Rome High sets records as state meet looms

The swim team takes second at the Northwest Georgia Swim and Dive Championships.

This point in the season usually finds Rome High swimming coach Joey Powers with a firm understanding of what his swimmers are capable of accomplishing heading into the final two weeks of the season.

But after his team’s performance at the regional meet in Calhoun, Powers is looking for things to change before the GHSA swimming and diving state championships in two weeks.

“One thing about this season that has been different is normally we are peaking around the middle of December,” Powers said. “But as I was looking over our results, all of our top times came this past weekend, so they are on the rise and they know they have plenty they can improve on still.”

Rome placed second out of 23 teams at the Northwest Georgia Swim and Dive Championships, with the boys coming in second to Calhoun and the girls finishing third. The event featured several teams from around the region as well as Jefferson from near Athens.

Rome’s boys broke six school records at the meet, including in the diving competition.

“I think we’ve got a lot of seniority, but we don’t quite have the depth we’ve had in past,” he said. “The people we have are veterans in competition and familiar with program. But we do have some newcomers who are jumping in and have been able to contribute.”

Mason Hunter and Samson Mumber each won two events at last weekend’s meet, setting Rome High and meet records in the process. Holden Young set a new school mark in the 1-meter dive, scoring a 324.50 in the 11dive category.

Hunter, who is committed to swim at Michigan, won the boys’ 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:55.32 and the boys’ 100 breaststroke in 56.59 seconds. Mumber took first in the boys’ 100 butterfly, finishing in 52.70 seconds, while winning the boys’ 100 backstroke with a time of 52.04 seconds.

In the relays, Rome’s boys’ took second in the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:38.07 — another school record — while the Wolves’ 200 freestyle relay “A” team finished in second as well.

Rome’s girls were led by the performances of Viola Hasko and the 200 medley relay team. Hasko won the girls’ 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:10.13, while the relay team of Hasko, Sarah Baker, Anna Waguespack, and Emma Rose Bailey won the 200 medley relay with a meet record time of 1:53.92.

Rome will be back in action Saturday at the Metro Atlanta Swimming and Diving Invitational at The Westminster School before the state meet Feb. 1-3 at Georgia Tech.