Leopards Start Strong: LHS Swim Opens Season with Wins, Records & State-Sized Goals
The La Grange High School Swim Team is only two meets into the season, but the Leopards are already sending a message: they have their sights set on another run to the UIL State Meet in February.
La Grange opened the season with back-to-back meets against some tough competition, and the Leopards wasted no time proving that being a 4A program does not mean they cannot compete with the bigger schools.
On Oct. 1, La Grange went head-to-head with 5A powerhouses Bryan and Brenham. From the opening relay, the Leopards showed they were ready to race.
The girls’ 200 Medley Relay came out firing, capturing first place and missing the La Grange school record by only 0.60 seconds. The girls kept the momentum going by winning the 200 Freestyle Relay and finishing second in the 400 Freestyle Relay. Relay members included Avery Gabriel, Adysen Janacek, Makenna Emmel, and Lyria Hartley.
La Grange’s second girls relay also showed the depth of the program. Gracelynn Buscha, Gracie Taylor, Lillian Carey, and Camille Fabre combined to finish fourth in the 200 Medley Relay and third in the 200 Freestyle Relay.
The Leopard boys also made their mark, placing third in the 200 Medley Relay before racing to a first-place finish in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Relay members included Van Huette, Braxton Landis, and Caleb Knapik.
The success continued in the individual events.
Lillian Carey raced to second place in the 50 Freestyle, while Caleb Knapik also earned second in the boys’ 50 Freestyle. Avery Gabriel finished second in the 100 Freestyle, Van Huette took third in the 100 Freestyle, and Braxton Landis captured second in the 100 Backstroke.
Adysen Janacek added another victory for the Leopards, taking first place in the 100 Breaststroke.
There was little time to rest.
Just two days later, on Oct. 3, La Grange traveled to Angleton for the program’s first-ever sprint meet. The Leopards stepped into a completely different racing environment, competing against 22 teams and more than 500 swimmers.
The meet lived up to its name. It was fast and furious, with many events featuring more than 100 swimmers.
The boys’ 200 Medley Relay and 200 Freestyle Relay both placed 18th out of 38 teams. The relay team consisted of Van Huette, Sam Loehr, Braxton Landis, and Chandler Fabre.
The girls’ 200 Freestyle Relay of Avery Gabriel, Makenna Emmel, Lillian Carey, and Adysen Janacek raced to an impressive 10th-place finish out of 32 teams.
The Leopards also posted several strong individual finishes against massive fields.
Adysen Janacek finished 12th out of 138 swimmers in the 50 Freestyle, fourth out of 74 in the 100 Freestyle, and 15th out of 98 in the 50 Breaststroke.
Van Huette placed 44th out of 168 swimmers in the 50 Freestyle, 29th out of 112 in the 100 Freestyle, and 45th out of 121 in the 50 Breaststroke.
Makenna Emmel finished 42nd out of 109 swimmers in the 50 Butterfly, while Chandler Fabre placed 40th out of 120 in the 50 Butterfly and 51st out of 133 in the 50 Backstroke.
Avery Gabriel also turned in a strong performance, finishing 20th out of 136 swimmers in the 50 Backstroke.
Two More School
Records
Junior Adysen Janacek is no stranger to the La Grange High School record book, and it did not take her long to add to it again this season.
At Angleton, Janacek broke the 50 Freestyle school record with a time of 27.45. She then lowered her own school record in the 100 Freestyle to 1:01.62, improving a record she originally set during her freshman season.
With two school records in one meet, Janacek helped highlight an already impressive weekend for the Leopards.
Improvement
Goes Beyond the Podium
While medals, places and school records grab the headlines, the Leopards are also measuring success by improvement.
Gracie Taylor was named La Grange’s Swimmer of the Meet against Bryan and Brenham after dropping 2.46 seconds from her time.
At Angleton, Sam Loehr earned Swimmer of the Meet honors after dropping an outstanding combined 11.5 seconds from his swims.
For a La Grange program that must regularly battle schools with larger enrollments and deeper rosters, the opening week provided an early look at what this group of swimmers may be capable of accomplishing.
The Leopards have already collected relay victories, individual wins, personal-best performances and new school records.
But this team has its eyes on something bigger.
February is the destination, and the road back to the State Meet has officially begun.