Charter School of Wilmington’s Rebecca Green swimming in the 200 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Charter School of Wilmington’s Rebecca Green looks at the scoreboard after swimming in the 200 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Swimmers from Ursuline Academy celebrate after winning the 200 yard medley relay at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Ursuline Academy swimmers cheer on Marie Dickson as she competes in the 200 yard individual melody final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Ursuline Academy’s Marie Dickson competes in the 200 yard individual melody final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Cape Henlopen’s Molly Weeks pushes off to start in the 50 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Delaware Military Academy’s Kelly Blake looks at the score board after competing in the 50 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Appoquinimink’s Josephine Marsh prepares to compete in the 100 yard butterfly final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Swimmers from Ursuline Academy, center hold up their egg during the medal presentation for winning the 200 yard medley relay at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Archmere Academy’s Ellie Jogani swims in the 100 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
Appoquinimink’s Josephine Marsh competes in the 100 yard butterfly final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
St. Mark’s Maire Wilson before the start of the 100 yard freestyle final at the girl’s DIAA swimming and diving championships at the University of Delaware.
NEWARK – Ursuline Academy steadily improved over the last several seasons and had been getting closer to winning its first girls’ swimming state championship since 1987.
That improvement hit its high point as the Raiders had ten podium finishes, including four victories, en route to scoring 326 points and winning the 2016 Girls’ DIAA Swimming and Diving State Championship on Saturday at the University of Delaware’s Rawstrom Natatorium.
“It feels amazing. Going in, we really wanted this, but we needed to make it happen. So, we did,” Ursuline’s Marie Dickson said. “It feels great to get over the hump. Losing to them multiple made us used to it a little bit, but finally being on top was awesome.”
Ursuline started the meet strong when the unit of Dickson, Elizabeth deBruin, Sophia McAneny-Droz, and Erin Turulski won the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:48.91, and two events later, Dickson scored an individual victory when she won the 200-yard individual medley.
McAneny-Droz won 100-yard backstroke, and the Raiders capped off the state championship triumph when Dickson and Turulski teamed up with Allison Thomas and Heidi Dickson to win 400-yard freestyle relay.
The Raiders won the state championship this year because they returned all of last year’s state runner-up and added some key young swimmers that bolstered their ranks.
“It helped that I had no seniors last year, so I had everyone back. I gained a really good freshman breaststroker (Aneny-Droz), and that’s what got us over the hump to help us get to where we needed to be. We added that one person to help,” Ursuline head coach Kelly Ellis said. “We had a really great team spirit. We had 40 girls this year. Last year, we had 24, so it’s grown in school also. It’s been pretty great.”
Charter School of Wilmington finished in second place with 228.50 points, ending its run of eight straight state championships, but head coach Cindy Millison said the second place finish is accomplishment the team can be proud of.
“When you consider how well they swam, I couldn’t ask any more from them. Ursuline has a really strong team, and they’re very energetic. I’m excited for them. I know how it feels,” Millison said. “If you look at my girls, they’re all smiling, and they’re happy and proud of what they’ve done and who they represent. There are no tears here.”
Other state individual state champions included Delaware Military Academy’s Kelly Blake in 50-yard freestyle, Newark’s Alexis Bedford in diving, Appoquinimink’s Josephine Marsh in the 100-yard butterfly, St. Mark’s Meghan Jones in the 500-yard freestyle, Cape Henlopen in the 200-yard freestyle relay, and A.I. DuPont’s Alicia Diaz in the 100-yard backstroke.
Archmere’s Ellie Jogani was the only swimmer to win two individual races as she took home first place in the 100- and 200-yard freestyle, and she never experienced such a strong day before.
“It feels really great. Never before in my high school career I won two medals. In the two relays I was in, my team place. It feels really great, and I’m happy to be a part of it,” Jogani said.
