Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
State swim meets
Fayetteville claimed the Class 6A-7A girls swimming and diving championship Saturday. On the boys’ side, Bentonville High had its 13-year title streak end with Little Rock Central taking the title. In the 1A-5A meet, the Haas Hall girls blew the competition out of the water while the Valley View boys also came away winners.
BENTONVILLE — Haas Hall’s sister acts was too much for the competition Saturday at the Class 1A-5A state swimming championships.
Sisters Luciana Thomas and Martina Thomas teamed with sisters Corrine DeSpain and Lily DeSpain to lead Haas Hall Fayetteville to its third consecutive championship at the Bentonville Community Center. Haas Hall got off to a strong start when the four girls set a state record by winning the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:46.97. That surpassed the record of 1:50.95 Haas Hall set last year.
Haas Hall piled up 362 points, which was 129 more than second- place Greene County Tech. Pulaski Academy finished third, followed by Sylvan Hills and Magnolia. Valley View won the boys division with 306 points. The Blazers were followed by Pocahontas, Little Rock Christina, Batesville and Arkadelphia.
“I have five senior girls and they wanted to go out on a high note,” Haas Hall Fayetteville coach Rebecca Moll said. “We started this program with them as ninth-graders and they’ve been competing so well. They wanted to go out like this and it took everyone, from top to bottom.”
It was a day of dominance from start to finish and an appropriate sendoff for three Haas Hall seniors, sisters Luciana Thomas and Martina Thomas, and Corrine DeSpain. Luciana Thomas is headed to Notre Dame while her twin sister, Martina, will swim at the Naval Academy.
Haas Hall sets records starting with the opening event and ending with another record in the 400 yard freestyle relay.
“We knew we wanted to
break that record and we worked really hard to achieve it,” Martina Thomas said of the first win to start the meet. “It’s incredible we got it at our last meet together and it’s been really fun. Me, Corrine, and Luciana, have been friends forever and for Lily to join the team has been great. We love their
family and it’s great to go out with them this way.”
Valley View made a long trip from northeast Arkansas worthwhile by winning the boys championship in the 1A-5A meet. The Blazers were led by Jack Little, who’ll swim in college at Arizona State
“It was about a five-hour
trip (Friday) on a bus and in the rain,” Valley View coach Jo Beth Mathis said. “But we got to practice, hang out, and feel like college athletes. Jack is now a four-time state champion in the 500 and Reed Graddy, our 6-foot-8 basketball player, chose to come here and we weer happy for that.”