Shining in the pool: The Thomasville Rays Swim teams after an impressive showing

THOMASVILLE– The Thomasville Rays Swim Team had a stellar showing last weekend, competing in two separate meets across the state and delivering impressive performances from swimmers of all ages.

One group of Rays traveled to Canton, GA, for the Georgia Games Swim Meet, where several athletes earned top finishes and personal bests. Abbie Love stood out with a 5th place finish in the 100 freestyle, 3rd in the 100 IM, 7th in the 50 breaststroke, and helped her relay teams secure 1st and 2nd place finishes.

 Nick Pierce brought home 2nd place in both the 100 freestyle and 100 IM, 3rd in the 50 backstroke, and a 1st place finish in his relay event. Ella Briones finished 6th in the 100 freestyle and 4th in the 100 IM, while Evie Briones made major strides, dropping over 2.5 seconds in her events.

Jayda Mathis claimed 5th in the 100 freestyle, 3rd in the 50 freestyle, and 4th in the 50 breaststroke. Johnny Bradshaw also turned in a strong performance with 4th in the 100 freestyle, 5th in the 50 freestyle, and 4th in both the 50 backstroke and 50 butterfly.

Relay teams led by Delilah Woodcock earned 3rd place in both of her events, and Catherine Madison’s relay team finished 5th. Alex Pierce had a strong meet with finishes of 7th in the 100 freestyle, 8th in the 50 freestyle, and 6th in the 50 butterfly, along with 1st and 2nd place finishes in his relays. Brantley Frasier also made a strong debut with excellent finishes in his first meet of the season.

All swimmers who placed in the top 3 of an individual event have now qualified to attend the State Games of America, which will be held next summer at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Meanwhile, another group of Thomasville Rays swimmers competed in a meet in Tifton on the same day. Bear Humphries placed 3rd in the 25 backstroke, 2nd in the 25 breaststroke, and 4th in the 25 freestyle. Jackson Kings earned 5th in the 25 breaststroke, while Ashton Kirk made a big splash by dropping over 7.7 seconds in the 50 freestyle.

Other standout performances included Merrick Payne’s 4th place finish in the 25-yard freestyle, Luna Vann’s 2nd place in the 25 backstroke, and Alanah White’s 4th place finish in the same event.

Also representing the Rays in Tifton were Colt Childs, Delaney Illian, Leighton Illian, Abigail Johnson, Aubrey King, Emily King, Jackson King, Ashton Kirk, Maisie Meeks, and Sadie Starling, contributing to a solid 8th place team finish.