By Titus Mohler
Correspondent

Nansemond-Suffolk Academy made a tremendous showing at the 2012 VISAA Swimming & Diving Championships this past weekend at Seton School in Manassas.

“It was amazing,” NSA coach Karen Norman said. “It was the best performance we’ve ever had at states. Every swimmer I had swam their best.”

The girls’ team finished as runner-up for the Division II State Championship, seventh overall, and NSA’s Gabrielle Bishop was named Women’s Most Outstanding Swimmer for the meet.

Bishop, recovering from bronchitis, broke the state record in both of her individual events.

First, she won the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:49.25, besting the nearest competition by more than two seconds. Next, she triumphed in the 100-yard butterfly with a 56.08 time.

Bishop is used to having the top-seed time in most school events, but she entered both races in an unusual spot — second.

“I think being seeded second made her a little bit more determined,” Norman said.

Coach Norman indicated that a lot of top swimmers conserve their energy in the morning preliminary heats. They do well enough to qualify for the final, but they also know that the final is later that day, and they must save their best for it.

Gabrielle did save her best for last, but her preliminary swims were a cut above the norm.

“They were beautiful,” Norman said. “And she pretty much laid down the challenge like, ‘This is what I can do. Can you beat this?’ And they couldn’t touch it.”

Norman was also profuse in her praise of the boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay team, which broke a 12-year-old school record last year and then broke the new record this past weekend with a time of 3:28.50.

“A lot of really good swimmers — almost as good as Gabrielle — had tried to break that record, and they [had never] done it and then when these guys did it,” she said. “It was so exciting. It was a great meet.”

It was also a fantastic finish for Norman who, in her 11th year as NSA swim coach, indicated this year was her last.

Following are Friday’s and Saturday’s results:

Women’s team rankings (Through event 24)

1. Collegiate School, 331

2. St. Catherine’s School, 290

3. Norfolk Academy, 170

4. Trinity Episcopal School, 167

5. Hampton Roads Academy, 161

6. Madeira Varsity Swim and Dive, 157

7. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 118

8. Bishop O’Connell High School, 115

9. Seton School, 112

10. Bishop Ireton Swim and Dive, 107

11. Flint Hill School Swim Team, 76

12. Cape Henry Collegiate School, 65

13. Paul VI Catholic High School, 54

14. Highland Varsity Swimming, 37

15. Liberty Christian Academy, 36

16. The Carlisle School, 32

16. Roanoke Catholic School, 32

18. St. Anne’s-Belfield, 30

19. Richmond Christian School, 26

20. Walsingham Academy, 25

21. Fredericksburg Christian, 22

22. Wakefield Country Day School, 21

23. The Steward School Spartans, 20

24. Norfolk Collegiate School, 19

25. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, 15

26. Pope John Paul the Great HS, 12

27. The Potomac School, 10

28. Peninsula Catholic, 6

29. North Cross School, 5

30. Fredericksburg Academy, 4

 

Men’s team rankings (through event 24)

1. Woodberry Forest, 222

2. Hampton Roads Academy, 202

3. Collegiate School, 201

3. Bishop O’Connell High School, 201

5. St. Christopher’s School, 197

6. Fork Union Military Academy, 170

7. Norfolk Academy, 154

8. Roanoke Catholic School, 132

8. Trinity Episcopal School, 132

10. Benedictine College Prep., 108

11. North Cross School, 90

12. St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes, 66

13. The Covenant School, 63

14. Bishop Ireton Swim and Dive, 61

15. The Steward School Spartans, 47

16. Pope John Paul the Great HS, 37

17. Seton School, 35

18. Flint Hill School Swim Team, 34

18. Norfolk Christian, 34

20. St. Anne’s-Belfield, 33

21. Middleburg Academy, 24

22. Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 21

23. Walsingham Academy, 20

24. Cape Henry Collegiate School, 16

25. Paul VI Catholic High School, 14

26. Randolph-Macon Academy, 4

27. Bishop Sullivan Catholic High, 2

Top finishers:

• Girls 200-yard medley relay: 1st-Collegiate School-VA, 1:50.01
• Boys 200-yard medley relay: 1st-Woodberry Forest, 1:34.81, 13th-Nansemond-Suffolk Academy, 1:46.98
• Girls 200-yard freestyle: 1st-Bishop, Gabrielle, NSA 1:49.25
• Boys 200-yard freestyle: 1st-Criss, Austin, North Cross School-VA 1:43.43
• Girls 200-yard IM: 1st-Pollard, Ashton, Collegiate School-VA 2:06.58, 12th-Neuburg, Emily, NSA 2:18.08
• Boys 200-yard IM: 1st-Switzer, Zach, Woodberry Forest 1:50.72
• Girls 50-yard freestyle: 1st-Doonis, Alex, Seton School 24.39
• Boys 50-yard freestyle: 1st-Leach, Ben, Norfolk Academy-VA 21.39, 14th-Beale, Greg, NSA 23.12
• Girls 1-meter diving: 1st-Busser, Keaton, The Steward School Spartans-VA 330.80
• Boys 1-meter diving: 1st-Gigliotti, Jack, Bishop O’Connell High School-PV 373.75
• Girls 100-yard butterfly: 1st-Bishop, Gabrielle, NSA 56.08
• Boys 100-yard butterfly: 1st-Fauls, Henry, St. Christopher’s School-VA 50.19
• Girls 100-yard freestyle: 1st-Moshos, Reni, Highland Varsity Swimming-VA 52.55
• Boys 100-yard freestyle: 1st-Coor, Wil, Collegiate School-VA 46.15
• Girls 500-yard freestyle: 1st-Kish, Mary Katherine, Collegiate School-VA 4:56.10
• Boys 500-yard freestyle: 1st-Kerner, Travis, Benedictine College Prep. 4:39.92
• Girls 200-yard freestyle relay: 1st-Collegiate School-VA 1:39.54, 3rd-Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 1:41.00
• Boys 200-yard freestyle relay: 1st-Bishop O’Connell High School-PV 1:27.64, 15th-Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 1:35.42
• Girls 100-yard backstroke: 1st-Pollard, Ashton, Collegiate School-VA 58.12, 10th-Davis, Meredith, NSA 1:03.46, 11th-Neuburg, Emily, NSA 1:03.48
• Boys 100-yard backstroke: 1st-Switzer, Zach, Woodberry Forest 50.02
• Girls 100-yard breaststroke: 1st-Harris, Sommer, St. Catherine’s School-VA 1:04.06
• Boys 100-yard breaststroke: 1st-Allen, Hollis, Hampton Roads Academy 58.64
• Girls 400-yard freestyle relay: 1st-Collegiate School-VA 3:37.27, 5th-Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 3:44.51
• Boys 400-yard freestyle relay: 1st-Woodberry Forest 3:12.51, 14th-Nansemond-Suffolk Academy 3:28.50