2023-24 Dispatch All-Metro: Who are the best girls swimmers and divers in central Ohio?
Four individual state champions, three of whom won two events and one of whom finished her career in record-setting style, are among the 12 honorees on the 2023-24 Dispatch All-Metro girls swimming and diving team.
The Athlete of the Year in each sport – 30 in all – will be announced at the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards on June 20 at Mershon Auditorium. Each member of the All-Metro girls swimming and diving team will receive a free ticket to that live event, where nine premier awards also will be announced, including boys and girls overall athletes of the year, boys and girls overall coaches of the year, boys and girls overall teams of the year, courage award, school spirit award and lifetime achievement award.
All-Metro Coach of the Year: Upper Arlington's John Sands succeeds by 'making it simple'
Emily Brown, Dublin Coffman
The Tennessee signee leaves high school as an eight-time individual state champion and likely one of Ohio’s greatest swimmers ever. After sweeping the 200- and 500-yard freestyle titles each of the past three years, Brown changed course this winter and set state records in the 100 butterfly (52.69) and 200 individual medley (1:57.27). She swept the district titles in those events and was the top seed at state.
Millie Evans, Bexley
A junior and the two-time defending Division II district champion in the 100 fly (54.9), Evans was state runner-up by 0.02 of a second (54.39). Evans also won district in the 100 backstroke (58.72) and placed ninth at state (58.0) and was on the fifth-place 200 free (1:39.33) and 200 medley (1:48.64) relays at state. Evans has committed to Penn State.
Carrie Furbee, Grandview Heights
A junior and Ohio State commit, Furbee repeated as Division II state champion in both the 50 free (23.02) and 100 free (50.06). Furbee was the top seed in both events entering state, having recorded times of 23.01 in the 50 free and 50.14 in the 100 free at district.
Hayden Hollingsworth, Upper Arlington
The junior and Georgia commit played a large role in the Golden Bears’ first Division I team title since 2017, repeating as champion in the 50 free (22.69) and swimming on the first-place 200 free (1:32.76) and 200 medley (1:42.82) relays. Hollingsworth was second in the 50 free at district (22.95) and 100 fly runner-up at both state (54.07) and district (54.03) to Brown.
Milly Leonard, Dublin Jerome
The junior took Brown’s place as distance champion, winning the 200 free (1:49.87) and 500 free (4:52.77) after pulling off the same sweep at district. The top seed in both events at state, Leonard also anchored the Celtics’ third-place 200 free relay (1:35.85) and led off their fourth-place 400 free relay (3:30.56).
Olivia Matson, Dublin Jerome
A junior, Matson was state runner-up in the 50 free (23.05) and 100 free (50.77) after placing first (22.94) and third (51.26), respectively, in those events at district. Matson also was on the 200 free and 400 free relays, and the Celtics placed fourth as a team.
Augusta Ness, Olentangy Orange
The senior and Virginia Tech signee earned her best state diving finish in her third and final appearance, placing third (435.05 points). Ness, who also finished third at district (479.4), was one of three central Ohioans in the top five. She was 10th as a junior and 12th as a sophomore.
Lizzie Oliphant, Upper Arlington
A senior and Boston College signee, Oliphant won district in the 100 free (50.85) and was fourth at state (51.06). She placed third at district in the 50 free (23.21) and was fifth (23.46) at state, where she also was on the winning 200 free and 400 free (3:26.31) relays.
Alexis Peltcs, Hilliard Darby
The sophomore capped her first high school season by winning the Division I state championship in the 100 breaststroke (1:02.73) and placing second in the 200 IM (2:04.18). At district, she won the 100 breast (1:03.27) and finished third in the 200 IM (2:05.51). Peltcs swam club as a freshman.
Isabella Pribonic, Newark Catholic
A junior and the two-time defending Division II district champion in the 100 breast and 200 IM, Pribonic placed fifth (1:05.14) and ninth (2:08.54) in those events at state. Pribonic, who recorded times of 1:04.68 and 2:08.64 at district, was competing in her third state meet.
Bethany Spangler, Bexley
The senior and New York University signee has been a cornerstone of Bexley’s fourth-place finishes at state each of the past two years. Spangler won the 200 free (1:51.75) and 500 free (4:59.27) at district and finished fifth (1:53.75) and seventh (5:06.03) in those events at state. She also was on the 200 medley and 400 free (sixth, 3:36.92) relays at state.
Angela Wyand, Tree of Life
The Denver-bound senior was Division II state (23.62) and district (23.49) runner-up in the 50 free as well as district runner-up in the 100 free (51.52). She finished eighth (52.5) in the latter event at state, and having won the 50 free at sectional was the only swimmer to defeat Furbee in the postseason.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: 2023-24 Dispatch All-Metro high school girls swimming & diving team
