Ohio
Live updates | State titles pile up at Friday’s Ohio, Kentucky state swimming, diving meet
Follow along as the Cincinnati Enquirer covers the 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association and Kentucky High School Athletic Association state swimming and diving meets.
Brendan Connelly and Tony Tribble are at Canton’s C.T. Branin Natatorium for the Ohio meet while Jack Schmelzinger and Emory Davis are covering the Kentucky meet at the University of Kentucky’s Lancaster Aquatics Centre. Friday’s action includes Division II finals in Ohio and girls diving and swimming finals in Kentucky. Saturday’s action will include Division I events in Ohio and boys events in Kentucky.
Be sure to refresh this story to see updates, videos, photos and more from The Enquirer’s sports staff.
The Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy group of Taylor Bacher, Posey Sollman, Sophia Fink and Julia Shafer are 400-yard freestyle relay state champions after a monster final leg by Shafer. Other finishers: Wyoming, fourth; Indian Hill, seventh; Seven Hills, eighth.
Connor Bennett of Ross High School won the 100-yard breaststroke in 55.61 seconds. Also swimming in that event were: Weichu Wang, Cincinnati Country Day (fourth), Cooper Stenken, Wyoming (sixth) and Henry Stimson, Seven Hills (seventh).
Connor Bennett of Ross High School wins 100 breaststroke at state meet
Connor Bennett of Ross High School won the 100 breaststroke in 55.61 seconds in the OHSAA state swimming and diving meet, Feb. 21, 2025.
Ross High School’s Cooper Burt won the 100 backstroke in a new Division II state record of 48.28 seconds. He broke old record by 0.01 seconds. Purcell Marian’s Leo Gustavsson took sixth.
Ross’s Cooper Burt breaks a state record in the 100-yard backstroke
Ross High School’s Cooper Burt won the 100 backstroke in a new DII state record of 48.28 seconds Feb. 21, 2025. He broke old record by 0.01 seconds.
Roger Bacon’s Reese Reilly won back-to-back state titles in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1.01.89 on Feb. 21, 2025, in Canton. Taylor’s Corine Rieskamp took third while Indian Hill’s Habby Henz finished fifth.
Roger Bacon’s Reese Reilly wins 100 breaststroke state title
Roger Bacon’s Reese Reilly won back-to-back state titles in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1.01.89 on Feb. 21, 2025, in Canton.
Wyoming’s Willow Adams took sixth in the 100-yard backstroke while Mariemont’s Chelsea Noone took seventh.
Notre Dame Academy’s Clare Herfel won the KHSAA state championship in the 500-yard freestyle with a time of 4:58.62. Close behind her in second was teammate Sadie Hartig. Finishing sixth was Liv Wallace and eighth, Danaka Tucker, both NDA swimmers.
Reece Yauger of Ryle took third place in the 100-butterfly while Beechwood’s Ryon Argo finished seventh.
Keira Kobida of Highlands, the only Northern Kentucky athlete to participate in the 100-freestyle final,will take home fifth place.
Wyoming girls led the three Cincinnati relay teams in the 200-yard freestyle by placing third, with CHCA (fourth) and Summit Country Day (eighth) following.
Indian Hill boys placed second in the event by just .03 seconds. They touched the wall in 1:25.52. Wyoming’s relay finished seventh in the event.
In the girls 500-yard freestyle, Mariemont’s Julia Bohl finished fifth; Marissa McNerney, Seven Hills, finished sixth and Madison Stecher, Roger Bacon, finished eighth.
For boys, Indian Hill’s Arjun Velayutham finished third and Seven Hills’ Colin McNerney finished seventh.
Taylor senior Corine Rieskamp took sixth in the 50-yard freestyle.
Purcell Marian senior Leo Gustavsson took third in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 45.64.
In the 200 individual medley, Reese Yauger (Ryle) took fourth, Ryon Argo (Beechwood) took fifth, Gabriella Stephens (Ryle) seventh and Abby Carnes (Notre Dame) eighth.
Sarah Jones of Highlands took fifth in the 50-yard freestyle race.
Notre Dame Academy had three swimmers in the 200 freestyle final. Sadie Hartig placed third, Clare Herfel fourth and Liv Wallace seventh.
See NKY state finalists’ final dive at OHSAA state championships
Seven Northern Kentucky divers were state finalists at the KHSAA state diving meet on Friday.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Julia Shafer won the 100 freestyle in 50.77 seconds, her second individual win.
Wyoming’s Ansley Neff took third with a time of 51.84.
CHCA’s Julia Shafer wins the 2025 DII 100-yard freestyle state title
CHCA’s Julia Shafer wins the 100 freestyle in 50.77 seconds, her second individual win, at the OHSAA state meet Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Canton.
Notre Dame Academy took fourth in the 200-yard medley relay at the KHSAA state meet. Originally, the girls finished fifth until the top placer, Sacred Heart, was disqualified. Other Northern Kentucky schools in the race finished seventh (Dixie Heights) and eighth (Ryle).
Another CB got his second gold medal as Cooper Burt won the 100-yard butterfly in 47.72. His 200-yard medley relay team won gold earlier in the night.
Madeira’s Max Welty took eighth.
Cooper Burt of Ross wins 2025 DII 100-yard butterfly state title
Cooper Burt of Ross wins the 100-yard butterfly in 47.72 at the 2025 Ohio High School Athletic Association state swimming and diving meet in Canton.
Cooper’s Chris Nowak discusses placing fifth at KHSAA state diving
Cooper junior Chris Nowak finished fifth at the KHSAA diving championships and second among Northern Kentucky competitors with a score of 418.85.
Ross swimmer Connor Bennett got his second gold medal of the evening with a win in the boys 200-yard individual medley. His time was 1:49.32.
Ross’s Connor Bennett wins DII boys 200-yard IM state title
Ross High School’s Connor Bennett wins the boys 200-yard individual medley state championship in a time of 1:49.32 Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, in Canton.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Julia Shafer wins the 200-yard individual medley with a final time of 2:01.71.
Other local finishers were: Reese Reilly of Roger Bacon (third), Lila Gregory of CHCA (sixth) and Sophia Fink, CHCA (eighth).
CHCA’s Julia Shafer wins the Division II 200-yard individual medley
CHCA’s Julia Shafer wins the 200-yard individual medley in a photo finish Friday, Feb. 21, 2025, at C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Notre Dame Academy’s Savannah Bien finished third in the KHSAA state diving competition with a score of 435.80 to lead the seven Northern Kentucky girls to place in the top 16. Other top-16 placers: 5. Chris Nowak (Cooper) 418.85 7. Rylee Pernell (Scott) 376.5 8. Grace Hedger (Campbell County) 375.75 10. Addison Tinkler (Highlands) 369.00 13. Emmalee Albertson (Ryle) 332.50 and 16. Zoey Beagle (Scott) 306.15.
NDA diver Savannah Bien places third at 2025 KHSAA state meet
Notre Dame Academy sophomore Savannah Bien finished third at the 2025 KHSAA state diving tournament and first among Northern Kentucky competitors.
Indian Hill senior Jason Zhao wins the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 1:35.42.
Other locals in that race were Arjun Velayutham, Indian Hill (third) and Colin McNerney, Seven Hills (sixth).
Indian Hill’s Jason Zhao wins the 200-yard freestyle state title
Indian Hill’s Jason Zhao wins the 200-yard freestyle state title in a time of 1:35.42 on Friday, Feb. 21, at Canton’s C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy’s Taylor Bacher wins the 200-yard freestyle for the third year in a row with a time of 1:49:49. Other local finishers in this race were Ansley Neff, Wyoming (second), Emma Rosenbaum, McNicholas (fifth) and Julia Bohl, Wyoming (sixth).
She took second place in the 100-yard butterfly in 54.87 seconds in the final individual event of her high school career. McNicholas’ Emma Rosenbaum took eighth place in the event.
CHCA’s Taylor Bacher wins 200 freestyle for third consecutive year
CHCA’s Taylor Bacher wins the 200 freestyle for the third year in a row with a time of 1:49:49.
Ross High School’s Cooper Burt, Connor Bennett, Luke Mignery and Timmy Pfirmann won the boys 200-yard medley relay in a time of 1:32.3, reports Brendan Connelly. Indian Hill took sixth and Seven Hills, eighth.
Ross boys relay wins 200-yard medley Ohio state title in 2025.
The Ross High School boys relay team of Cooper Burt, Connor Bennett, Luke Mignery and Timmy Pfirrman win the 200 medley relay in 1:32.3 Feb. 21, 2025
Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy girls finished second in the first event of the 2025 state meet, followed by Indian Hill’s fourth-place, Seven Hills’ sixth-place and Roger Bacon’s eighth-place finishes.
Enquirer staff arrives in Canton
Four Southwest Ohio divers finish in the state’s top 10
The Ohio state championships kicked off Tuesday with the Division II diving competition, followed by Division I on Wednesday.
As such, the Ohio divers have already finished their season with three divers finishing in the top eight: West Clermont’s Bryce Cousins (fifth), Sycamore’s Simon Huth (seventh) and Anderson’s Bella Basford (eighth).
The KHSAA delayed Kentucky’s diving competitions earlier in the week because of the weather. The girls diving competition was rescheduled to 2 p.m. Friday ahead of the finals, scheduled for around 6:40 p.m.
Which Greater Cincinnati swimmers and divers qualified for the 2025 state meet?
Brendan Connelly provided previews for Ohio Division I, Ohio Division II and Northern Kentucky swimmers and divers heading to state. Here are the links: