HIGH SCHOOL SWIMMING: Chilhowie girls and Graham boys capture Region 1D/2D titles (copy)
Chilhowie's Hadley Adams swam in the girls 200 yard freestyle in the Region Swim Meet at Virginia High.
Marion's Miciah Owens swam in the Region 1D/2D meet on Wednesday evening at Virginia High.
Chilhowie's Hadley Adams swam in the girls 200 yard freestyle in the Region 1D/2D meet at Virginia High.
Patrick Henry's Bryce Clement swam butterfly in the Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay.
Chilhowie's Sadie Paine swam in the Region Swim Meet on Wednesday evening at Virginia High.
Patrick Henry's Logan Updegraff swam backstroke in the Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay.
BRISTOL, Va. – Chilhowie girls swimming coach Dickie Kegley was worried recently when over half the members of his team were forced to miss practice due to inclement weather.
“If you miss time in swimming, it’s hard to get your legs back,” Kegley said. “We have some kids who live out in the county and they were unable to get to the pool because schools were closed. That makes it hard, especially for big meets like this.”
Nothing could stop the Kegley’s crew during Wednesday’s Region 1D/2D event at Virginia High.
One year after claiming the first regional title in program history, the Warriors compiled 136 points to defend their crown.
“I never told the girls that this was a possibility because I didn’t want to put that kind of pressure on them,” Kegley said.
Chilhowie sophomore Hadley Adams embraced the spotlight by recording wins in the 100 and 200-yard freestyle.
Adams shared swimmer of the meet honors with Wise County Central sophomore Kiraleigh Flanary after both scored 18 points.
“I didn’t expect all this, but it’s awesome,” Adams said. “We’ve all been working so hard for this meet and winning is very important.”
Chilhowie trains at the Lifetime Wellness Center in Marion pool along with members of the Marion High School boys and girls squad.
The grind for Adams includes early morning and evening workouts.
“I have to thank my parents for taking me to practice since I can’t drive yet,” Adams said. “It’s an honor to be part of this program. We’re all dedicated and we have a great coach that we love so much.”
Sophomore Sadie Paine contributed a victory in the 100 fly for Chilhowie.
Chilhowie also captured the 200 free and 400 free relay behind the work of Adams, junior Billie Paine, senior Madi Preston and senior Emmaline Dowell.
Dowell is the starting pitcher on the Warriors softball team, while Preston is a standout in softball, volleyball and basketball.
There are a total of 12 athletes on the Chilhowie roster, with just three seniors.
“Having multi-sport athletes always helps,” said Kegley, who has directed the Chilhowie program for 13 years. “We have a great group of girls who love the sport and they really do the recruiting for me. This win is all about them. I’m just blessed to be the coach.”
Virginia High (123) and Wise County Central (65) finished behind Chilhowie in the eight-team field.
Kiraleigh Flanary captured the 500 free and 200 IM, while junior Rylee Flanary from Wise Central took the 100-yard breast.
Virginia High School senior Mayne Versteegen was first in the 100 backstroke and VHS sophomore Lyla Cheatham took the 50 free.
Graham won the boys championship with a total of 86 points as sophomores Ty Jones (50 free) and Easton Webb (100 free) posted event victories.
Patrick Henry (67) and Marion (42) rounded out the top three among the nine boys teams.
Virginia High freshman Shep Parsons and Marion freshman Micah Owens were the top performers among the boys with 18 points apiece.
Parsons claimed the 200 and 500 free, while Owens won the 200 IM and 100 fly.
At 5-foot-2, Owens was one of the smallest athletes in the entire meet.
“I’ve been looking forward to this night for a year and it was a really fun experience,” Owens said
Swimming is a lifestyle for Owens.
“I go my start in the sport over six years ago and I’ve been improving ever since,” Owens said. “I didn’t really like competing in the fly event at first, but now it’s now one of my favorite strokes.”
While he lacks the height and arm span of his rivals, Owens compensates with technique and strength.
“I go get tired, but I train really hard in the pool and lift weights” Owens said. “Hard work pays off. I swam with the team last year as an eighth grader and I want to be on a college team someday.
Patrick Henry won the 200-medley relay with the cast of juniors Logan Updegraff and Maddux Forrester along with seniors Bryce Clement and Prestyn Reynolds.
Forrester paced PH with 11 points, while Marion junior Zachary Morris won the 100 breast and generated a total of 15 points.
The VHSL Class 1/2 state swimming and diving meet is scheduled for Feb. 17-18 in Richmond.
Region 1D/2D meet
At Virginia High
GIRLS
Team Scores
Chilhowie 136, Virginia High 123, Wise County Central 65, Tazewell 31, Marion 21, Rural Retreat 10, Graham 9, Patrick Henry 2
Individual Results
200 Medley Relay – VHS (McBride, Versteegen, Cheatham, Bosse), 2:14.80; 200 Free – Hadley Adams (Chilhowie), 2:20.86; 200 IM – Kiraleigh Flanary (WCC), 2:33.20; 50 Free – Lyla Cheatham (VHS), 28.59; 100 Fly – Sadie Paine (Chilhowie), 1:13.07; 100 Free – Hadley Adams (Chilhowie), 1:03.98; 500 Free - Kiraleigh Flanary (WCC), 6:01.35; 200 Free Relay – Chilhowie (Sadie Paine, Preston, Adams, Billie Paine), 1:58.07; 100 Back - Mayne Versteegen (VHS), 1:13.06; 100 Breast – Rylee Flanary (WCC),1:23.92; 400 Free Relay – Chilhowie (Adams, Sadie Paine, Billie Paine, Emmaline Dowell), 4:49.54
BOYS
Team Scores
Graham 86, Patrick Henry 67, Marion 42, Virginia High 32, Tazewell 17, J.I. Burton 13, Union 12, Rural Retreat 11, Wise County Central 10
Individual Results
200 Medley Relay – PH (Updegraff, Forrester, Clement, Reynolds), 2:52.60; 200 Free – Shep Parsons (VHS), 2:01.25; 200 IM – Micah Owens (Marion), 2:32.31; 50 Free – Ty Jones (Graham), 25.04; 100 Fly – Micah Owens (Marion), 1:07.71; 100 Free – Easton Webb (Graham), 56.24; 500 Free – Shep Parsons (VHS), 5:28.37; 200 Free Relay – Graham (Webb, Wesley Jones, Ramey, Ty Jones), 1:47.07; 100 Back – Ethan Sage (Marion), 1:18.93; 100 Breast – Zachary Morris (Marion), 1:15.46; 400 Relay – Graham (Webbm Wesley Jones, Ramey, Ty Jones), 4:12.73
agregory@bristolnews.com | Twitter: @Greg_BHCSports | (276) 645-2544
