UIL swimming state meet recap: Champions, records and medalists

By Michael Adams
Austin Sports Journal

Area high school swimmers and divers shined the past two weekends at the UIL state meet.

Across Class 6A, 5A and 4A, area athletes captured multiple gold medals, broke records and delivered a wave of podium finishes at the Lee & Joe Jamail Swimming Center in Austin.

Record breakers and repeat champions headline 6A

Bowie’s Rowan Cox holds his gold medal from winning the Class 6A boys 100-yard butterfly at the UIL state swimming & diving championships on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Bowie senior Rowan Cox capped his high school career with one of the most dominant performances of the weekend.

Cox repeated as state champion in the boys 100-yard butterfly, winning in 45.47 seconds. He followed that with a gold medal in the 100-yard backstroke in 46.27, breaking the Class 6A and state meet record set in 2024 by Keller’s Maximus Williamson.

Cox also anchored Bowie’s bronze medal 200-yard medley relay that included senior Javier Gutierrez-Jaimes and juniors Walker Atchison and Leon Blais.

On the girls side, Vandegrift’s 400-yard freestyle relay of senior Liza Pozhenko, junior Sophia Nguyen, sophomore Wynne Bisque and senior Alex Orris captured silver in 3:26.37, while Westwood’s 200-yard medley relay of senior Namanh Truong, freshman Sarah Padurean, freshman Araiya Ferron and senior Leah Zhang earned bronze in 1:34.00.

Additional 6A medalists included:

Westwood’s Jazzlyn Vaughn dives during the girls 1-meter diving finals at the UIL state swimming & diving championships on Saturday, Feb. 22, 2025 at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas in Austin, Texas. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Jazz Vaughn, Westwood, senior: Third, girls 1-meter diving (455.50)

Logan Jones, Bowie, junior: Third, girls 100 butterfly (54.73)

Laurel Hoskovec, Dripping Springs, junior: Third, girls 500 freestyle (4:54.70)

As for team results. Vandegrift finished seventh in the girls standings with 102.5 points, followed by Westlake in eighth (94), Westwood tied for ninth (92) and Bowie in 11th (84). Bowie’s boys placed 10th with 78 points.

Frushour repeats, Jaggers and Bircher shine in 5A

Leander’s Brooke Frushour adjusts her goggles during a practice session at the Nitro Swimming complex in Cedar Park, Texas on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026 in preperation for the UIL swimming and diving state championships. (Michael Adams/Austin Sports Journal)

Class 5A featured another repeat champion from the region.

Leander junior Brooke Frushour defended her state title in the girls 100-yard backstroke, winning in 54.17. She also placed third in the 100 butterfly in 55.29 after earning silver in the event last year.

Anderson junior Ben Jaggers delivered a standout meet. He won the boys 100-yard backstroke in 47.70, placed third in the 50 freestyle (20.72) and swam on Anderson’s state championship 200-yard freestyle relay (1:24.76) alongside junior Gus Lott and seniors Brandon Farrens and Tyler Farrens.

LASA senior Elizabeth Bircher claimed gold in the girls 1-meter diving event with a score of 456.10.

Other notable 5A medalists:

Charissa Higgs, LASA, freshman: Second, 100 freestyle (51.41); third, 200 freestyle (1:51.17)

Kate Govin, Pieper, senior: Tied for second, 50 freestyle (23.56); third, 100 freestyle (51.69)

Justin Shi, LASA, senior: Third, 100 backstroke (50.06)

Abby Amato, Anderson, senior: Third, 100 breaststroke (1:03.73)

Relay highlights included a second-place finish from Smithson Valley’s girls 200-yard medley relay (1:48.10) and a third-place finish from Pieper’s girls 200 freestyle relay (1:37.35). Georgetown’s boys 200 freestyle relay also took bronze in 1:25.76.

In the team standings, Smithson Valley placed fifth in the girls race with 135 points and LASA finished eighth with 103. On the boys side, LASA was fourth (128), Anderson fifth (127) and Georgetown eventh (112).

4A roundup: records fall and Davenport dominates

Two weeks earlier, Class 4A competitors set the tone.

Canyon Lake sophomore Emma Grace Risien repeated as state champion in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning in 1:06.73 and breaking her own Class 4A record set last season. She also earned bronze in the 50 freestyle in 24.46.

Davenport senior Caleb Bristow delivered a double gold performance, winning the boys 50 freestyle (21.47) and 100 freestyle (46.86). He also swam on Davenport’s gold medal-winning 200-yard freestyle relay (1:28.60) alongside sophomore Dillon Coston and juniors Jackson Finney-Green and John Kreitz.

Davenport’s boys also placed third in the 200 medley relay (1:40.88) and finished fourth in the team standings with 210 points.

Additional 4A medalists included:

Savina Smith, Gateway Prep, junior: Second, 200 individual medley (2:13.69); third, 100 breaststroke (1:10.70)

Eve Shrader, Gateway Prep, senior: Second, 1-meter diving (400.15)

Peyton Brown 9, Legacy Ranch, freshman: Third, 100 butterfly (59.24), becoming her school’s first state medalist

Gateway Prep’s girls finished sixth with 133 points, while Legacy Ranch placed ninth with 100.

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