The girls 400-meter freestyle relay team is headed to state. From left to right, they are Helen Agee, Irina Starostine, Abby Giles and Noelle Martinez (photo by Becky Daniel).
The Woodrow Wilson swim teams placed in the top four at the UIL Region 4-5A competition last weekend. The girls team finished second and the boys team was fourth out of 30 schools.
The two teams placed swimmers in every final race as well as in all of the relays. The girls 200-meter freestyle relay team, which was made up of Helen Agee, Abigail Giles, Katherine Chauza and Claire Agee placed first, qualifying them for the state meet in Austin. The girls medley relay team, which included Helen Agee, Riley Daniel, Irina Starostine and Katherine Chauza, placed second, qualifying them for the state competition as well. The girls 400-meter freestyle relay team placed second, qualifying a third relay team for the state meet.
Helen Agee swam her way to state by placing first in the 100-meter backstroke. She will be joined by Katherine Chauza who placed third in the same race.
The girls team is led by captains Annabelle Furrh and Claire Gustafson. “The girls’ captains have spent hours in the pool motivating their teammates and they are both exceptional role models in and out of the pool,” said coach Brook Varner.
The girls 200-meter freestyle relay team is headed to state. Clockwise from top left are Abby Giles, Claire Agee, Helen Agee and Katherine Chauza (photo by Becky Daniel).
The boys medley relay made of Siul Quiroz, Edwins Herrera, Cameron McElhenie and Jisoo Yoo finished in seventh place in the finals. The boys 200-meter freestyle relay battled for fifth place. That relay team is led by seniors Javier Herrera and Thomas Farner with sophomore Sean Swift and freshman Garrett Bostch. Herrera also placed fifth in the boys 100-meter freestyle. “Herrera has been a dedicated member of the Woodrow swim team for the past four years and is the backbone of this boys team,” said Varner.
The state qualifiers for Woodrow are Claire and Helen Agee, Abigail Giles, Noelle Martinez, Irina Starostine, Riley Daniel and Katherine Chauza. The state meet will be at the University of Texas’ Lee and Joe Jamail Texas Swim Center Feb. 16 and 17. The teams are coached by Varner and Caitlin Knoll.
