MOULTRIE – Colquitt County’s Titans Swimming Academy took eight championships and 14 runner-up finishes to earn fifth place at the Georgia Recreation and Park Association’s Class B state meet held last Friday and Saturday at the Southwest Memorial Pool.
The Titans were led by Jonah Bilello and Caroline Askew who each won a pair of gold medals and one silver medal.
Bilello, swimming in the 9-10 boys age group, took first place in both the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 31.87 and the 100-yard individual medley with a 32.99.
He was second in the 25-yard butterfly.
Askew competed in the girls 9-10 age group. She won the 25-yard backstroke with a time of 17.0 and the 25-yard butterfly with a 15.26.
Her second-place finish was in the 50-yard freestyle.
The other individual first-place finish was earned by Hannah Huante who won the 50-yard butterfly event in 15-18 girls with a 28.15.
She also was second in the 50-yard freestyle and fourth in the 50-yard breaststroke.
The other three first-place finishes were turned in by mixed relay teams.
The mixed 18-and-under 200-yard medley-winning team included Anna Lupo, Hannah Huante, Noah Harden and Jason Hendricks.
The same quartet won the 18-and-under freestyle relay event.
The mixed 12-and-under 200-yard freestyle medley-winning team was made up of Taylor Beth Bass, Henry Lancaster, Caroline Askew and Jonah Bilello.
The mixed 14-and-under 200-yard medley relay team of Mary Alyce McCall, Gracie Strickland, Selah Huante and Maddox Simmons had a second-place finish as did the mixed 14-and-under 200-yard freestyle relay team of Hannah Bilello, Jaiden Howell, Taylnn Cook and Selah Huante.
Taylnn Cook won three silver medals in the 11-12 girls age group.
Also taking second-place finishes were Anna Lupo, who earned two silver and one bronze medal; Mark Carlson Niday, who also won two silver medals and had a fourth-place finish; and Anna Grace Bryant, who also had a fourth- and a fifth-place finish.
The 12-and-under girls 200-yard medley relay team of Taylor Beth Bass, Veronika Brace, Caroline Askew and Taylnn Cook also turned in a second-place finish.
Also winning bronze medals were Veronika Brace, who also had fourth- and eighth-place finishes; Jaiden Howell, who also had fourth- and fifth-place finishes; Henry Lancaster, who also earned a pair of seventh-place finishes; the 14-and-under boys 200-yard freestyle relay team of Jax Hart, Benjamin Lancaster, Jason Valega and Maddox Simmons; and the mixed 10-and-under 200-yard freestyle relay team of Jake Medders, Kayla Bruce, Nathaniel Clayton and Hannah Grace Bryant.
Other Titan individual swimmers who took top-8 finishes were Jason Hendricks, Noah Harden, Jason Valega, Selah Huante, Jake Medders, Gracie Strickland, Kayla Bruce, Taylor Beth Bass, Zoie Anglin, Hannah Bilello and Mary Alyce McCall.
Other relay teams that finished in the top eight were the mixed 10-and-under 100-yard freestyle team of Gracie Marrero, Tripp Peters, Mark Carlson Niday and Madelyn Griffin; the girls 14-and-under 200-yard freestyle team of Gracie Strickland, Mary Alyce McCall, Veronika Brace and Zoie Anglin; the girls 10-and-under 100-yard medley team of Madelyn Griffin, Hailey Strickland, Lydia Harden and Gracie Marrero; the boys 10-and-under 100-yard medley team of Tripp Peters, Mark Carlson Niday, Henry Lancaster and Thad Wingate; and the 12-and-under boys 200-yard medley team of Jonah Bilello, Jaiden Howell, Jason Valega and Benjamin Lancaster.