Swimmers of the Year, Coach of the Year to TCHS
Published 9:00 am Wednesday, March 7, 2018
TIFTON — Region 1 announced its all-region swim team this week and multiple Tift County Swim Devils were honored for their accomplishments.
Tift teams, which won a double region championship for the fourth straight season, had six boys and six girls named to the first team and six more named second team and honorable mention. In addition to the awards to the swimmers, the Swim Devils swept Swimmer of the Year awards as well as Coach of the Year.
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Kirsten Murphy and Beau Bengston were the Swimmers of the Year.
Bengston had the best individual finish of any Tift swimmer, coming in 11th in the 100 butterfly at the Class AAAAAAA state finals in Atlanta. Bengston was also 15th in state in the 100 backstroke.
Murphy finished 18th in the 100 butterfly and advanced to the finals as part of two relay teams. Both of those finished 18th as well.
Swim Devils head coach Ivey Vickers was named Coach of the Year for boys and girls teams. Vickers said it was more accurately a staff award and gave much credit to her assistants, Anna Fletcher and Kristin McElroy for their work with the program.
First team selections were Beau Bengston, J.D. Bengston, Dylan Coker, Stephanie Connell, Samuel Lawson, Ansley Mobley, Kirsten Murphy, Karoline Ponder, Jacob Redd, Caleb Rice, Lauren Stone and Olivia Thomas. Eleven of the 12 swam in the state finals.
Ponder, Thomas, Stone and Mobley had top finish for the Lady Devils at the meet, 17th place in the 400 freestyle relay.
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Second team selections were T.J. Carpenter, Ashlee Golden, Sarah Lawson, Autumn Rice and Riley Roberts. Spencer Shaw earned honorable mention.