News Post
Swim Team Wins Season Opener
The eight-time defending state champion St. Joseph’s Academy swim team won the Capital City Swim League’s first meet of the year on September 7. The swimmers rolled up 603 points in a dominating performance at Crawfish Aquatics pool.
Seven teams competed in the season opener. Finishing behind SJA were Baton Rouge High (269), Zachary (257), University High (143), Woodlawn (119), Brusly (86) and St. Michael (30).
Coach George Newport said his team turned in a stellar performance. “Angels flexed their muscles at the first league meet of the season,” he said. “SJA accumulated 603 points, outdistancing second place by more than 300 points.”
Leading the effort were SJA’s relay teams, capturing first and second places in surprisingly fast early season times.
Scoring points towards the team total were the following.
200 medley relay: Gabby Joffrion, Kate Russell, Amanda Andrews, Julia Brinson, 1st place, 2:01.42
200 freestyle: Cece Worth, 1st place, 2:04.83; Amanda Andrews, 2nd place, 2:07.26; Katherine Scully, SJA, 2:15.14.
200 individual medley: Anna Webre, 1st place, 2:24.76; Gabrielle Joffrion, 2nd place, 2:25.93; Caroline Beck, 3rd place, 2:29.79.
50 freestyle: Julia Brinson, 2nd place, 26.85
100 butterfly: Amanda Andrews, 1st place, 1:03.12; Anna Webre, 3rd place, 1:06.62.
100 freestyle: Caroline Munson, 1st place, 57.30
500 freestyle: Cece Werth, 1st place, 5:21.89; Katherine Scully, 3rd place, 6:00.88
200 freestyle relay: Quynh-Mai Nguyen, CeCe Werth, Gabby Joffrion, Caroline Munson, 1st place, 1:48.77
100 backstroke: Caroline Munson, 2nd place, 1:06.13; Gabrielle Joffrion, 3rd place, 1:09.66.
100 breaststroke: Caroline Beck, 2nd place, 1:17.75; Kate Russell, 3rd place, 1:17.98.
400 freestyle relay: Amanda Andrews, Caroline Munson, Julia Bronson, CeCe Werth, 1st place, 3:59.14
Senior Kate Russell has been elected team captain, and senior Lily Martin has been elected co-captain for the 2019 swim season.
On Friday before the meet, Leighann King held a stroke clinic for the team at the Manship YMCA. King, a 2006 graduate of the Academy and member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame, is SJA’s assistant director of admissions.
As a swimmer at St. Joseph’s Academy, she helped lead her teams to three state championships and one runner-up finish. She was the four-time City Meet and three-time State Meet champion in the 50 free. Her state meet record time of 23.11, set in November of 2005, stands to this day.
King swam on the LSU swim team, earning three varsity letters.
Mindy Brodhead Averitt
Communications Director
Photos by Nan Murtagh