victory performance by winning the 50 Freestyle and 100 Breaststroke, the first swimmer with that event combo to accomplish the feat in the history of the Gold Star rankings (although it should be noted that Bill Barrett (1978) set the Ohio record in the 50 Freestyle and qualified for the 1980 Olympics in the 100 Breaststroke). Malone’s 55.54 time in the 100 Breaststroke was ranked 11th in the nation while his 20.50 time in the 50 Freestyle was 17th.

    The final swimmer deserving mention this year is Michael Meldon from Strongsville. The senior was champion in the 100 Freestyle and 2nd in the 50 Freestyle and his best time of 44.70 in that 100 Freestyle was the nation’s 8th fastest time.

2012

  • Erik Risolvato
    Junior
    Lima Shawnee
    • In perhaps the biggest blowout Gold Star win since Joe Hudepohl, Erik Risolvato takes his award after rewriting the record book for Ohio sprinting. Last year’s 100 Butterfly champion took it to another level this season, swimming just that 100 Butterfly individually, but doing all 3 relays for Shawnee HS. While he successfully defended his butterfly state title with a 48.26 time that was 3rd best in Ohio history and 8th in the nation this year, it was his leadoff leg of the 200 Freestyle Relay that shocked the natatorium. He led off with a 19.62 time that broke Joe Hudepohl’s state record by almost a half a second, and that gave him the top time in the nation this year by 3 tenths of a second - an incredible margin for the 50 Freestyle.

    Probably just as important to Risolvato, his team was able to win that 200 Freestyle Relay with the top time in Ohio this year. Risolvato then led off Shawnee’s 400 Freestyle Relay with a 44.03 time giving him the 3rd best 100 Freestyle in the country this season and in Ohio history. On top of those 47 national level points (the highest since Ed Matkovich in 2000), Risolvato had a 22.5 leadoff backstroke leg on the 200 Medley Relay, giving the 2nd best such split in Ohio history. That 19.62 time in the 50 Freestyle was 0.19 off the national record.

    Besides Risolvato’s record breaking performance, few other swimmers had notable seasons. In both Division 1 and the combined format, Cincinnati St. Xavier took down Toledo St. Francis to get back on top for the first time officially since 2009. They did this despite not having an all-star for the 2nd straight season. On the other hand, St. Francis had the only double-event winner in Ohio this year in Dan DiSalle. Since Risolvato’s 50 Freestyle was done leading off the 200 Freestyle Relay, DiSalle was able to take the state title in that event and the 100 Freestyle. Jack Pohlman from Beavercreek is 3rd in our Gold Star rankings this year after winning the 100 Breaststroke and 200 Medley Relay. His breaststroke time was the 5th fastest in the country this year. Finally, Mack Rice of Cincinnati Indian Hill is 4th in our rankings after finishing 1st and 2nd in the 200 IM and 100 Backstroke, respectively. His 200 IM time was Top-16 in the nation.

2013

  • Ross Palazzo
    Sophomore
    Hudson
    • Since the inception of the Gold Star, there have been several instances where the race seems to have been too close to call, but this has to be the tightest pick in 81 judged boys’ and girls’ seasons combined. There have been 2 instances where 2 swimmers were picked for the Gold Star (1997 boys’, 2000 girls’), but in each of those cases, the two swimmers picked were on the same team, and the fact that their team won that year had a lot do with it. The race was between Palazzo and Josh Quallen (senior, Wilmington), but in the end, very tiny differences have made Palazzo the pick.

    It’s even a bit eerie how alike these two seasons are. First off, both Palazzo and Quallen were top in Ohio in both of their events this year, the only swimmers with such a distinction. Palazzo was champion in the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke, while Quallen won the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke. They were also the only two boys in Ohio with nationally ranked times. They each had both of their swims ranked Top-16 in the nation, but neither had a swim ranked better than 11th. At the end of the day, Palazzo’s 100 Breaststroke (54.99) was ranked 11th and his 200 IM (1:48.49) was 13th, while Quallen’s 100 Butterfly (47.95) was 13th, and his 100 Backstroke (48.92) was 15th. Palazzo’s 100 Breaststroke and 200 IM times in Ohio history were 2nd and 4th, respectively, while Quallen’s 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke results in Ohio history were 3rd and 4th, respectively. Palazzo’s 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke were a combined 1.15 seconds off the state records, while Quallen’s 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke times were a combined 2.12 seconds back. Palazzo has a slight advantage in almost every category, but considering these two were so far ahead of any other swimmer, the differences seem almost negligible.

    When a race is this close, relays are taken into greater consideration, but after further analysis, even the quality of their relay times were staggeringly similar. Quallen was probably a little faster in freestyle, as he had a 45-second flat-start in the 100 Freestyle leading off Wilmington’s 400 Freestyle Relay at districts, but Palazzo then had a 24.8 time in the 50 breaststroke split of Hudson’s state 200 Medley Relay that was 2nd best in Ohio history! Quallen had a solid 23-mid leadoff backstroke on multiple Wilmington 200 Medley Relays, but Palazzo anchored 21-low in the 200 Free relay, another similar split. Since a decision has been made on every occasion since 1970, Palazzo’s slight advantages mentioned earlier give him the Gold Star. Quallen being over twice as far from records while Palazzo swam more yards was the primary factor, and that difference was exemplified in the national rankings. Looking at it from an outsiders perspective, its easy to see that Palazzo was a hand off Ash’s breaststroke record and a good challenger off Kurth’s IM mark, while Quallen really didn’t challenge Staab or Cramer’s records in the butterfly and backstroke.

    Cincinnati St. Xavier again took the overall title this year with 238 ‘mythical’ points, easily outdistancing Cleveland St. Ignatius who came in 2nd with 173. Leading the way for X was senior Jack Hendricks, who won the 500 Freestyle and was 2nd in the 200 Freestyle. That win was significant because it was the first individual title for St. Xavier since Alex Miller won the 500 Freestyle in 2010, making that the longest X has gone without an individual champion since their 1985-1989 drought. Hendricks also led off St. Xavier’s state title winning 200 Freestyle Relay. The only other swimmer of notable mention is Joey Long of Upper Arlington who successfully defended his state title in the 200 Freestyle.

2014

  • Grant House
    Freshman
    Cincinnati St. Xavier
    • Grant House takes this year’s Gold Star after posting hands-down the best freshman campaign in boys’ state history. After winning 9 Gold Stars from 1990-2004, House becomes the first St. Xavier swimmer to win the award since Pete Carothers in that 2004 season. He did so with a 3-win performance in the 200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, and 400 Freestyle Relay, and St. Xavier’s 200 Freestyle Relay that he was part of finished 2nd.

    House was easily the most impressive swimmer this year and a lot of it had to do with his first swim: the 200 Freestyle. In that, he posted a 1:35.84 that was far and away the 2nd best time in Ohio history to Joe Hudepohl’s 1:34.96 record, and since he’s a freshman, it excited the crowd even more, suggesting there may finally be a swimmer capable of taking down the legendary mark. That time was 4th best in the country this year. House started day 2 with his 100 Freestyle victory, posting a 44.26 time that was the 16th best swim in the country this year. He then anchored St. Xavier’s runner-up 200 Freestyle Relay with an impressive 19.84 split, the best in Ohio. Finally, he anchored their state title 400 Freestyle Relay in 44.15. House’s performance made him the 2nd freshman in state history to win multiple individual events (Whitney Myers, 2000) and the first boys’ swimmer.

    With House’s efforts, St. Xavier was able to once again win the division 1 title, but after combining divisions 1 and 2, it’s actually Toledo St. Francis that comes out on top by a narrow margin. Typically, when a scenario like that occurs, it’s because the team in St. Francis’ position has less depth than the St. Xavier team, but when more swimmers are added to the mix, their higher-end guys push them over the top. That makes this win for St. Francis especially impressive because they didn’t have a single swimmer make the all-star team.

    There are actually only a couple of other all-stars that will be mentioned at all, starting with last year’s Gold Star winner, Ross Palazzo. The Hudson junior successfully defended his state titles in both the 100 Breaststroke and 200 IM, but unlike last year, he didn’t have any Top-16 nationally scoring times. Henrik Pohlmann of Beavercreek was actually the 2nd most impressive swimmer this year as he posted multiple 100 Backstroke times in the 48-low range. His best was a 48.13 that was the 9th best time in the country this year. He also finished 2nd in the 100 Butterfly. The only other swimmer with a national ranking this year was junior Mason Miller of Westerville North. After winning the 50 Freestyle in 2013, Miller switched to the 100 Butterfly this time and won that with a 48.3 that was ranked 13th in the country.

2015

  • Michael Reilman
    Senior
    Cuyahoga Falls Walsh Jesuit
    • For the first time since 1997, no boys’ swimmer won multiple individual events at the state meet (after combining the results of divisions 1 and 2). There were, however, 5 guys who scored 37 points making the Gold Star picking relatively tough. Reilman, Mark Andrew, Trevor Lake, last year’s winner Grant House, and 2013 winner Ross Palazzo all finished 1st in one event and 2nd in the other. House was the leader on the winning team (St. Xavier), Lake beat House in the 100 Freestyle, while Andrew and Palazzo both set state records. Reilman, despite no records or wins against any of the other 4 candidates, is still the Gold Star winner because he was significantly better than anyone else from a national perspective this season.

    Reilman started the meet in a race for the ages. Last year, Grant House swam a 1:35.84 in the 200 Freestyle which was easily the 2nd best time in state history and suggested that Joe Hudepohl’s 1:34.96 record might have a chance at going down soon. What people may not have expected was for House to immediately have competition. He didn’t quite get the record, but House swimming a 1:35.28 surely had something to do with the fact that he was pushed the entire way by Reilman who swam a 1:35.66, the 3rd best time in state history. That gave those guys the 3rd and 5th fastest times in the nation this year. Reliman then went on to win the 100 Backstroke on day 2 with ease, posting a 48.28 best time that was also 5th fastest in the country this year and 4th best in Ohio history. No other swimmer had more than 1 swim that was ranked even top 14 in the nation, making the decision to pick Reilman that much clearer. To top things off, Reilman had arguably the most impressive relay swim at the meet this year, swimming a leadoff 22.55 backstroke time that was tied for 2nd best in state history.

    As previously stated, House was the 200 Freestyle winner again with the 3rd best time in the nation, but that was his only Top-16 time this year. His 100 Freestyle was a 44.79, good enough for Top-20 in the country but not nationally scoring. He did however lead St. Xavier to the official state title (D1 and combined), ending the meet with an anchor leg on their state title winning 400 Freestyle Relay. House did win the D1 100 Freestyle, giving him 4 D1 wins in as many tries over his first 2 years, but Trevor Lake from Bay Village actually had a faster time coming out of division 2 at 44.71. That gave Lake the official 100 Freestyle title and he was also 2nd in the 50 Freestyle.

    Two swimmers who sealed each other’s fates this year were Ross Palazzo and Mark Andrew. Palazzo might have had a lock on the Gold Star had he been able to overcome Andrew in the 200 IM for his 3rd straight title in the event, but despite Palazzo going a best time (1:47.54) that was better than Mark Gangloff’s 1:47.63 record from 2000, Andrew got him by almost a full second. The difference was on the final leg: both swimmers turned about even, and Andrew beat him by about a second on the freestyle to post a 1:46.63, officially taking down Gangloff’s mark. Those times were ranked 6th and 15th in the nation this year.

    Palazzo responded with a record of his own, downing Chris Ash’s 2005 mark in the 100 Breaststroke. He swam a 54.35 to better the record by .35, and that was the 5th best time in the country this year. Andrew missed out on an opportunity at the Gold Star himself when he finished 2nd to Joshua McDonald (Lakota East) in the 500 Freestyle by the slimmest of margins. After that analysis, Palazzo’s times were both better than the old state records, which once again brings up the question, “why doesn’t he win the award?” Had Reilman’s national rankings been anywhere near those of Palazzo, the latter would likely have the advantage, but that just wasn’t the case. The fact that Reilman was that much better than anyone else at the highest level was the most relevant factor, and that doesn’t even mention his relay efforts.

    Other notable swimmers this year were Kalvin Koethke, a Grove City junior whose 20.18 winning 50 Freestyle was 5th best in the country; and Mason Miller, the Westerville North senior who makes his 3rd straight all-star team and successfully defended his 100 Butterfly crown with a Top-16 time of 48.48.

2016

  • Tommy Cope
    Senior
    Vandalia Butler
    • The overall speed of Ohio swimming on the national scale dipped a bit from 2008 through 2014 but it seems to have picked back up. While there weren’t any superstar performers contending for the top national recruit this season, several boys were posting Top-16 times and all 3 state relay records were broken. That’s notable because the records that were taken down were from 2000, 1999, and 1999.

    On the individual side of things, Tommy Cope was the easy pick for the award after he was the only swimmer to be champion in both of his individual events. On top of that, he had the best national rankings this season, and posted some of the top relay times in the state. Cope started off the meet with a 200 IM race for the ages. His main competition was classmate Cooper Hodge from Moeller, and during the preliminary session, Hodge actually broke Mark Andrew’s state record of 1:46.63 with his own 1:46.58. At finals, however, it was Cope getting out ahead of Hodge on the butterfly leg and holding him off by a narrow margin the entire time to take the state title at 1:47.24. Cope’s preliminary swim of 1:47.20 was the 5th best time in the nation this year (while Hodges record prelim time was 3rd best). Cope then continued his winning ways on day 2 by coming back on the final 50 to take down sophomore Jason Mathews (Pickerington North) with a 54.87 in that 100 Breaststroke. His time was 12th best in the nation this year and that made him Ohio’s 3rd best ever in both the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke. Just to solidify his spot at the top, Cope also proved his overall ability by posting a leadoff 20.72 time in the 200 Freestyle Relay, giving him the 2nd best such split and 4th best 50 Freestyle time in Ohio this year.

    After Cope, and besides Hodge (who finished 4th in the 100 Backstroke along with his runner-up and record 200 IM), there are several swimmers who deserve mention. 2nd in the Gold Star ranks this year is Kalvin Koethke from Grove City. The senior became just the 2nd swimmer in Ohio history to break the 20-second barrier after he posted a 19.97 that gave him the title and 2nd best time in the country this year. He also finished 2nd in the 100 Freestyle to the swimmer who’s been placed 4th in the Gold Star ranks this year: David Madej. Leading a rising Broadview Heights HS group, sophomore Madej was champion in that 100 Freestyle with a 44.31 that was 9th best nationally, and he finished 3rd in the 50 Freestyle. Madej’s best results, however, came on the relays. While St. Xavier was considered by some to be the favorite, Madej didn’t let his team down and anchored the 200 Freestyle Relay to victory with a 19.98 split. The timing was significant because he not only outswam St. Xavier star Grant House, but also ensured his team got the state record. In fact, Broadview Heights’ 1:21.78 time was the top swim in the entire country this year! Madej finished off the meet unable to catch House on the 400 Freestyle Relay, but his team’s time was just off the old state record and finished 2nd.

    Speaking of House, he and his classmate/teammate Luke Sobolewski led St. Xavier to their 2nd straight overall team title (and 8th straight division 1 title), each picking up an individual 1st and 2nd place finish. House was 500 Freestyle champion and finished 2nd in the 200 Freestyle while Sobolewski won the 100 Butterfly and was 2nd in the 100 Backstroke. House’s times of 4:24.61 and 1:36.93 were both 12th fastest in the nation this and he anchored St. Xavier’s champion 400 Freestyle Relay that set a new state record at 3:01.34. Sobolewski, meanwhile, swam the butterfly leg on X’s 200 Medley Relay that set a new state record at 1:30.40. It should be noted that both swimmers won both of their swims at the division 1 level, meaning House has gone 6 for 6 in division 1 races during his tenure. House also notably became the 5th swimmer in state to win 3 separate events during his tenure as his 500 Freestyle victory now adds to his championships in the 100 and 200 Freestyle.

    The only other swimmers to be mentioned are Cody Bybee and Matthew Marquardt. Bybee, a Bellbrook sophomore, notably had a better time (from division 2) than house in the 200 Freestyle, giving him the win in that event. His mark of 1:36.75 was 10th best in the country this year. Marquardt, meanwhile, was just 3rd in the 100 Backstroke and 7th in the 100 Butterfly, meaning he missed the all-star team, but his best season time in the 100 Backstroke of 48.29 was 12th best in the country this year.

2017

  • Cody Bybee
    Junior
    Bellbrook
    • On the boys side, Ohio swimming is officially back on the map when it comes to national relevance. This year saw the most national level points scored (Top-16 format) since the early to mid-2000’s!

    Leading the pack was Cody Bybee, a swimmer who didn’t exactly run away with the Gold Star, but his win was a pretty easy choice nonetheless. For starters, the Bellbrook junior was the only guy to be #1 in Ohio this year in both of his events as he took the championship in both the 200 Freestyle and 100 Butterfly. Moreover, he set a state record in both of those events, and his butterfly relay split. In fact, Bybee’s 4 times ended up with all-time Ohio rankings of 1st, 1st, 1st, and 2nd! The 200 Freestyle (an event he won last year) saw him drop more than 2 full seconds and post a 1:34.55 time that officially knocked Joe Hudepohl’s name off that slot for the first time since 1990! Bybee’s time was 2nd best in the nation this year. Then in the 100 Butterfly, Bybee took down Austin Staab’s state (and former national) record time of 47.10 with a 46.97 of his own that was ranked 3rd in the country this year! If that wasn’t enough, Bybee also toppled Jayme Cramer’s 2001 state record butterfly split on the medley relay (21.15) with a 20.92 on Belbrook’s 3rd place (division 2) 200 Medley Relay. Finally, he led off Belbrook’s 400 Freestyle Relay in a 43.78 which was the 2nd best 100 Freestyle time in Ohio history (Hudepohl) and 5th fastest in the country this year! Those 47 national level points tie Erik Risolvato (2012) for the most by an Ohioan since Ed Matkovich in 2000! Perhaps the most notable part of Bybee’s record breaking season, however, is how he really just inserted himself as the biggest name in Ohio despite the fact that St. Xavier was going for a national mark or two of their own.

    As it turns out, St. Xavier accomplished what they set out to do and won their first national team title since 2001, and the first in Ohio since Akron Firestone in 2002! Although their team was enormous and the star power/depth combo led to them scoring the 2nd most points in state history to their 2000 record (combined division format), it was really 5 boys leading the way. Seniors Grant House, Luke Sobolewski and Charles Leibson, and juniors Justin Grender and Nicholas Perera combined to swim all 3 relays, all in state champion and state record time. House won the 500 Freestyle and was 2nd in the 200 Freestyle; Sobolewski was state champion in the 100 Backstroke and runner-up in the 100 Butterfly; Perera won the 200 IM; Grender was 3rd in the 100 Freestyle; and Leibson was 2nd in the 200 IM and 7th in the 100 Freestyle. Grender/Leibson/Sobolewski/Perera’s 200 Medley Relay was a record 1:29.66 and 4th in the nation; Perera/House/Leibson/Grender’s record 200 Freestyle Relay was 1:21.44 and 3rd in the nation; and the House/Perera/Sobolewski/Grender record 400 Freestyle Relay swam a 2:58.13 that was #1 in the country this year!

    House, their superstar, was set to beat Hudepohl’s legendary 200 Freestyle record ever since he went a 1:35 as a freshman. House did in fact beat the team record with a 1:34.59 of his own, but since that time was 0.04 behind Bybee, House isn’t granted the overall state title in the event this year. While arguments may be made for both sides regarding having multiple divisions, the shame here is that House and Bybee never got a chance to race at the state level. Considering House became the first boys’ swimmer in Ohio history to win all 8 of his official races during his tenure, that division split seems to sting more because at the end of the day, House graduates with just 5 official state titles. There were 3 occasions where a division 2 swimmer had a slightly faster time, but who’s to say what would’ve happened if House (clearly a dominant racer) had a chance against those guys heads-up!? As it stands, House’s stellar season saw him break that 200 Freestyle Hudepohl mark with the 3rd best time in the nation, and then follow it up with an incredible 500 Freestyle mark on day 2. In that, he beat David Mosko’s state record by over a second with a 4:19.15 that was also #3 in the nation. Besides that and the relays, House even had several in-season All-American swims, the most notable being his 1:47.29 in the 200 IM that gave him the nation’s 11th best time in that event!

    Sobolewski also swam fast with 48-low times in both the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke, and that 48.23 backstroke was 6th best in the country. To put into perspective St. Xavier’s dominance this season, their other star swimmers weren’t even on full showcase because of national title run: Justin Grender was a 48-second 100 backstroker out of high school this season but it was more beneficial for him to swim all 3 relays and the 100 Freestyle. Nicholas Perera was a 1:37 200 Freestyler but similar circumstances arose; and Charles Leibson, despite finishing 2nd, had a better best time than Perera in the 200 IM this year, swam breaststroke on the record 200 Medley Relay, and was the fastest split on their 200 Freestyle Relay!

    Bybee and St. Xavier were only part of the story this year as there were still 4 other swimmers with nationally ranked times. Sem Andreis of New Philadelphia won the 50 Freestyle and finished 2nd in the 100 Freestyle. His best times of 20.16 and 44.49 were ranked 8th and 18th in the nation this year. David Madej makes his 2nd straight all-star team after again winning the 100 Freestyle with a 44.17 time that was 10th in the nation. He was also All-American in the 200 Freestyle, 50 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, and all 3 relays, and he was runner-up at state to Andreis in the 50 Freestyle. Ohio’s 3rd best swimmer this year was actually Parker Neri, an Upper Arlington senior who finished 3rd in both the 200 and 500 Freestyle. His 1:35.23 time in the 200 Freestyle was 7th in the nation, his 500 Freestyle best time of 4:23.03 was 9th, he had a 44.33 in the 100 Freestyle that was 15th, and a 20.50 50 Freestyle time that was also All-American. Last but not least is Junior Jason Mathews of Pickerington North whose 100 Breaststroke winning time of 54.83 was 3rd best in Ohio history and 13th in the country this year.

2018

  • Cody Bybee
    Senior
    Bellbrook
    • For the 2nd straight year, Cody Bybee is Ohio’s best swimmer and although there were several stars in Ohio this year, picking Bybee wasn’t a difficult decision. Last year, he played the upset role after he posted a better time in the 200 Freestyle than St. Xavier’s Grant House, the swimmer most believed would be the first to beat Joe Hudepohl’s 26-year-old mark. This year was much of the same as many might have thought Sophomore phenom Carson Foster would take the event but once again, Bybee posted a time slightly better to successfully defend his title. In fact, he won his 3rd straight with a personal best of 1:34.02 that was 4th best in the nation and his 3rd straight win. That, plus his 200 Medley Relay butterfly split of 20.90 means Bybee has now set 5 state records in the last 2 years. He continued right along winning his 2nd state title in the 100 Butterfly with a 47.36 that was the nation’s 7th best time. Bybee ended the meet once again leading off Bellbrook’s 400 Freestyle Relay with the 2nd best time in state history in a 43.75 that was the 6th best time in the nation. With those points from his rankings in the 200 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly, and 100 Freestyle, Bybee scored 40 plus national points for the 2nd straight year, joining Joe Hudepohl and Dave Wilson as just the 3rd swimmer in Ohio history to accomplish that feat.

    Some may have thought that St. Xavier would take a step back this season with swimmers like Grant House and Luke Sobolewski having graduated but that was far from the case. Led by seniors Justin Grender and Nicholas Perera, St. Xavier had one of their most dominant showings ever. Grender was their superstar as he was nationally ranked in several events and led the relays. He started with his 3rd straight 22-second backstroke leadoff leg on a championship 200 Medley Relay. He then finished 2nd in the 50 Freestyle after posting a best time of 20.13 that was 12th best in the nation this year. His 100 Backstroke was his best swim, as he won his first state title in that but most notably at the prelim session beat Jayme Cramer’s 17-year old state record. His 47.36 was ranked 6th in the country. Grender ended his tenure on an impressive note, anchoring a state record 43.38 on St. Xavier’s title winning 400 Freestyle Relay. Perera wasn’t too bad, either, winning his 2nd straight state title in the 200 IM and finishing 2nd in the 500 Freestyle. His 1:47.42 time in that 200 IM was a Top-16 swim, and he was also part of the state champion 200 and 400 Freestyle Relay teams.

    Sycamore Sophomore Carson Foster swam his first high-school season and was as good as anyone right from the start. While he technically finished 2nd to Bybee in the 200 Freestyle, his 1:34.19 time was a division 1 record, 5th best in the nation, and more proof that it’s occasionally a shame when the best swimmers from different divisions don’t get to race. Foster won the 500 Freestyle on day 2 with a 4:20.21 time that was 8th best in the nation and 2nd best in Ohio history. He also had a state record 21.99 backstroke split on Sycamore’s 200 Medley Relay and anchored their 400 Freestyle relay in 43.7.

    Another swimmer deserving mention is Jason Mathews of Pickerington North. The senior won his 2nd straight title in the 100 Breaststroke but most notably had a 53.89 in-season time that set a new state record and was 3rd best in the nation this year. The final swimmer of note is long-time all-star David Madej. The senior dropped the 100 Freestyle this year, an event he was the 2x defending champion in, and picked up the 100 Butterfly. In that, he won the division 1 title and was 2nd overall in Ohio with a 47.48 that was top-10 nationally. He also won the 50 Freestyle this season, beating Grender in the finals, and had an All-American time in that and the 100 Freestyle.

2019

  • Carson Foster
    Junior
    Cincinnati Sycamore
    • In what was probably the most top-heavy state meet in this history of the boys side, Carson Foster wins the Gold Star over a contingent of swimmers that included several of his teammates at the USA level, including his brother. Foster had one of the very best seasons in the history of Ohio swimming, winning all 4 of his state meet events: the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle, 100 Backstroke, and 400 Freestyle Relay. He set a state record in the first 3, and barely missed the record in the 400 Freestyle Relay.

    Foster started the meet breaking his own state record leading off the 200 Medley Relay with a 21.4 split on the backstroke leg, and then that relay finished at 1:28.48 for a new state record of its own, good enough for the #1 time in the country this year. Foster then swam a 1:32.99 in the 200 Freestyle that broke both the state and national record, obviously giving him the top national time in that event and handing Ohio its first national record since 2007! He then won the 100 Backstroke with a 46.28 that was another state record, and the #1 time in the nation this year. To garner the most possible national level points towards the national team race, Foster adjusted his relays throughout the championship season. At the district meet, Sycamore stacked their 200 Freestyle Relay and their 1:22.26 time (led by Foster’s 19.51 anchor leg) ended up being the 3rd best in the nation. Foster then swam the preliminary leadoff leg of the 400 Freestyle Relay at state in a 43.61 that gave him the 5th best national time in the 100 Freestyle this year, and then he anchored a 43.07 that night to break the 3:00 barrier and give his team the victory (and 5th best national time).

    It turns out Carmel High School from Indiana was awarded the national team title, which made little sense considering Foster (and his brother) helped Sycamore score more than 20 more swimming national points than Carmel. Had Foster swam for a school where he’d have had a December rest meet that was a high school invite (rather than Winter Nationals where he actually swam), it’s likely he’d have been ranked top 3 in the nation for high school in upwards of 5 events this year. As it stands, Foster’s 54 national level points (from just the 200 Freestyle, 100 Freestyle, and 100 backstroke) tie him for 2nd most in state history, and he joins the exclusive club of having won 3 separate individual events (despite only swimming for 2 years)!

    Besides Foster’s phenomenal season, there were 2 other swimmers who won both of their events at the state meet this year, and both happen to be Foster’s USA teammates: Jake Foster, and Adam Chaney. Jake, a senior at Sycamore, was also champion in all 4 of his events, winning the 200 IM and 100 Breaststroke, and helping those dominant relays. Also, like Carson, Jake set several state records this year. He started off with a record 23.86 breaststroke split on that record setting 200 Medley Relay and followed it up an hour later with another record in the 200 IM. His 1:43.99 time was almost 2.7 seconds better than Mark Andrew’s previous mark, and it was the top time in the nation this year. Foster continued his record setting ways on day 2, bettering Jason Mathew’s state 100 Breaststroke record to a 53.53, and that was the 4th best time in the country this year. He ended with a 44.06 split on the final 400 Freestyle Relay which gave him his 4th title of the meet.

    Chaney, a Mason junior, was equally as impressive, winning the 50 and 100 Freestyle and taking down Joe Hudepohl’s legendary mark in the latter, a record that had stood for almost 30 years. Chaney was 19.64 in the 50 Freestyle, giving him the 2nd best time in both the nation and Ohio history in that, and then swam a 43.27 in the 100 Freestyle, the best time in the country this year. He ended the meet with another record, splitting a 42.6 on the 400 Freestyle Relay for Mason.

    4th in the Gold Star rankings this year is St. Xavier’s leader, junior Jean-Pierre Khouzam. Both he, and St. Xavier deserve credit for holding off Sycamore’s charge, as St. X won the meet by about 40 points. Khouzam was the state champion in the 100 Butterfly and swam all 3 relays. His 100 Butterfly time of 47.21 was 4th best in the country this year, and led by his butterfly split of 21.1, and freestyle splits of 19.7 and 43.5, St. Xavier’s relays ended with state finishes of 2nd, 1st, and 2nd; and national finishes of 2nd, 6th, and 9th.

    The final swimmer of mention is Jacob McDonald of Lakota East. Another Mason Manta Rays swimmer with Chaney and the Fosters, McDonald won the 500 Freestyle and his best time of 4:22.17 was ranked 6th in the nation this year.