Athletics News

TFS swim teams excel at Winter Snow meet

Swimmers from Tallulah Falls School showed up early and ready to compete on Dec. 1 at the Winter Snow meet held at the Ruby C. Fulbright Aquatic Center in Clarkesville.

According to head coach Annette Cochran, 240 athletes competed at the event, with the TFS varsity girls placing first and the varsity boys' team placing second. In middle school competition, the boys' team placed first overall and the girls’ team placed second overall.

Varsity summary

Junior Hunter Weyrich of Alto, junior John Nichols of Clarkesville, freshman Kristian Williams of the Bahamas and junior Caden Griffis of Martin were the top scorers for boys.

Weyrich placed first overall in the 200-yard individual medley and second overall in the 50-yard freestyle. Nichols placed first overall in the 500-yard freestyle with a third-place finish overall in the 100-yard breaststroke.

“These four swimmers raced together in the 200-yard freestyle which qualified them for state competition,” Cochran said. “Caden set a new personal record in the 100-yard backstroke and [sophomore] Logan Huling of Mt. Airy set a new personal record in the 100-yard freestyle.”

The high school girls were also highly competitive as a team, according to Cochran.

“The top seven scoring girls were all within three points of each other,” she said.

Senior Norah Griswold of Clarkesville led the team with 33 points, a first-place finish and a third-place finish.

Sophomore Halle Weyrich of Alto, sophomore Gianna Diaz of Cleveland and senior Virginia Griswold of Clarkesville all scored 32 points each for the team.

Junior Reid Kafsky of Clarkesville and sophomore Maggie Jackson of Clarkesville each scored 31 points for the team, followed by freshman Karis Tatum of Mt. Airy scoring 30 points for the team.  

Personal records on Saturday included Jackson in the 200-yard freestyle, Virginia  Griswold in the 200-yard IM, senior Clara Madigan of Clarkesville with two new personal records in the 100-yard fly and 50-yard freestyle.

Middle school summary

The middle school teams set multiple personal records, including eighth-grader Daniel Shin of South Korea in the 100-yard IM, with a time of 1:13.16, and in the 50-yard backstroke, with a time of 34.52.

Eighth-grader Nelson Wilkinson of Cleveland had two PRs, the 50-yard  free, with a time of 25.30 and the 100-yard free with a time of 56.68.

Eighth-grader Matt Cochran of Demorest set two personal records, the 50-yard fly with a time of 36.70 and the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 35.67.

Wilkinson scored 40 points for the team with two first-place finishes in his events.

Cochran scored 36 points for the team with one first-place finish and a third-place finish and Shin following with two second-place finishes.

The middle school girls’ team was led by eighth-grader Sammy Hartman of Clermont with two third-place finishes and eighth-graders Layne Kafsky of Clarkesville and eighth-grader Xan Stalling of Jonesborough, Tennessee, who both had third-place finishes.

Eighth-grader Kate Trotter of Demorest finished out the top four scoring girls.   

Personal records were set by seventh-grader Brooke Hayes of Cornelia in the 50-yard free, with a time of 34.48, Stallings set two PRs in the 50-yard fly, with a time of 46.41 and in the 50-yard backstroke, with a time of  42.11, and eighth-grader Emma Jackson in the 50-yard breaststroke, with a time of 48.26.