Behind record-breaking performance from Piper McNeil, Shawnee girls grab Class 5A swimming championship

Bishop Kelley edges Midwest City Carl Albert for 5A boys title

Author:
Ty Loftis
Publish date:
Feb 20, 2023 11:21 PM EST

By Ty Loftis

Shawnee girls team photo by Matt Johnson, Shawnee High School

In Saturday’s battle for the Class 5A state swimming championship at the Edmond Schools Aquatic Center, it was another close battle to the end with the Bishop Kelley boys defeating Midwest City Carl Albert by a single point.

For the second straight season, Shawnee was the champion on the girls side by dominating the competition, tallying 311 points, and Shawnee swimmer Piper McNeil breaking two state records.

McNeil won both the 100-yard freestyle and 100-yard backstroke event, breaking a state record each time. She broke her own record in the 100-yard backstroke by finishing in a time of 55.39, and then set a new 5A record with her time of 51.26.

A Missouri signee, McNeil finishes her Shawnee career with eight state championships, becoming the fourth swimmer in state history to achieve such a feat.

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Also for the Lady Wolves, Gracyn Simpson started strong with a second place finish in the 50-yard freestyle event. Another Shawnee swimmer, Natalie Selman, finished third in the 200-yard freestyle and fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke, while Ashley McDonald finished third in the 200-yard individual medley for the Lady Wolves.

Shawnee also won both the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay.

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On the boys side, Bishop Kelley’s Preston Hoang won the 100-yard freestyle event and finished second in the 50-yard freestyle.

Carl Albert’s Kaleb Vaughn and Dylan Garcia finished in the top five of the 100-yard backstroke to keep things close as the meet continued throughout the day, and Vaughn got a first-place finish in the 100-yard butterfly to give the Titans a slight lead.

In the 200-yard IM, Jacob Hoang got a fifth place finish, giving Bishop Kelley a slight lead going into the relay events.

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Carl Albert won the 200-yard freestyle relay, while Bishop Kelley won the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard medley relay. Carl Albert finished in the top four in each of those events.