The 2026 Kentucky high school swimming and diving state championships got underway on Friday, Feb. 20, as the boys took to the pool.

While the Louisville St. Xavier Tigers claimed their 38th straight team title, Simon Kenton’s Isaiah Reinhart and Ryle’s Chase Knopf were among the top local performers.

Here are the biggest storylines from day one. The girls will finish the season on Saturday afternoon and evening.

Complete results can be found here.

Isaiah Reinhart leads 3 Northern Kentucky divers to the podium

In 2025, Northern Kentucky placed three divers on the state podium. This year, three more were in the top eight. The only constant between the two seasons? Simon Kenton’s Isaiah Reinhart.

Last year, he was narrowly in third place after the first round and stayed in that spot, finishing with 469.55 points. This season, after winning his second straight regional title, he planted himself in second place after his second dive score of 58.5 and stayed there until the end, finishing with 570 points.

“It felt great. I was putting everything I had into those dives. I feel great about the outcome, too,” Reinhart said.

He was especially proud of his back 1.5 somersault 1.5 twist, the third and ninth dives of his program. He scored 55 points and 57.5 points on those respective dives.

After graduating this year, Reinhart hopes to continue diving. He has been looking at the University of Louisville, University of Kentucky and University of Cincinnati.

On the other end of the age spectrum was Dixie Heights freshman Austin Maley, making his second appearance at state after taking ninth place in 2025. As the last diver in the lineup, he put extra effort into his forward 1.5 somersault twist, which he attempted in the sixth and 12th rotations and helped him take fourth place with 535.7 points.

“I put my best into that dive,” Maley said.

Simon Kenton coach Austin Hall, who also coaches Maley, believes he will hang a banner or two at Dixie Heights before he graduates.

Ryle’s Wes Hampel finished in seventh place with 439.45 points. The Raiders also placed Carter Young and Eli Evans in the top 16.

Hall, one of four diving coaches in Northern Kentucky, was named the Kentucky boys diving coach of the year.

“I haven’t been on a board or coaching diving for quite a while,” Hall said. “When the opportunity came up to get back into diving in a coaching capacity, I jumped at it.”

Hall dove at Riverside High School in Beaver County, Pennsylvania, and broke his neck before he competed at state as a senior. He is especially grateful for Covington Catholic coach Emma Lehmkuhl, Highlands coach Kristina Jenny and Ryle coach Jeff Floyd for bringing him into the fold.

“I didn’t grow up here. Obviously Beaver County, Pennsylvania, I’m a little bit away from home, but they welcomed me with open arms. I was basically handed a laptop and said, ‘Good luck. You’re running all the meets.’” Hall said. “But I’m never leaving Kenton County.”

Chase Knopf makes history with distance freestyle wins

When Knopf, a Ryle senior and Louisville signee, touched the wall to win the 200-yard freestyle in 1:37.76, he became the first Raider to win an individual state title since Cory Chitwood won the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley in 2007.

“I’ve been chasing these state titles since I was in seventh grade. I remember the first time I was here, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, this is insane.’ I’ve gotten unlucky every time and to see everything line up for the first time and work out, it feels really good,” Knopf said.

He got out in a hurry, swimming a 22.83-second first length of the pool, and gradually increased his lead until he built a two-second margin of victory over St. Xavier’s Carter Rankin.

The final individual swim of his high school career was just as dominant as he won the 500-yard freestyle in 4:24.97, a five-second margin of victory over Beechwood’s Cono Presti.

The two are club teammates on the Northern Kentucky Clippers and push each other every day in practice. On the high school circuit, they’ve built a friendly rivalry as the season’s progressed.

“It’s every day,” Presti said.

Knopf took third place in the 200-yard freestyle and was the 500-yard freestyle runner-up in 2025 and thought about these titles every day between the two state meets. Seeing Rankin in lane three and Trinity’s Hampton Stuecker in lane five only added motivation for Knopf and Presti.

“It’s always been people that we always get beat by, and it’s nice to see a change. I respect those guys. They trained just as hard as us. I think we pushed a little harder and we finally got where we wanted to be,” Knopf said.

Covington Catholic freshman Andrew Kruger took seventh place in the 500-yard freestyle in 4:38.3. Knopf said Kruger is a name to watch in the future.

“It’s a good name to look out for,” Knopf said.

Ryle takes third in team race

Powered by Knopf’s wins, a third-place relay finish and two podiums from Nash Parsons, the Raiders scored 175 points to take the third-place trophy for the fourth year in a row. They finished six points behind Louisville Eastern, which recorded its highest team finish in school history.

“Four straight years in the top three is the best we’ve ever done, guys or girls. But to do it four years in a row is pretty awesome,” Ryle coach Jeff Floyd said.

Floyd is in his 10th year as the head coach and remembers when Ryle finished ninth at the regional meet.

“Now we’re bringing home state trophies consistently and that’s a great thing. The administration has supported us. My wife, my assistants, the kids, the families, they’ve all bought into the program,” Floyd said.

Highlands took fourth place with 139.5 points, setting up what should be a tight race for the combined team state title. The Raiders’ edge came from the 25 points they scored on the diving board.

Covington Catholic was the only other Northern Kentucky team to finish in the top 10, scoring 87 points to take ninth.

Which Northern Kentucky boys swimmers finished on the 2026 state podium?

1-meter dive: 2. Isaiah Reinhart, Simon Kenton; 4. Austin Maley, Dixie Heights; 7. Wes Hampel, Ryle

200-yard medley relay: 5. Highlands (Luke Deegan, Noah Gracey, Reed Spaulding, Ryan Schaber); 6. Covington Catholic (Andrew Boh, Will Dusing, Peyton Knollman, Sam Hartig)

200-yard freestyle: 1. Chase Knopf, Ryle; 4. Nash Parsons, Ryle

200-yard individual medley: 8. Charlie Herfel, Highlands

100-yard freestyle: 5. Nash Parsons, Ryle

500-yard freestyle: 1. Chase Knopf, Ryle; 2. Cono Presti, Beechwood; 7. Andrew Kruger, Covington Catholic

200-yard freestyle relay: 3. Ryle (Nash Parsons, Tyler Rice, Addison Coughenour, Chase Knopf); 4. Highlands (Chanith Abeysinghe, Noah Gracey, Charlie Herfel, Ryan Schaber)

100-yard breaststroke: 4. Noah Gracey, Highlands; 5. Tyler Rice, Ryle; 6. Andrew Boh, Covington Catholic

400-yard freestyle relay: 4. Highlands (Charlie Herfel, Charlie Golden, Ryan Schaber, Chanith Abeysinghe)