The Boys and Girls Swim Teams delivered exceptional performances at the North Carolina Independent School Athletic Association (NCISAA) Division I State Championship held at the Greensboro Aquatic Center on Monday, Feb. 9, with both teams placing in the top 10 in the state.

The Boys Swim Team earned a third-place finish overall behind strong individual performances and key relay results.

Mattaus Rammel ’26 turned in a historic meet, capturing two individual state championships and setting multiple records. Rammel won the 100 Butterfly in 45.82, establishing both a school and state record, and claimed first place in the 50 Freestyle with a time of 19.99, also a school record. He was the only athlete at the meet to win two individual events. Rammel also contributed to a school-record performance in the 400 Freestyle Relay as the lead swimmer.

David Davis ’28 delivered another standout performance, earning first place in the 100 Backstroke with a time of 50.86 and adding a third-place finish in the 100 Butterfly with a time of 49.54.

Relay teams played a pivotal role in the boys’ podium finish. The 200 Freestyle Relay team of Davis, Dylan Fox ’30, Ray Tseng ’29, and Rammel, captured second place with a time of 1:27.24. The 400 Freestyle Relay team of Rammel, Caleb Buber ’28, Jacob Hodgkins ’29, and Davis, also placed second, closing the meet with a time of 3:11.40.

Additional scoring performances for the boys included a sixth-place finish in the 200 Medley Relay by Ryan Cleaver ’27, Carson Hatefi ’28, Matthew Boyce ’26, and Tseng. Individually, Jacob Hodgkins ’29 placed sixth in the 500 Freestyle and eighth in the 200 Freestyle, while Buber earned ninth-place finishes in both the 200 and 500 Freestyle events.

The Girls’ Swim Team finished eighth overall, an improvement from last season’s 10th-place finish. The team was led by Bessie Hassell ’27, who recorded personal best times in both of her events, placing fifth in the 100 Butterfly and ninth in the 100 Backstroke.

All three girls’ relay teams finished eighth overall, producing season-best times and securing valuable team points. The 200 Medley Relay featured Hassell, May Wright ’31, Eloise Pyle ’30, and Taylor Gregory ’26. The 200 Freestyle Relay included Sophia Slotnik ’29, Brinkley Argenta ’26, Gregory, and Rainy Ye ’27, while the 400 Freestyle Relay team of Slotnik, Pyle, Wright, and Hassell closed the meet with a strong performance.

Following the meet, Coach Greg Warren reflected on the teams’ performances.

“Coming off the TISAC [Triangle Independent School Athletic Association] Championship and heading into the State Meet just over a week later is always a challenge,” Warren said. “Missing additional training days due to weather only added to that difficulty, but I was extremely pleased with how our swimmers responded and performed. The state meet is always an exciting environment, competing against schools from across the state, and seeing our team rise to the occasion is incredibly rewarding as a coach. Both teams had outstanding seasons, and I’m very proud of the way we finished the year at States.”

Both programs’ performances capped a successful championship meet and a strong conclusion to the season.