SAN ANTONIO - The AHS Boys Swimming and Diving team claimed the first-ever UIL 4A & Under State Championship with an outstanding showing at the meet in San Antonio last week.
The Mustangs outscored their opponents with 333 points, 23 points ahead of second-place Tuloso Midway.
The girls team also had a great meet and finished in sixth place.
“I am incredibly thankful to the parents and other supporters that traveled to San Antonio for this historic event. The energy that they created in the stands was certainly felt by our swimmers on the deck,” Head Coach Mike Waldmann said.
On the boys side, senior Brenden Ferguson set new school records and 4A state records with his gold medal times in the 200 freestyle and the 500 freestyle.
After finishing the 50 freestyle preliminary round in 4th place, senior Landyn Brewer swam his fastest time of the two-day meet and brought home a gold medal and the 4A state record. Brewer also swam his way to a bronze medal in the boys 100 freestyle final.
Senior Darin Powers broke two school records during the meet, one of which was previously held by current assistant coach Ethan Azam. Powers swam his fastest 100 breaststroke time during the preliminary round, breaking Azam’s record time. He eventually brought home a bronze medal with his swim time in the final heat.
Powers also broke a school record in the 200 Individual Medley. He finished in 4th place, just shy of making the podium.
Senior Cole Tompkins earned two individual bronze medals in the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle races.
Junior Elijah Trevino scored points for the boys team total after winning the bronze medal in the boys one-meter diving contest.
All three of the boys relays earned medals during the meet. The 400 freestyle relay of Darin Powers, Landyn Brewer, Wyatt Bennett and Brenden Ferguson won the gold medal and set a new 4A state record. This race and win ultimately sealed the team championship for the Mustangs.
The boys 200 medley relay, consisting of Jage Stokes, Darin Powers, Joab Montoya and Cole Tompkins, brought home the bronze. Landyn Brewer, Cole Tompkins, Wyatt Bennett and Brenden Ferguson clinched a silver medal in the 200 freestyle relay, two one-hundredths of a second behind first place.
On the girls side, senior Rebecca Robertson had an outstanding meet bringing home a bronze medal in the 200 freestyle and the 100 freestyle.
“While I can't say enough about the accomplishments of our upperclassmen, because they did an amazing job getting us in contention for the State Title, I must take time to recognize what our sophomores and freshman boys did to help win this first title,” Waldmann said. “The points they earned were the ones that put us over the top in the team rankings. Not often do you see the underclassmen make such a positive impact on the team's success, but this shows that every member of our team is valuable.”