Jesuit Swimming and Diving claimed its second consecutive regional championship this weekend. The Rangers scored 353 en route to a dominating victory February 6th-7th at the Westside Aquatic Center. Staring down longtime rivals, Jesuit came out with the win and will take this momentum into the UIL Class 6A state championships in two weeks.
Hot Start
Jesuit was off to a hot start with a fifth-place finish in the 200-medley relay. Michael Tobin ’27 lead off with a 26.49. Fellow junior Grant Wilton ’27 swam a 27.21 breastroke leg. Drew Shippey ’27 swam butterfly in a 23.45, and Porter Pope ’28 anchored in a 21.67.
All four swimmers finialed for the Rangers in the 200 freestyle. Sebastian Suwanda ’26 was the highest finisher, taking seventh in a 1:45.85. JP McCosker ’27 placed tenth with a 1:48.44, while Noah Ruhl ’28 placed twelfth with a 1:49.65. After getting scratched-in at the last second, Peter Hasik ’27 swam best time of 1:53.01. Following the 200 freestyle, Jonah Ruhl ’27 claimed his first regional title of the afternoon with a 1:49.51 in the 200IM. Javi Ruiz ’28 and Tobin finished fourteenth and fifteenth, respectively. Finally, in the diving events, Koby Broad ’28 placed tenth, finishing with an eleven-dive score of 282.50.
Continuing Momentum
The Rangers widened the gap during the next few spring events, showing their sprint prowess. Three Rangers were in the finals of the 50-freestyle. Sam Kennginton swam a 20.75, securing a school record previously held by Jack Ayres. Kennington was locked in a dual with Coppell’s Abhinav Agnihotri, but was ultimately outtouched. Luke Lary ’26 placed seventh in the event with a 21.49.
Jesuit scored big in the 100-fly with two Rangers in the A-final. Lary won his consecutive regional title in the event, setting a school record in a time of 49.08. Following this, Jonah Ruhl took his second regional title, winning the event in a 45.02. Ruhl out-touched Prosper’s Brayden Jones for the win. Kennington was fifth with a 47.11, Porter Pope was eleventh with a 48.38
The Blue & Gold fared well in the distance event. Sebastian Suwanda was the top finishers with a 4:56.33. Grant Wilton, who also made the “A” final placed eight with a time of 5:01.44. JP McCosker and Noah Ruhl swam in the B, finishing tenth and thirteenth overall, respectively.
Sealing the Deal
The last four events proved to be the icing on the cake for Jesuit, sealing their regional win. The first of two relays, the 200-freestyle relay, proved to be a nail-biter. Kennington led off in a 21.13, handing it off to Luke Lary, who split a 21.17. Suwanda, fresh-off the 500 freestyle, swam a 21.84, while Jonah Ruhl anchored in a 20.27. The Rangers were locked in a dual with Lewisville Marcus but ultimately outdid the Marauders to take the win. Currently, the Rangers sit as the top-qualifier in next week’s state championships.
The Rangers have two swimmers final in the 100 backstroke. Drew Shippey placed seventh with a time of 54.43, while Michael Tobin placed fifteenth with a time of 58.35. The 100-breast proved substantial to the Ranger’s scoring. Junior Grant Wilton placed fifth with a time of 1:00.40. Porter Pope continued his breakout performance, finishing sixth with a 1:00.53.
“We are a team destined for greatness from the very start. there is no brotherhood like what we have” – Porter pope ’28
The final afternoon featured a showdown of two season-long rivals. During the North Zone TISCA Invitational back in November, Lewisville Marcus stunned the Rangers, swimming to a convincing victor in the 400-freestyle relay. This time-around, Jesuit was looking for revenge. Lary gave Jesuit the lead with stellar 45.96 opening leg. Kennington maintained it with a 46.04. However, Sebastian Suwanda would lose the lead. While he still split a solid 48.35, Marcus’s will curry split a 46.49. The race came down to two juniors, Jonah Ruhl and Husdon Roybal. Roybal has the slight edge entering the pool, however the two were neck and neck the entire way. Unfortunately, Roybal would outouch Ruhl to give Marcus the event win.
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