Bentonville Wins Ninth Straight Swimming Title

Bentonville had one string of state titles remain intact, but another came to an end Saturday during the Arkansas High School Swim Championships at Arkansas-Little Rock.

Bentonville’s boys dominated the pool to win their ninth consecutive state championship, scoring almost as many points as their two closest competitors combined. The Tigers compiled 430 points, while Little Rock Central edged Little Rock Catholic for second place by a 222.5-217 margin.

“It’s a tribute to the kids and the hard work they have put in,” Bentonville assistant coach Nick Nersesian said. “We did a great job of qualifying a bunch of individuals. We had some young individuals, and we also had veterans out there telling the younger ones what it’s all about.”

Web Watch

Complete individual and relays results can be found at results.teamunify.com/arlrad

Senior Gage Crosby made his last individual event in a high school meet a memorable one by breaking a state record in the 100-yard breaststroke, part of a 1-3-5-7 finish by the Tigers in that event. The Arizona signee turned in a time of 56.90 seconds, breaking the previous mark of 57.02 set by former Bentonville swimmer Michael Haefner in 2009, and beat his closest competitor by almost four seconds.

Crosby then closed out the meet by teaming with Lane Bland, Jared Crosby and Brandon Haefner to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3 minutes, 17.94 seconds. Gage Crosby, Bland and Haefner also joined John Hedgecock to win the 200 medley relay in 1:39.26, while Tyler Rousey started things off Friday night when he won the 1-meter diving competition with 360.95 points.

Bentonville scored in all but one event, and the Tigers had four people among the top 11 finishers in three events. Rogers Heritage (129) and Fayetteville (110) finished sixth and seventh, respectively, while Siloam Springs tied North Little Rock for eighth place with 103.

Siloam Springs’ Alex Holyfield (47.60) and Heritage’s Colton Holland (48.55) provided a one-two finish in the 100 freestyle. Holyfield also took second in the 50 freestyle in 20.60.

Meanwhile, Bentonville’s girls fell short in their quest for a fifth consecutive state crown. Conway captured the team title with 304 points to the Lady Tigers’ 290, while Cabot was a distant third with 161.

“It was as close as I thought we could come,” Nersesian said. “You have to give the credit where credit’s due. Conway is senior-loaded and has a lot of quality swimmers this year.

“You look at our program, and we have everybody returning next year. We’re disappointed we didn’t keep the streak alive, but we know this was a growing up stage.”

Bentonville’s only first-place finish came in the last event as the team of Alexa Tininenko, Katelyn Hedgecock, Jessica Kjellberg and Eunsol Chon won the freestyle relay in 3:44.12. Tininenko, Kjellberg and Chon also teamed with Nicole Dougherty to finish second in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.54.

Springdale High, Rogers Heritage and Fayetteville finished seventh through ninth, respectively. Fayetteville’s Erin Farrah scored 388.4 points to win the 1-meter diving competition, while Heritage freshman Carly Holland took second in the 50 freestyle.

At A Glance

Arkansas High School Swim and Dive Championships

Friday-Saturday at Arkansas-Little Rock

Team results

BOYS

1). Bentonville 430; 2. Little Rock Central 222.5; 3. Little Rock Catholic 217; 4. Conway 188; 5. Fort Smith Southside 151; 6. Rogers Heritage 129; 7. Fayetteville 110; 8. (tie) Siloam Springs and North Little Rock, 103; 10. Mountain Home 101; 11. Bryant 96; 12. Benton 80; 13. Valley View 58; 14. Cabot 55; 15. Russellville 53; 16. Central Arkansas Christian 35; 17. Springdale Har-Ber 31; 18. Mulberry 27; 19. Springdale High 26; 20. Arkansas Baptist 25; 21. Pulaski Academy 17; 22. Little Rock Parkview 13; 23. Magnolia 11; 24. El Dorado 8; 25. (tie) Rogers High and Pottsville 7.

GIRLS

1). Conway 304; 2. Bentonville 290; 3. Cabot 161; 4. Mountain Home 153; 5. Jonesboro 141; 6. Bryant 119; 7. Springdale High 105; 8. Rogers Heritage 103; 9. Fayettevlle 102; 10. Mount St. Mary 95; 11. Little Rock Central 85.5; 12. Fort Smith Southside 83.5; 13. Benton 65; 14. (tie) North Little Rock, Little Rock Christian and Hot Springs Lakeside 58; 17. Rogers High 49; 18. Russellville 41; 19. Lake Hamilton 38; 20. Alma 37; 21. Siloam Springs 32; 22. Pulaski Academy 30; 23. Camden Fairview 29; 24. El Dorado 17; 25. Vilonia 15; 26. Little Rock Parkview 12; 27. Harding Academy 11; 28. Rivercrest 9; 29. Magnolia 7; 30. Valley View 4.

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