Four SCHS Records Fall as Golden Knights Shine at Henlopen Conference Meet

Golden Knights Place 6th Overall

The Sussex Central High School Golden Knights swim teams competed against the best of the Henlopen Conference at the annual Conference Championship meet held at Sussex Academy on Saturday, 2/8. With just 8 swimmers competing, the boys squad totaled 191 points for a 6th place finish behind Caesar Rodney (388), Sussex Academy (308.5), Indian River (308), Sussex Tech (265), and Cape Henlopen (229.5). 

In the day’s first event, the boy’s 200 medley relay, Breyden Wright, Peyton Harmon, Jordan Pritchett and Tyler Herbster placed 2nd behind CR with a time of 1:47.95 - a new SCHS record. The previous record of 1:49.09 was set in 2004 by Caleb Marsh, Chris Perez, Devin George and Brad Hilovsky. In the 200 freestyle, Harmon would go on to place 5th overall in a season best, and state championships qualifying time of 2:00.83. Teammates Ben Warren and Mike Sullivan would also compete in the event, placing 18th and 19th, respectively. 

Next up, Wright would compete in the 200 individual medley and swim to an uncontested first place finish and break another SCHS school record in the process. Wright’s first place swim of 2:06.85 bested the previous record of 2:07.78 held by Brian Taylor since 2008. In the next event, the 50 freestyle, senior Tyler Herbster would place 11th in :25.15. Fellow senior and co-captain Ronan Dutton would go out with a bang in the event, dropping almost a full second from his personal best to place 21st with a time of 26.83. Rookie junior Isiah Brittingham would also have a PR in the event by swimming a :27.57, good for 25th place.

Jordan Pritchett would be the lone Golden Knight to compete in the 100 butterfly; his time of 1:03.75 earned the team 6th place points. In the 100 freestyle, Herbster would nab 11th place with a personal best time of :56.26 while teammates Sullivan and Brittingham would place 22nd and 23rd, respectively, in the event. Senior Ben Warren would be the lone Golden Knight in the 500 freestyle, and his time of 6:35.89 would be good for 15th place points. 

Herbster, Harmon, Pritchett and Wright would team up again in the 200 yard freestyle relay, placing 3rd a time of 1:37.50. Wright was back in action just a few minutes later in the 100 backstroke and would touch the wall in 3rd place with a time of :57.08. Harmon would follow next in the 100 breaststroke and notch another state qualifying time of 1:10.03, narrowly missing 4th place by .08 seconds. Ronan Dutton would also crack the top 20 in the event, dropping 4 seconds to post a personal best of 1:20.92 to place 18th.

In the final event, the 400 freestyle relay, SC’s foursome of Sullivan, Brittingham, Warren and Dutton would touch the wall in 6th place with a season best time of 4:19.80. 

Lady Knights Place 5th Overall

The Lady Knights had their strongest showing in program history by earning 181 points, good for 5th place behind Caesar Rodney (373), Cape Henlopen (371), Sussex Academy (347), and Sussex Tech (270). 

In the first event of the morning, the foursome of Maddie McTeer, Maggie Walker, Carolyn Munoz and Stephanie Wilson would place 5th in a season best time of 2:02.70. Freshmen Jane Warren and Emma Walker would compete in the 200 freestyle, with both ladies posting personal best times in the event. Warren’s 2:24.13 would be good for 12th place overall, and Walker’s 2:39.58 earned her 20th place. Junior Carolyn Munoz would swim to a top 5 finish in the next event, the 200 IM, placing 5th with a time of 2:32.72.

In the girl’s 50 freestyle, Maddie McTeer touched the wall in 2nd place overall in a personal best, and new SCHS school record, time of :25.25. Teammates Stephanie Wilson and Aubrey Johnson would also turn in personal best times of :29.57 (16th place) and :30.40 (18th place). Munoz would compete next for the Lady Knights in the 100 yard butterfly and again place 5th in the process with a time of 1:07.04. McTeer was up next in the 100 freestyle and would repeat the feat of a 2nd place finish and new school record. Her time of :55.11 bests her previous SCHS record of :55.83 set on 1/31, and was just 0.13 behind champion Danielle Stewart of CR. Johnson (1:09.81, 20th place) and Megan Smith (1:15.28, 26th place) both turned in personal best times in the event as well. 

In the girl’s 500 freestyle, freshman Jane Warren would drop over 20 seconds from her previous personal best to finish 8th with a time of 6:26.27. Teammate Stephanie Wilson would also compete, dropping 6 seconds from her personal best to grab 13th place points. The girl’s 200 freestyle relay would be up next, and the squad of Wilson, Johnson, Munoz and McTeer would place 4th overall with a season best time of 1:52.19. 

In the girl’s 100 breaststroke, the Walker sisters Maggie (1:22.58, 8th) and Emma (1:26.07, 12th) would be the Lady Knight’s top finishers while senior captain Megan Smith would end her high school career with a personal best time of 1:36.50. The last event, the girl’s 400 freestyle relay, the Lady Knights squad of Johnson, Maggie and Emma Walker, and Warren would team up to place 6th with a time of 4:36.64.

The final stretch of the season leading to the DIAA state championships has begun, and the Knights are looking to drop even more time and continue to re-write the record books at Sussex Central High School.