The Chamblee Bulldogs defended their 2023 DCSD Swimming and Diving Championships title with a convincing win in the 2024 Championships. (Courtesy Photo)
The Chamblee Bulldogs collected 15 medals on the way to repeating as the DeKalb County (DCSD) Swimming and Diving Championships titlists at the recent meet held at the Chamblee High School natatorium.
Chamblee’s eight title since the 2013 season paired with the Lady Bulldogs win of the 2024 girls’ title gave the school its first ever sweep of the county championships. The 15 medals by the Bulldogs included eight golds, three silvers and four bronzes. The team put togethers 18 state qualifying times in the meet.
Jack Rourk got the Bulldogs title defense off to a roaring start with his gold medal in the diving on Friday night (Jan. 26) as he scored 418.10 points in the one-meter event. Rourk’s diving teammate Drew Linam added to the quick start by claiming the bronze (336.00) as both hit qualifying marks for the state meet coming up this weekend.
Chamblee continued the hot start as the 200-yard medley relay team of Ian Combs, Jack Bolte, Michael Harper and Jack McLellan swam to a new meet record of 1:36.10 to claim the gold. They broke the record of 1:37.65 set by Lakeside (Decker, Zhao, Van Valkenburg, Steinhauer) in the 2021 championships. The Bulldog team won its second consecutive gold in the event.
McLellan added to the gold medal haul by taking the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.62) and the 100-yard freestyle (47.68). He had finished second 100 over the past two years.
Jack Bolte claimed his second consecutive gold in the 500-yard freestyle even with a time of 4:55.71 to give him three gold medals in county competition for his career, not including relay events.
Combs, Harper, McLellan and JP Mariani teamed up to claim the gold medal in the 200-yard freestyle relay with a time of 1:28.53 (also state qualifying time).
Ian Combs claimed his second consecutive title in the 100-yard backstroke swimming to a time of 54.53 (state qualifying) and teammate Garrett Peters claimed the bronze (57:07).
The Bulldogs got a one-two finish in the 100-yard breaststroke from Thomas Adam (1:01.01) and Bolte (1:01.37). Both were state qualifying times.
Lakeside (173( put up 13 state qualifying marks to go with four second place finishes to finish second in the team standings just ahead of Dunwoody (166). Elijah Peterson in the 200-yard freestyle (1:44.83), Chase Rothberger in the one-meter diving (354.95) and Caleb Dixon in the 100-yard freestyle (49.85) nabbed silver medals while also putting up state qualifying standards.
The Vikings/ team of Caleb Dixon, Sawyer Dixon, Elijah Peterson and Indiana Crawford also picked up a silver medal in the 200-yard medley relay (1:45.81) while qualifying for state.
Dunwoody’s Luke Amerson set a new county record in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:52.72. (Photo by Mark Brock)
The Dunwoody Wildcats collected seven medals (4 gold) and nine state qualifying times on the way to their third-place finish in the championships.
Luke Sandberg doubled on gold medals with a win in the 50-yard freestyle (21.18) and the 100 butterfly (51.14). It was Sandberg’s second win in a row in the butterfly at the championships.
Luke Amerson won 200-yard individual medley with a new meet record of 1:52.72 to break Zachary Zhao’s (Lakeside) 2021 mark of 1:53.64. It is Amerson’s third consecutive gold in the event.
Luke Amerson, Lucas Waasdorp, Max Stetter, Luke Sandberg put together a time of 3:16.33 to win the 400-meter relay by 11 seconds.
The Decatur Bulldogs finished fourth overall in the team standing collecting five medals (2 silver, 3 bronze) and picking up six state qualifying times. Isaiah Lewis (22.05) finished second in the 50-yard freestyle the 400-yard freestyle relay team of Aiden Franklin, Luca De Winne, William Sollie and Isaiah Lewis swam to silver in a time of 3:27.40.
Druid Hills finished fifth with six state qualifiers and three medals led by sophomore Phidi Brann with a silver in the 500-yard freestyle (4:58.56) and a bronze in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:03.98), both state qualifying marks.
Redan’s Philip Doyle finished with a bronze medal in the 50-yard freestyle (22.33) and set his second state qualifying time of the meet with a time of 1:04.25 in the 100-yard backstroke.
Southwest DeKalb’s Ryan Hunt met the state qualifying time in the 100-yard butterfly by clocking a 54.59.
See link below for full results of the 2024 DCSD Swimming and Diving Championships: