NR creates highlights at regionals

Published 10:11 pm Thursday, February 18, 2016

Nansemond River High School senior Logan Eubanks placed second in the boys' 100-yard backstroke at the recent Region 5A South championships. (Melissa Eubanks photo)

Nansemond River High School senior Logan Eubanks placed second in the boys’ 100-yard backstroke at the recent Region 5A South championships. (Melissa Eubanks photo)

The Nansemond River High School boys’ and girls’ swimming teams made their presence known in the challenging waters of the recent 2016 Region 5A South championships at the Midtown Aquatics Center in Newport News.

The Warriors finished fifth out of 15 boys’ teams that scored, and the Lady Warriors placed ninth out of 15 girls’ teams. Princess Anne High School’s girls’ and boys’ teams took first.

Though some Nansemond River swimmers had already produced state-qualifying times prior to regionals, several Warriors produced state-qualifying placements at the event.

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To qualify for states by placement at regionals, swimmers in individual events had to place within the top 10 and teams in relay events had to place within the top eight.

Seven Nansemond River participants swam their way into the top 10 of one or more individual events, while three Warriors relay teams and one Lady Warriors relay team broke the top eight.

Placing the highest for NR was senior Logan Eubanks, who took second in the boys’ 100-yard backstroke with a time of 52.19 seconds behind Hickory High School’s Caleb Mauldin, who won with a 51.58-second time.

For the last two years, Eubanks has been the Ironclad Conference, Region 4A South and 4A state champion in the 100 back.

Also placing particularly high at last week’s 5A South regionals was Warriors freshman Allen Zachary. He took third in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:46.39, and he also took third in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 52.77 seconds.

Zachary and Eubanks were also part of the 200-yard medley relay team, which placed fourth with a time of 1:43.94, and the 400-yard freestyle relay team, which placed fifth with a 3:28.21 time.

The 200 medley relay team also featured senior River Fiedler and junior Zachery Whear. The other two members of the 400 free relay team were sophomore Clay Bennett and freshman Hunter Ward.

Nansemond River’s qualifying swimmers and relay teams will be competing in the Group 5A state championships on Friday at George Mason University Aquatic Center.

Following are the Nansemond River swimmers and relay teams to place in the top 10 and top eight, respectively, at the Region 5A South championships on Feb. 11 in Newport News:

  • Boys’ 200-yard medley relay: 4th-Nansemond River (Logan Eubanks, River Fiedler, Allen Zachary, Zachery Whear), 1:43.94
  • Boys’ 200-yard freestyle: 3rd-Allen Zachary, 1:46.39; 7th-Logan Eubanks, 1:47.74
  • Girls’ 200-yard freestyle: 6th-Kaitlyn Higgins, 2:09.78
  • Girls’ 50-yard freestyle: 10th-Claire Janek, 26.76
  • Boys’ 100-yard butterfly: 3rd-Allen Zachary, 52.77
  • Boys’ 500-yard freestyle: 5th-Clay Bennett, 5:10.26; 7th-Brandon Eubanks, 5:19.48; 10th-Parker Doleman, 5:35.58
  • Girls’ 500-yard freestyle: 8th-Kaitlyn Higgins, 6:03.86
  • Boys’ 200-yard freestyle relay: 7th-Nansemond River (Zachery Whear, Ryan Pentecost, Clay Bennett, Hunter Ward), 1:38.31
  • Girls’ 200-yard freestyle relay: 8th-Nansemond River (Haley Russell, Tayler Pearl, Cali Valdivieso, Lisa Terry), 1:55.18
  • Boys’ 100-yard backstroke: 2nd-Logan Eubanks, 52.19
  • Boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay: 5th-Nansemond River (Allen Zachary, Hunter Ward, Clay Bennett, Logan Eubanks), 3:28.21