By: Marc Hardin, prepsports@enquirer.com
Covington Catholic senior Brendan Meyer and the Colonels will try to put an end to St. Xavier's streak of 27-straight state championships this weekend.(Photo: The Community Recorder/James Weber)
When swimming coaches Chris Goodpaster and Courtney Sorrell were working together at Dixie Heights as late as last season, they had similar vexing problems every year in the region – how to get past Covington Catholic on the boys' side and Notre Dame Academy on the girls'.
For both former Dixie coaches, that's ancient history on the eve of the state swimming and diving championships Thursday through Saturday at University of Louisville's Ralph Wright Natatorium.
A summer coincidence returned the coaches simultaneously to their alma maters, Goodpaster to CovCath and Sorrell to Notre Dame. Since then, their teams have become statistical mirror images of each other. Both programs extended their regional winning streaks to 18 at the Feb. 13 Region 7 meet at Silverlake by winning nine of 12 events and combining for eight regional records, four apiece.
Powered by record-breaking nationally elite sophomore Sophie Skinner, senior Madeleine Vonderhaar and junior Amanda Smith, Notre Dame is sending 14 swimmers and two divers to state. CovCath also is sending 14 swimmers and two divers, including record-breaking senior Brendan Meyer, junior record breaker Nick Smith and regional diving champion Evan Brungs.
Now that Goodpaster has continued the Colonels' winning ways and Sorrell has kept the Pandas on track, they have inherited much more sizable challenges: The storied programs at St. Xavier and Sacred Heart. St. Xavier has won 27 consecutive boys' state championships, 51 overall, both state-record totals. Sacred Heart has won three consecutive girls' state titles, five of the past six, and 26 overall, a state record.
The state runners-up each of the past two seasons have been CovCath for the boys and Notre Dame for the girls. The Colonels have finished second four years in a row. They are third on Kentucky's all-time list with five state titles, the last in 1983. "On paper, we're favored over St. Xavier, but they swam safe at their regional and will have much better times at state," Goodpaster said. "But, we have a chance."
Notre Dame has been in the top three each of the past seven seasons. The Pandas have won nine state titles, second only to Sacred Heart. Sorrell swam for the last Notre Dame state champion in 2002. "Our goal every year is win a state championship," the coach said. "If not, we want to make some people nervous."
The Colonels cut into St. Xavier's winning margin under former coach Richard Dickmann, who retired. Four years ago, St. Xavier won state by 250 points. Last year, the difference was 114.5. Notre Dame made a 62-point gain on Sacred Heart under coach Emily Knoll, who is raising young twins. The margin, however, was 215.
There are big point winners on both sides. Skinner is seeded first in both the 100- and 200-yard freestyle races. Smith is second in the 100 backstroke. Vonderhaar is third in the 200 individual medley and 200 breaststroke. The relay teams are seeded either second or third.
For CovCath, Meyer is seeded first in the 200 and 500 freestyle races. Brungs is first in diving. Smith is second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 freestyle. Two relay teams are seeded first, the other is seeded second.