All it took was a willingness to work hard.
Allison Conn didn’t make any promises to the Heritage Academy swimming team. The first-year coach told her swimmers schools like Jackson Academy, Jackson Prep, and Presbyterian Christian had far many competitors that they did, so the numbers would be difficult to overcome.
But Conn urged her student-athletes to make the most of their two, one-hour practices a week at Mississippi University for Women.
When it came time for the Mississippi Association of Independent Schools championship meet, Conn told her 42 swimmers they didn’t need to think about which team would win a championship.
After all, Jackson Academy had won the previous 10 titles in a row, so odds are everyone would be chasing second place.
With each race, though, third place, even second place, started to look like first place. Soon, the Heritage Academy swimming team was scoring so many points in the boys and girls competitions that it looked more and more possible a new champion could be crowned.
When the final results were recorded, a new champion indeed had arrived: Heritage Academy.
Heritage Academy’s combined team score of 382.50 Oct. 6 in Laurel edged Jackson Prep (371) and Jackson Academy (357) for the team title at the MAIS championship meet.
“The relays helped tremendously and everyone got up and got excited to win and to beat the person beside them and to step it up a notch,” Conn said. “I can’t tell you how excited I was once the final points came out and we were awarded the trophy.”
The victory secured the school’s first state title for a program that had visions of a top-eight finish when it entered the meet. Those expectations were shattered thanks to a balanced performance that solid contributions from the elementary school and high school competitors.
Conn said she and coach Chris Chain didn’t have a lot of time to work with the team based on the difficulty of getting so many student-athletes at one place at one time. As a result, she said the team focused on technique at practices and did timed drills every workout. She said that work and the fact many of the student-athletes on the team participate in other sports that helped keep them in shape made her confident the team would fare well at the championship meet.
But Conn said she didn’t consider the team would win the title. She believes the elementary school’s previous best finish was third and the high school team’s previous best was fourth or fifth.
“Our kids were ready when they went down there,” Conn said. The high school competitors had to leave Columbus at 4:45 a.m., while the elementary school participants were able to leave Lowndes County a little later. “It took everybody’s effort to win that trophy.”
The Jackson Academy girls took first with 224.5 points, followed by Heritage Academy (151). Starkville Academy was fifth (99.5).
The Heritage Academy boys were first with 231.5, followed by Jackson Prep (223). Jackson Academy was fourth with 132.5, while Starkville Academy was eighth at 59.5.
Starkville Academy finished sixth as a team with 159 points.
Conn said she was surprised the team fared so well with its limited practice schedule. She praised the efforts and dedication of the team’s beginner swimmers who kept improving and motivating their teammates to train harder. She also credited team captains Bobby and William McGrath, who are brothers, for helping to lead the team.
Conn said many of those beginners have joined Swim Columbus, a club program, and soon will be veterans. She said her goal for next season is to get everyone started this summer so they can get a solid foundation built and swim to even faster times next season.
“I am just thrilled with the outcome of what our kids did to win a state championship,” Conn said.
The following Heritage Academy competitors finished in the top 10:
Girls Grades 1-3
25-yard freestyle — 3. Elizabeth Stater, 19:06; 9. Mackenzie Young, 21.85; 10. Haven Tuggle, 21.93; 25 butterfly — 2. Taylor Phillips, 24.32; 100 individual medley — 1. Stater, 1:50.21; 2. Phillips, 1:57.54; 100 free relay — 1. The team of Mary Hassell Griffin, Stater, Phillips, and Young, 1:18.84; 100 medley relay — 3. The team of Griffin, Stater, Phillips, and Tuggle, 1:40.64.
Girls Grades 4-6
50 free — 7. Anna Beth Billingsley, 38.86; 50 breaststroke — 5. Georgianna Brown, 44.65; 50 fly — 3. Shelby Phillips, 39.51; 100 IM — 3. Phillips, 1:26.10; 6. Brown, 1:32.09; 100 free relay — 5. The team of Billingsley, Kira McKlesky, Phillips, and Brown, 1:13.08; 100 medley relay — 6. The team of Billingsley, Brown, Phillips, and McKlesky, 1:27.07.
Girls Grades 7-9
50 free — 8. Carley Owen, 33.75; 100 free — 4. Emma Rose Davis, 1:30.21; 7-9 50 breast — 1. Sara Neal, 36.98; 4. Owen, 43.26; 9. Jackie McGrath, 46.64; 100 IM — 2. Neal, 1:14.11; 200 free relay — 2. The team of Neal, McGrath, Wilson, and Mila McKlesky, 2:24.53; 200 medley relay — 3. The team of McKlesky, McGrath, Neal, and Allie Allsup, 2:45.78.
Girls Grades 10-12
200 medley relay — 7. The team of Emma Rose Davis, Anna Gaines Gaskin, Madison Clark, and Owen, 3:08.15.
Boys Grades 1-3
25 free — 2. Cate Upton, 19.04; 25 back — 2. Jackson Conn, 19.10; 25 breast — 1. Conn, 22.97; 2. Upton, 25.14; 100 free relay — 7. The team of Conn, Luke Doyle, Kade Touchstone, and Upton, 1:41.49; 100 medley relay — 4. The team of Nicholas Hairston, Upton, Conn, and Ethan Criddle, 1:43.70.
Boys Grades 4-6
25 free — 6. Josh Neal, 15.87; 50 free — 2. Neal, 34.29; 50 back — 2. Moak Griffin, 35.67; 50 breast — 1. Thomas Chain, 39.13; 50 fly — 1. Griffin, 33.50; 100 IM — 2. Chain, 1:17.36; 100 free relay — 2. The team of Griffin, Neal, Josh Neal, and Chain, 1:03.34; 100 medley relay — 2. The team of Parker Ray, Chain, Griffin, and Neal, 1:16.98.
Boys Grades 7-9
50 free — 5. Jacob Swartz, 28.27; 50 breast — 1. Parker Sumrall, 32.66; 50 fly — 1. Ladd Chain, 27.08; 100 IM — 1. Chain, 1:03.56; 2. Sumrall, 1:06.78l 200 free relay — 2. The team of Chain, Sumrall, Swartz, and Jumbo Killebrew, 2:06.66; 200 medley relay — 1. The team of Chain, Sumrall, Swartz, and Killebrew, 2:24.73.
Boys Grades 10-12
50 free — 3. Nick Stater, 24.70; 6. Tyler Sundman, 27.88; 7. Bobby McGrath, 28.09; 100 free — T7. Goodloe Chilcutt, 1:03.61; T10. Bobby McGrath, 1:05.43; 50 breast — 1. Stater, 34.16; 50 breast — 9. Chilcutt, 47.58; 50 fly — 5. Sundman, 37.39; 200 medley relay — 4. The team of Stater, McGrath, Sundman, and Matt Sykes, 2:31.17.
The following Starkville Academy finished in the top 10:
Girls Grades 1-3
25 free — 6. Lillee Alpe, 20.26; 25 back — 4. Alpe, 22.77.
Girls Grades 4-6
25 free — T5. Kaitlyn Grissert, 17.17; 10. Mary Margaret McReynolds, 17.88; 50 free — 2. Logan Alpe, 35.27; 50 back — 4. McReynolds, 43.09; 5. Alpe, 44.98; 50 breast — 1. Mary Catherine Ray, 40.48; 100 IM — 1. Ray, 1:21.39; 100 free relay — 4. The team of Grissert, Emory Stevens, McReynolds, and Alpe, 1:11.27; 100 medley relay — 7. The team of Stevens, McReynolds, Alpe, and Grissert, 1:27.60.
Girls Grades 7-9
50 free — 7. Madison Wilson, 33.57; 50 back — 7. Kacey Faver, 38.33; 9. Wilson, 42.74; 100 IM — 3. Faver, 1:25.03; 200 free relay — 3. The team of Ray, Anna Beth Robertson, Wilson, and Faver, 2:25.65; 200 medley relay — 5. The team of Wilson, Ray, Faver, and Robertson, 2:48.32.
Girls Grades 10-12
100 IM — 7. Christa Wilburn, 1:25.81.
Boys Grades 1-3
50 free — 2. Taylor Ray, 43.01; 25 breast — 3. Ray, 26.10; 100 free relay — 4. The team of Sam Lyle, Casey Crittenden, Harris McReynolds, and Ray, 1:27.00; 100 medley relay — 5. The team of Crittenden, Lyle, Ray, and McReynolds, 1:46.73.
Boys Grades 4-6
50 free — 10. Chandler Douglass, 36.27; 50 back — 4. Kyle Faver, 38.51; 50 breast — 2. Faver, 44.27; 100 medley relay — 10. The team of Payne Lancaster, Douglass, Faver, and Aiden Butler, 1:42.45.
Boys Grades 10-12
50 free — 10. Zachary Gerhart, 29.85; 10
Adam Minichino is the former Sports Editor for The Commercial Dispatch.
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