Sharks make waves
FRISCO, Texas—The 2018 North Texas TISCA Invitational swim meet showed the Texas High Tigersharks what will be possible at the regional and state levels in February.
“I thought we would be in the top 3 for the boys even only taking 13 boys,” head coach Eric Vogan said.
The boys finished second just behind a Houston based Homeschool Association team that will not be eligible for UIL completion. The Tigersharks defeated all ten Frisco teams, Highland Park and four powerhouse Lubbock teams.
The best finish by the Tigersharks was a first place turned in by Jackson Shellogg, Robert Frost, Owen Likins and Max Young in the 200-yard freestyle relay. The Tigershark B relay made up of Cameron Alcorn, Logan Diggs, Brady Moore and John David Cass came in seventh.
The 400 yard freestyle relay finished second with Shellogg, Young, Dylan Rosser and O. Likins doing the honors. The B relay finished seventh in the consolation finals as Trent Foster, Evan Likins, Moore and Joshua Oldham represented THS.
The 200 medley relay finished third behind two teams from the Homeschool Association. Rosser, Diggs, Cass and Frost made up the relay. Max Young had two 3rd place finishes in the 200 freestyle and in the 100 freestyle. Owen Likins finished sixth in the 500 freestyle and 2nd in the 200 freestyle.
Diggs was 15th in the 100 breaststroke, Rosser sixth in the 100 backstroke, Cass 11th in the 100 butterfly and Moore was 15th in the 500 freestyle. Rosser and Diggs earned points in the 200 IM by going seventh and 11th respectively. The Tigersharks also did well in the 50 freestyle, as Frost came in second and Shellogg fourth. Shellogg and Frost also swam well in the 100 freestyle bringing home a sixth- and an eighth-place finish.
Thursday afternoon in the diving competition, Robert Bland scored 286.5 points to secure a seventh-place finish.
“We didn’t take kids just for relays like some teams did,” Vogan said. “We only swam relays with kids that qualified for individual events.”
In doing so the Tigersharks were able to garner more points with fewer swimmers which will bod well at state and regional contests.
For the girls, only having six swimmers qualify for the meet meant that each finish would be huge.
“We have some stroke and technique work to do with some of the girls, but work that can put them into the top 16, if not the top 8 at the state meet,” Vogan said.
Katelin Seidenschwarz, Haley Wood, Kaylee Norton and Fezeka Barnes swam to a ninth place finish in the 200 medley relay.
Barnes finished fourth in the 50 freestyle consolation final. In the 100 breaststroke Wood finished third in the consolation final.
“There were 570 kids representing 56 schools at the meet,” Vogan said. “So, even the girls finishing twenty-second is a pretty good showing.”
The Tigersharks will be in the pool practicing though Christmas break. The team’s next competition is Jan. 5 at Class 6A rival Richardson J.J. Pearce High School.