COLUMBIA – After years of coming ever so close, the Fort Mill girls swim team are state champions.
The trophy case at Fort Mill High has nine runner-up trophies for the girl’s swim team since they first started the program where they have finished in second at the state meet, while the boy’s program has brought home four state titles during that timeframe. After nine second place finishes, Fort Mill girls finally have their state championship and a first for Cindy Van Buskirk as head coach. She was part of a couple boy’s state titles as an assistant coach. This is the 29th state team championship for Fort Mill High School.
“It is the most amazing feeling in the whole wide world,” Van Buskirk said. “We have worked very hard this season. The girls knew they had a shot. I could tell they were focused. Our finishes were gorgeous. They really ramped each other up and there was a lot of team spirit. I am so very proud of them. I am so very excited. It still isn’t sinking in.”
Fort Mill girls won the 5A title Saturday at the University of South Carolina natatorium scoring 373 points. Nation Ford girls were second with 304.5 points.
“I feel like they did really well,” said Nation Ford head swim coach Lori Glasco. “We are so proud of them.”
Fort Mill girls won four events including the 200-yard medley relay and the 400-yard freestyle relay. Olivia Corbi, who was on both of those relay teams, helped to lead the way for Fort Mill as she also won two individual events.
Winning for Fort Mill on the 200-yard medley relay was the team of Corbi, Anna Kate Halligan, Josie Chandler and Ava Corbi. On the 400-yard freestyle relay, the team was made up of the Corbi sisters along with Halligan and Lila Hadley.
Olivia Corbi also won the 200-yard freestyle event in 1:53.57 and the 500-yard freestyle event in 5:06.78, dropping more than nine seconds off her time. Corbi said she surprised herself in being a part of winning four events.
“I wasn’t expecting to win all of them,” she said. “I was just like go until you can’t feel anything and then go harder.”
Knowing the stories of how close the Fort Mill girls have came in the past, Corbi said she is glad she could be a part of school history.
“I felt so much relief,” she said. “I love this group of people. We have worked so hard.”
The Nation Ford swim team also had two individual winners in Emily Eaton and Sophia Bujoreanu. Eaton won the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 52.19 and Bujoreanu won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 58.27. The two individual titles are the first in Falcons girls team history.
The Fort Mill boys were just as strong finishing second to Wando. Wando won with 327 points with Fort Mill getting 312.5 points to finish right behind them. The Jackets led both the boys and girls meet until about the 18th event out of 22, when Wando took the lead in the boy’s standings. The Nation Ford boys’ team finished 14th overall.
In the 4A state meet held Friday, Catawba Ridge boys finished ninth and the girls finished 13th. High finisher for the boys was Alex Ritz with an eighth in the 50-yard freestyle and a fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Ethan Curtis finished ninth in the 100-yard butterfly and Jake Root finished 10th in the 100-yard individual medley and 14th in the 100-yard breaststroke. For the girls, Isabella Meehan finished 10th in the 100-yard butterfly and 12th in the 100-yard backstroke to lead the Lady Copperheads.
Mac Banks: mac@fortmillprepsports.com, @fortprep
