September means the start of the LHSAA swim season in Northwest Louisiana.  Local teams have already put in three weeks and will give you a recap of the past weeks.  Good luck to all local squads.  

2023 Battle of Classes (Ruston) (Sept 9)The kickoff race for the season was at Lambright Sports and Wellness Center in Ruston.  Alexandria took top honors in the men’s competition with 121 points.  Ruston finished second while Natchitoches-Central was third.  Caddo Magnet won the women’s division with Ruston as runner-up and Natchitoches-Central was third. Cedar Creek’s sole male swimmer Camdyn Napper scored 25 points and gave the Cougar boys a sixth-place finish.  Napper won the 200-yard IM in 2:07.36 and the 100-yard backstroke in 59.29.   He also captured a runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle. Choudrant’s Jack Groce compiled 16 points for the Aggies.  The finish allowed a seventh-place finish for Choudrant.  Groce won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:08.27.  Groce also captured third in the 100-yard freestyle.  Grace gained points with a 5th-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.  Haynesville had three swimmers score and finished eighth in the team competition.  Colt Ogden’s medaled with a 2nd place finish in the 200-yard IM.  Eighth-grader Ogden also got 2 points finishing 7th in the 100-yard freestyle.  Dustin Mills scored finishing 6th in the 100-yard backstroke and 7th in the 100-yard freestyle.  Jackson Monzingo helped out the Golden Tornado team finishing 6th in the 100-yard breaststroke.  Tucker Pitman gave the Apache’s swim team finishing 5th in the 50-yard freestyle.  Carson Whitehead added two points with a 7th-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke and a point with his 8th-place finish in the 50–yard freestyle:  Cedar Creek Girls took a fifth-place team finish in the team competition.  McKenzie Jones had the most points for the Lady Cougars with 20 points.  Jones medaled in all three of her races. MacKenzie  Jones placed runner-up in the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard Fly. Gracie Jones was hot on her heels with 19 points.  Gracie Jones won the 200-yard IM in 2:58.93. Gracie Jones was runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle and gained points on the 6th-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle.  Hannah Hiers medaled with a third-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke.  Hiers gained points in the 5th place 100-yard fly and 7th place in the 50-yard freestyle. Kaley Jackson led the Haynesville Golden Tornado swim team that finished seventh with 29 points.  Jackson had 15 points which included winning the 500-yard freestyle.  Jackson also collected points with a 4th place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and 8th in the 50-yard free.  Cassady Hope Rogers claimed a runner-up in the 200-yard IM.  Rogers also scored points with her 4th-place 200-yard freestyle.  Rachel Gantt pushed points to the Lady Apaches with her 7th-place 100-yard backstroke.Emily Chanler captured the 100-yard breaststroke title in 1:33.85 for the Lady Apaches.  Chanler also scored points with the 5th place finish in the 50-yard freestyle.  Leslie Shoemaker added 4 points with her 5th place in the 100-yard freestyle.

2023 September Shreveport High School invite (Shreveport) (Sept 16)

Loyola and Calvary kicked off their season in Shreveport.  Haynesville, Choudrant, Cedar Creek, and Glenbrook continued their season.  Calvary’s Claire Roper won two individual events for the Lady Cavaliers at BHP Billiton YMCA.  Macy Monday took two medals back to Linwood Road.  Monday placed 2nd in the 200-yard freestyle and 3rd in the 50-yard freestyle.  Freshman Kensey Scroggin took 3rd in the 100-yard freestyle.  The Calvary 200-yard medley relay team finished second.  Members of the 200 medley relay are Grace Googe, Mavy Monday, Claire Roper, and Kensey Scroggin.  The Lady Cavalier 200-yard freestyle relay finished third.  Members are Lola Howard, Macy Monday, Maebree Monday, and Elissa Pollitt.  The Cavalier’s Samuel Ponder medaled in four different competitions.  Ponder finished second in the 100-yard backstroke and third in the 200-yard IM in individual competitions.  Ponder was also part of the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard free relay.  Both relay teams finished second.  Other members of the relay team are Eli Haase, Jackson Morton, and Jackson Burney.   Haase also was runner-up 200-yard freestyle.  Morton was fourth in the 500-yard freestyle.  Loyola’s Ellen Dart finished fourth in the 100-yard freestyle.  Dart was also part of the fourth-place 200-yard medley relay and fifth-place 200-yard freestyle relay.  Other members of the 200-yard medley relay and 200-yard medley are Kathryn Jackson, Isabella Romanski, and Emily Rowe.Gus Nicolosi finished runner-up in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard fly for the Flyers.   Nicolosi was also part of the third-place 200-yard freestyle relay and the fourth-place 200-yard medley relay.  Other members of the two relay teams are Reece Armagost, Nick Culbertson, and Aaron Gonzales.  Culbertson finished third in the 100-yard freestyle and fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Cedar Creek’s McKenzie Jones placed in the top five in three events.  McKenzie Jones finished third in the 100-yard backstroke, fourth in the 200-yard IM, and fifth place in the 100-yard breaststroke.  Gracie Jones placed fourth in the 100-yard fly. Cedar Creek Cougar Camdyn Napper took three medals back to Ruston winning the 200-yard freestyle in 1:56.91.  Napper was the runner-up in the 100-yard fly and was third in the 100-yard breaststroke. Choudrant’s Jack Groce had two top-five finishes.  Groce finished second in the 200-yard IM and fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.  Kaely Jackson finished fifth in the 500-yard freestyle for the Haynesville Golden Tornado. The Glenbrook Lady Apache 400-yard freestyle relay raced to a third-place finish.  The members of the team are Emily Chanler, Amelia Lott, Gwenyth Lott, and Leslie Shoemaker. 

2023 Alexandria High School Meet (Alexandria) (Sept 23)

Cedar Creek, Haynesville, and Choudrant traveled down to Alexandria to compete at the Coach Wally Fall Natatorium.  Ruston won both the boys and girls team competition.  Pineville finished runner-up in both boys and girls.  Alexandria finished third in the boys while Natchitoches-Central was third in the girls.  Cedar Creek boys finished in seveth overall with 16 points.  McKenzie Jones medaled in two events with runner-up in the 200-yard freestyle and third in the 500-yard freestyle.  Gracie Jones scored points finishing 7th in both the 50-yard freestyle and 500-yard freestyle. Hanna Hiers scored 3 points for the Lady Cougars with a 7th 200-yard freestyle and 8th in the 500-yard freestyle.  Sole Cedar Creek Cougar swimmer Camdyn Napper won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:07.57.  Napper also gained runner-up 500-yard freestyle. Haynesville Golden Tornado scored 11 points.  Dustin Mills finished 6th in the 100-yard freestyle and 7th in the 200-yard freestyle.  Colt Ogden placed 6th in the 100-yard breaststroke and 7th 100-yard freestyle.  Jackson Monzingo added a point with the 8th place finish 100-yard breaststroke.  Choudrant’s Jack Groce finished 4th in the 500-yard freestyle. 

2023 Byrd-Calvary-Parkway Meet (Shreveport)(Sept 26)

Calvary boys and girls both won the team meet at Town South Swim Club in Shreveport. Calvary boys edged out Byrd 233-224 with Parkway finishing third with 67.  The Ponder duo both scored 40 points each.  Samuel Ponder won individual awards in the 200-yard IM in 2:12.20 and 100-yard freestyle in 51.90 seconds. Zachary Ponder won both individual awards in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:50.25 and the 100-yard fly in 56.06 seconds.  Both Ponders won with the  200-yard medley relay in 1:52.06 and also won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:41.42.  Other members of the relay teams were Eli Haase and Jackson Morton.  Morton also took top honors in the 100-yard breast stroke in 1:13.91 and was runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle. Haase captured two runner-ups in the 200-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle. The Lady Cavaliers best Byrd 284-274 in girls competition.  Macy Monday was the top point getter for Calvary with 40 points.  Monday won the 100-yard freestyle in 57.81 seconds and 100-yard backstroke in 1:03.51. Claire Roper took first place in the 200-yard freestyle in 2:08.00 and finished second in the 100-yard freestyle.  Kelsey Scogging took home two runner-up medals in the 200-yard IM and 50-yard freestyle. Grace Googe finished third in both the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard breaststroke.  Collectively, Monday, Roper, Scoggin, and Googe we’re runner-ups in the 200-yard relay medley