Hopkinsville High School girls’ swim coach Keith Marquess saw something special in her team way back in December. Two months later, they proved her right.
The Hopkinsville Lady Tigers won their first Region 1 Swim Meet title since 2018, cruising to the championship in their own pool at the Rick Cohn Aquatic Center on Monday. The Lady Tigers scored 357 points to easily take the victory ahead of Henderson County (265), and Murray (228). Christian County was fourth with 197 points.
Hoptown’s victory also came in the final season for the team, which will consolidate next winter with Christian County High School.
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“That’s just it, it’s the last year and I think they wanted it just as much as I did,” Marquess said after the meet. “I told them before Christmas they had a chance to do something special. I planted the seed and they took it and swam off with it.”
Six Hoptown girls’ entries earned automatic bids to the Semi State 1 Meet this weekend at Bowling Green High School.
Leading the way was junior Lily Johnston, who won the regional championship in the 100-yard butterfly and was second in the 200-yard I.M. to automatically advance to the next round. Senior Grace Cansler also automatically advanced with a second-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Cansler was named the Region 1 Female Swimmer of the Year after the meet and Marquess, who also coaches Christian County High School’s swim team, was named the Region 1 Coach of the Year.
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The Lady Tigers’ 200-yard Medley Relay team (Brilyn Merrick, Cansler, Johnston, and Saralynn Major), 200-yard freestyle relay team (Major, Kaley Bangart, Cansler, and Johnston), and 400-yard freestyle relay team (Kaydon Coats, Merrick, Evelyn Bangart, and Kaley Bangart) each finished second place and qualified for this weekend’s Semi State 1 Meet.
“We did some shuffling of events but the big thing for us was getting Brilyn Merrick and Lily Johnston back this year,” Marquess said. “Brilyn moved back from Caldwell County before the first of the year and Lily swam for Christian County last year, but came back to us this season. Having them back really helped us.”
In addition to the six automatic qualifiers, Hopkinsville was notified Monday night that they had two more entries advance to the Semi State 1 Meet.
Major, who finished third in the regional 200-yard freestyle, advanced based on her time. She will be the 16th seed.
Kaley Bangart finished third in the 500-yard freestyle on Monday and will be the 16th seed at the Semi State 1 Meet.
Girls’ Region 1 Results:
200-yard Medley Relay: HHS, 2nd, 2:09.55
200-yard Freestyle: Major, 3rd, 2:23.49
Kaley Bangart, 4th, 2:24.74
Evelyn Bangart, 6th, 2:38.36
Sarah Kate Gilliam, 8th, 2:40.62
200-yard I.M.: Johnston, 2nd, 2:39.39
Cansler, 3rd, 2:40.77
50-yard Freestyle: Kaydon Coats, 7th, 31.68
Evelyn Bangart, 10th, 32.24
100-yard Butterfly: Johnston, 1st, 1:10.91
100-yard Freestyle: Merrick, 3rd, 1:08.06
Coats, 5th, 1:10.17
Gilliam, 6th, 1:13.52
500-yard Freestyle: Kaley Bangart, 3rd, 6:34.97
Major, 4th, 6:43.58
200-yard Freestyle Relay: HHS, 2nd, 1:54.94
100-yard Backstroke: Merrick, 4th, 1:21.16
Emma Frazier, 8th, 1:27.47
Brooke Ebbinger, 9th, 1:27.88
100-yard Breaststroke: Cansler, 2nd, 1:15.53
400-yard Freestyle Relay: HHS, 2nd, 4:34.36
Photos by Joe Wilson