Courtesy photo

Hobbton’s Marcy McLamb slices through the water toward a strong finish.

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Grace Ho/Special to the Independent

Clinton’s Weston Locklear heads toward the finish line during a January meet.

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Grace Ho/Special to the Independent

Swim team member Lillie Turlington, Samantha Pope, Darby Taylor and Gracin Palmer.

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The four local high school teams finished the 2011-12 swimming season well with Clinton High and Midway High sending swimmers to the playoffs. Below are the results from the last five meets (all distances in yards, one length of the pool = 25 yards). Abbreviations: Clinton High School (CHS), Midway High School (MHS), Hobbton High School (HHS), Sampson Early College High School (SECHS).

Jan. 4: regional meet held at The Center for Health and Wellness (TCHW). Most notable swim was by sophomore Austin Williams (CHS) with his personal best finish in an individual event for second place in the 100 backstroke.

First place winners: Darby Taylor (CHS) – 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke, Lillie Turlington (CHS) 500 freestyle, Casey Yang (CHS) – 200 freestyle, Ryan Taylor (CHS) – 50 freestyle.

Second place results: Lillie Turlington (CHS) – 100 butterfly, Gracin Palmer (CHS) 100 freestyle, Taylor Brown (MHS) - 100 backstroke, Mamie Core (MHS) – 100 breaststroke, Weston Locklear (CHS) – 200 Individual Medley, Frederick Bath (CHS) – 50 freestyle, Daniel Core (MHS) – 100 butterfly and 100 Breaststroke, Alex Purcell (CHS) – 100 freestyle.

Jan. 10 and Jan. 17: two regional meets held at the Goldsboro YMCA Natatorium. Most notable swims:

The CHS relay team consisting of Lauren Miller, Kali Hall, Katherine Gutierrez, and Claire Fox finishing third in the 400 freestyle relay. This is particularly impressive when given the fact that Lauren, Kali and Claire could not swim two lengths of the pool at the start of the season.

Alex Boggs (MHS) and Brennan Masterson (CHS) both broke 30 seconds in the 50 freestyle.

Marcy McLamb (HHS) and Kylie Cashwell (SECHS) both achieved personal best times.

Jan. 25: first ever East Central Conference Swim Championships held at TCHW. Most notable swims were from Lillie Turlington (CHS) and Casey Yang (CHS).

Turlington finished the season undefeated in the 500 freestyle four swim meets in a row and Yang went undefeated in the 200 freestyle three times in a row. Croatan High School, coached by Gini Mays and Cathy Schaefer , won both the Men’s and Women’s East Central Championships.

Jan. 4: North Carolina Eastern State Regional 1A/2A championships held at the Triangle Aquatic Center. Most notable results were to 10 finishes by CHS and MHS swimmer.

With over 30 teams participating the CHS relay teams consistently finished in the top 10.

Women’s 200 medley relay (CHS) sixth place: Maggie Wells (backstroke), Darby Taylor (breaststroke), Lillie Turlington (butterfly), and Elizabeth Tsao (freestyle).

Men’s 200 medley relay (CHS) seventh place: Casey Yang (backstroke), Weston Locklear (breaststroke), Ryan Taylor (butterfly), Frederick Bath (freestyle)

Men’s 400 freestyle relay (CHS) sixth place: Casey Yang, Frederick Bath, Alex Purcell, Ryan Taylor (this relay is the first in CHS history where all four swimmers broke 60 seconds in each of the four 100 yard legs of the relay race: 55.01, 57.38, 58.34, and 52.07 seconds respectively).

Individual top 12 All Eastern State finishes for swimmers will move on to the State Finals on Friday February 10th, 2012:

Taylor Brown (MHS) – 100 Backstroke (2nd), 100 butterfly (10th)

Lillie Turlington (CHS) – 500 freestyle (7th), 200 Individual Medley (11th)

Ryan Taylor (CHS) – 100 freestyle (5th), 100 backstroke (8th)

Daniel Core (MHS) – 100 breaststroke (7th)

Casey Yang (CHS) – 500 freestyle (7th)

Darby Taylor (CHS) – 100 breaststroke (12th)

State Team Members for CHS

Women: Lillie Turlington (SO), Gracin Palmer (SO), Maggie Wells (SO), Elizabeth Tsao (FR), Darby Taylor (SO, captain), Stephanie Gore (SO), Grace Reagan (FR), Samantha Pope (SR, captain), Lexi Valenti (JR).

Men: Ryan Taylor (JR), Casey Yang (JR, captain), Frederick Bath (SO), Alex Purcell (SO), Weston Locklear (JR), Enrique Elizondo (JR, captain), Colin Faulkner (JR), Austin Tyndall (JR), Aaron Viser (FR)