It’s been a busy week for Panther swim and dive.
On the week of Jan. 8, Franklin faced their last two regular-season meets, traveling to Highlands Jan. 12 and to T.C. Roberson the next day. Ahead of the Mountain Seven Conference Championship Meet Jan. 20, a school record time by senior Claire Ballard led a strong weekend from the Panthers.
On Friday afternoon, Franklin traveled to Highlands for a five-team meet hosted by the in-county rival Highlanders. There, Ballard and junior Zoi Walker led the way for the Panther women with two event wins apiece.
In the 200-yard freestyle, Ballard outpaced the field by nearly 20 seconds (2:14.42), also winning the 100 backstroke in 1:05.88. In the 500 freestyle, Walker (6:49.70) beat teammate Alyse Remery (6:50.23) by less than a second, and also claimed the 200 individual medley in 2:43.20. Panther freshman Kenna Keyworth placed second with a 2:49.12.
In addition to Ballard and Walker, other Panther women impressed, led by seniors Rylee Cassada winning the 100 freestyle (1:02.19) and Logan Guynn taking home the 100 breaststroke (1:25,60). Guynn also placed second in the 100 butterfly (1:18.42), followed by Keyworth in third with a 1:20.79.
On the men’s side, senior Jose Gomez led the way once again, claiming the 200 IM in 2:24.03. sophomore Jonah Brant placed second in both the 500 freestyle (6:35.89) and the 100 breaststroke (1:19.73).
In women’s scoring, Franklin easily outpaced their opponents, earning 761 points to second-place Rabun Gap-Nacoochee’s 466. The Panthers also led the way in men’s scoring, beating Rabun Gap more narrowly 386.5-323. Overall, both teams outscored the Eagles 1147.5-789.
After winning the meet in Highlands, the next day the Panthers traveled to Asheville for a huge eight-team meet at T.C. Roberson. Despite the stiff competition, Ballard again claimed two events for the Panthers, winning the 50 freestyle in 25.21 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:11.14.
Pacing the field by nearly 17 seconds, the breaststroke time was a major achievement for Ballard, breaking the FHS record of 1:13.21 set by Beth Long in 2005. The record follows years of work for the senior in chasing Long’s mark.
In addition to Ballard, several other Panthers turned in strong meets, led by second-place finishes from Brant in the 200 freestyle (2:16.43) and Gomez in the 100 freestyle (55.42). In the women’s 500 freestyle, Franklin claimed two of the top four spots, with Guynn placing third in 6:45.45 and Remery placing fourth in 6:55.62.
In women’s scoring, Franklin (274) finished second behind the host team (420), while the Panther men (170) placed third behind Roberson (391) and conference rival West Henderson (279). In combined scoring, they placed narrowly behind West 451-444, and a distant third to Roberson’s 811.
After their last regular-season meet, Franklin turned their attention to the Mountain Seven Championship, scheduled for Jan. 20 at the Waynesville Recreation Center. There, swimmers will have one more chance to qualify for the 3A West Regional Feb. 2-3 in Charlotte.