By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Several Alamance County swimmers qualified in multiple events for the state championships, led by a regional champion.
Southern Alamance freshman Madisyn Upton will be the top seed in Class 3-A in two events based on results from last week’s Central Regional at the Greensboro Aquatic Center.
Upton won the 200-yard individual medley in 2 minutes, 10.36 seconds, and the 100 butterfly in 57 seconds. Her IM victory came by nearly six seconds and her butterfly triumph by more than three seconds.
Depending on the classification, the state meet will be held Thursday through Saturday. The diving finals are at Pullen Aquatic Center in Raleigh. Swimming events are contested at Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary.
Western Alamance’s Elizabeth Merlette and Kensley Gasaway will be entered in two girls’ events, while on the boys’ side, Western’s Daniel Doss and Eamon Hipps are qualified in two events. Western’s Michaela Bentley and Williams’ Liam Miller also advanced.
Bentley was the Class 3-A regional girls’ diving champion with a score of 364.
Merlette placed third in the 200 freestyle (2:06.70) and fifth in the 100 butterfly (1:04.50). Gasaway was third in the 500 freestyle (5:34.57) and eighth in the 100 backstroke (1:07.45).
Hipps was the runner-up on both the 50 freestyle (22.57) and 100 freestyle (50.23).
Doss placed fifth in the 100 butterfly (58.01) and sixth in the 100 freestyle (2:04.40).
Miller claimed third place in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.17).
Top-six regional finishers along with the entrants with the next six best times across the three regions qualified for states in each event.
In Class 1-A/2-A, Southeast Alamance’s Ben Alonso advanced to the state meet in two events. Alonso was fourth in the 200 individual medley in 2:16.23. and sixth in the 100 breaststroke in 1:07.67 in the Central Regional in Greensboro.
