LHS Swimmers Continue Strong Season With Impressive Showing in El Campo
The La Grange High School Swim Team continued its strong start to the season on Oct. 10, traveling to El Campo to face off against El Campo and Wharton. Despite not having a full roster, the Leopards proved that a smaller lineup would not slow them down, turning in impressive performances, multiple relay finishes, and six individual firstplace victories.
The Leopards made their presence known in the relay events, with the boys capturing three first-place finishes and the girls earning three topthree finishes.
The girls’ 200 Medley Relay team of Lyria Hartley, Adysen Janacek, Makenna Emmel, and Lillian Carey raced to a third-place finish with a time of 2:17.39, finishing behind two strong El Campo relay teams.
The boys’200 Medley Relay team of Braxton Landis, Van Huette, Chandler Fabre, and Caleb Knapik claimed first place with a time of 2:07.20.
In the 200 Freestyle Relay, the girls’ team of Lyria Hartley, Lillian Carey, Gracie Taylor, and Adysen Janacek finished third with a time of 2:00.75.
The boys continued their winning ways in the 200 Freestyle Relay, as Caleb Knapik, Samuel Loehr, Chandler Fabre, and Van Huette raced to first place with a time of 1:48.91.
The girls’ 400 Freestyle Relay team of Makenna Emmel, Lyria Hartley, Gracie Taylor, and Adysen Janacek secured second place with a time of 4:41.94.
Rounding out the relay competition, the boys’ 400 Freestyle Relay team of Caleb Knapik, Braxton Landis, Samuel Loehr, and Van Huette brought home another first-place finish with a time of 4:29.52, completing a sweep of all three boys’ relay events.
Six Leopards Race to Wins
The Leopards’ success did not stop with the relays. La Grange swimmers captured an impressive six firstplace finishes in individual events, showcasing the team’s strength across multiple strokes and distances.
Adysen Janacek took first place in the girls’ 200 Freestyle, touching the wall in 2:26.63.
Caleb Knapik showed his sprinting speed, winning the boys’ 50 Freestyle with a time of 26.50.
Chandler Fabre raced to victory in the boys’ 100 Butterfly, finishing in 1:15.05, while Braxton Landis captured first place in the boys’ 100 Backstroke with a time of 1:14.86.
The Leopards dominated the 100 Breaststroke events, sweeping first place in both the girls’ and boys’ races.
Gracie Taylor won the girls’ event with a time of 1:32.97, while Samuel Loehr claimed first in the boys’ event with a time of 1:30.54.
Strong Finishes
Through the Lineup
Beyond the first-place performances, several other Leopards contributed strong finishes throughout the meet.
In the 50 Freestyle, Chandler Fabre placed third, Makenna Emmel finished seventh, and Lillian Carey took ninth.
In the 100 Butterfly, Makenna Emmel added another top-three finish for La Grange, placing third.
The 100 Freestyle saw several strong performances, with Van Huette finishing second and Braxton Landis taking third in the boys’ event.
On the girls’ side, Gracie Taylor placed fifth and Camille Fabre finished sixth. In the 100 Backstroke, Lyria Hartley finished fourth, followed by Lillian Carey in fifth.
Camille Fabre also earned a third-place finish in the girls’ 100 Breaststroke, adding another top-three performance to the Leopards’ results.
Leopards Continue
Building Momentum
With another successful meet behind them, the Leopards continue to demonstrate their determination and competitive spirit. Even without their full roster, La Grange collected nine first-place finishes between individual and relay events, including a sweep of all three boys’relays, along with several additional top-three performances.
Competing against larger programs throughout the early season has given the Leopards valuable racing experience as they continue working toward their ultimate goal of returning to the UIL State Swimming and Diving Meet in February.
The Leopards will take a break from competition next weekend, but they will still be busy outside the pool. The team will host a bake sale on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 - 11 a.m., in partnership with Spill the T. Proceeds will help offset the cost of lodging and meals for upcoming overnight swim meets. The team appreciates the continued support of the La Grange community as they work to raise funds.
The Leopards will return to the pool on Oct. 24 in Tomball, where they will look to continue building on their earlyseason success.
The season is still young, but the Leopards are proving that they are ready to compete, determined to improve, and keeping their sights set on February.