(PHOENIX) The Gilbert Christian swim team capped a terrific season at the 2024 AIA Division III State Championships at Phoenix Country Day School over the weekend. Four Knights swam in the individual-event A-finals on Saturday, with junior superstar Kyler Tolson medaling and reaching the podium in both of his solo competitions.
Tolson started the day with a fourth-in-state performance in the 200-Individual Medley, swimming a personal best 2:00.9 against the top athletes in the division. He topped his previous mark by 1.2 seconds in the race.
In the 500-Freestyle finals, Tolson excelled again, demonstrating his premiere conditioning as he placed third overall in the most arduous event of the meet. His time of 4:50.38 broke his own school record for the second time in the 2024 season. The previous owner of the GCHS record, James Kershaw, held the top-spot for seven years before it was surpassed by Tolson.
The GCHS girls registered four personal bests at the state competition. Junior Addison Goodwin logged two of them, in the 100-Breaststoke (1:22.73) and the 200-Free (2:23.11) preliminaries, while sophomore Brooke Horton clocked a 2:06.85 in the 200-Free Finals to place 11th overall.
Horton advanced to the A-Finals in her go-to event, the grueling 20-lap 500-Free, where she was able to place sixth in the state with her incredible swim of 5:34.76. Her 28 points were tops among the GCHS female athletes.
Junior Kalia Numeron also served up a career-record at the 2024 Championships, touching the wall seventh in the A-Final of the 100-Fly in a speedy 1:02.9. Numeron scored 16 points toward the Knights' team total.
With an impressive season-best in the 100-Backstroke A-Final, was senior Katie Hansen, who swam a 1:05.22 to place eighth in the state at her last high school swim meet. Hansen tallied 15 individual points at the championships, while also swimming lead-off for all three of the Knights' state qualifying relay teams.
The girls' top relay finish came in the 200-Medley, where the Knights took ninth in state.
Congratulations to all of the members of our swim team. Results for the boys can be found HERE, and the girls results can be viewed HERE.
-GO KNIGHTS-
