AHSAA SWIMMING: LAMP finshes third in state championship

By TIM GAYLE

The LAMP boys finished third in the Alabama High School Athletic Association’s swimming and diving championships over the weekend, while the Tallassee girls finished seventh.

The championships were held at the Huntsville Aquatics Center on Friday and Saturday, with Huntsville High winning 6A-7A and Bayside Academy winning 1A-5A in girls’ competition on Friday. Huntsville and T.R. Miller won the boys’ championship on Saturday.

In boys’ competition, Huntsville won 6A-7A for the fifth consecutive year and the school’s 16th title overall, while T.R. Miller won 1A-5A for the third straight year. The Tigers, which shared the crown with Boaz in 2018, edged Boaz by 10 points (218-208) to win the 2020 title, followed by LAMP with 181 points. Tallassee finished in 14th place, while Prattville was 19th in 6A-7A with 24 points.

The most impressive performer on Saturday at the 1A-5A level was LAMP’s Brian Hammond, who placed first in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 54.57 seconds and first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 50.24 seconds.

Other notable performances at the 1A-5A level included LAMP’s Alex Jeong, third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:58.02; LAMP’s Alex Park, fourth in the 200-yard individual medley (2:10.88) and third in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.80); LAMP’s Paul Choi, fifth in the breaststroke at 1:08.15; Tallassee’s Camden Mask, eighth in the breaststroke with a time of 1:12.64; and LAMP’s David Hammond, ninth in the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:04.01.

LAMP’s 200-yard medley relay team took first place in the event with a time of 1:44.28, while the Golden Tigers’ 400-yard freestyle relay team was first with a time of 3:31.03. Tallassee placed ninth in the 200-yard medley relay.

At the 6A-7A level, Prattville was 13th in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 1:42.95, while Gabe Rissman placed 10th in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:01.55. Rissman also finished 11th in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:01.77. Rocco Rissman finished 14th in that race while also placing 29th in the 50-yard freestyle.  

In girls’ competition on Friday, Tallassee finished seventh in the 1A-5A division, while Montgomery Academy placed 10th, followed by LAMP.

Tallassee’s Macey Stewart won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:56.04 and placed first in the 100-yard freestyle in 53.26 seconds. The Tigers’ 400-yard freestyle relay team also placed sixth on Friday.

LAMP’s Sarah Foshee wasn’t far behind in the 100-yard event, finishing third in 57.88 seconds. Foshee tied for third with Dylan Santa Cruz of Cottage Hill Christian as both swimmers finished the 50-yard freestyle in 26.01 seconds.

Montgomery Academy’s Fionah Desautels won the 100-yard backstroke in 1:05.56 and finished seventh in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:57.80. 

Trinity’s Lilly Yancey finished ninth in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:12.18.

Prattville’s Hannah Jones placed in two events at the 6A-7A level, finishing 19th in the 50-yard freestyle and 21st in the 100-yard freestyle.