Local swimmers bring home state titles

Lincoln Parish was well represented last week at multiple LHSAA State Swim Meets, with swimmers from Ruston High, Cedar Creek, and Choudrant High all returning home from Sulphur with shiny hardware.

Ruston’s boys and girls teams each finished runner-up at the Division II state meet, with the girls putting up 274 points, while the boys finished with 225 points.

Sadie Huenefeld and J.J. Hoover were named the Division II State Swim Meet Outstanding Female and Male Swimmers, respectively, after winning multiple events for the Bearcats.

Huenefeld won the girls 50-yard freestyle in 23.71 seconds — a Division II record — and the girls 100-yard breaststroke in 1:06.70. Huenefeld also was a key leg in the girls 200yard medley team winning its event in 1:52.27, along with juniors Kate Boersma and Karalin Hoover and senior Lydia Watts.

Over with the boys, Hoover won the boys 100- yard butterfly in 46.69 seconds, while senior Owen Frick won the boys 200-yard event in 1:41.70 and the boys 100- yard freestyle in 46.91 seconds.

Hoover, only a freshman, broke his own Division II record in the 100-yard breaststroke in 58.93 seconds to secure the title in that event as well. Hoover also helped the Ruston boys 400yard freestyle team win its event in 3:18.60, along with strong times from Frick, Taylor Roller, and Samuel Jackson.

Earlier in the week at the Division IV state meet, Choudrant senior Jack Groce won the boys 100- yard backstroke in 56 seconds, while also finishing third in the boys 200yard individual medley in 1:58.05.

Cedar Creek’s Camdyn Napper, a sophomore, won the Division IV boys 100-yard breaststroke in 1:00.89 — nearly a full five seconds ahead of the second-place swimmer. He also placed second in the boys 200- yard individual medley in 1:58.03, barely edging out Groce.

McKenzie Jones was the other podium finisher for Cedar Creek as she placed second in the girls 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle events.