The National Interscholastic Swim Coaches Association declared the Highlands High School boys swimming team as a national champion for the 2020-21 season.
NISCA named the Bluebirds boys swimming team the National Dual Meet Champions in its Public School Division for schools with between 900 and 1,400 students.
“This is an outstanding accomplishment by our team,” Highlands head coach Amanda Johnson said. “(The honors) speak volumes about our entire swimming and diving program at Highlands. Our student-athletes work hard both in and out of the classroom to earn these distinguished honors. As their coach, I am so proud of all of our athletes for their hard work and dedication. We have set goals over the years for our team and this group of athletes has far surpassed our expectations.”
NISCA annually compiles national high school rankings for teams and individuals based on times at meets throughout the season. NISCA divides public schools into four classes by enrollment and Highlands is in the second-smallest enrollment class.
NISCA also named Louisville St. Xavier the overall national champion last week, an honor that sometimes goes to Cincinnati St. Xavier, which finished ranked second.
For Highlands, 2021 graduate Mac Russell, who signed will compete for the University of Kentucky Wildcats this fall, led the Bluebirds this year.
Russell ranked 41st national in the 50-yard freestyle and 31st in the 100-yard freestyle. He won state championships in both events.
Jack Banks, a 2021 Highlands graduate, ranked 47th in the 100 freestyle and 91st in the 100 breaststroke. At the state meet, he finished second in the 100 free and fourth in the breaststroke.
Russell and Banks also made the rankings in two relays. They teamed with fellow 2021 graduates Harrison Pawsat and Will Griffith to rank 84th in the 200 freestyle relay. They finished second in the state.
Banks, Russell and Griffith teamed with junior Sam Jones to rank 75th in the 400 freestyle relay. They finished second at state.
Banks, Griffith, Pawsat and Priscilla Caballero were also named Academic All-Americans by NISCA. The honor goes to 2021 graduates with a 3.75 or higher unweighted GPA.
Here is a look at all the Greater Cincinnati swimmers who made the final All-American rankings.
Boys
Mason
Mason was 12th in the 200 medley relay with Eli Devyak, Kevin Wu, Carl Bloebaum and Braden Osborn. They were also 28th in the 200 free relay.
Mason was 51st in the 400 free relay with Osborn, Bloebaum, Alex Zhang and Max Plumley.
Senior Braden Osborn was 29th in the 50 freestyle and 78th in the 100 free.
Junior Carl Bloebaum was 10th in the 100 butterfly.
Junior Eli Devyak was 85th in the 100 butterfly.
St. Xavier
St. Xavier was 27th in the 200 medley relay with Tristan Menninger, Nathan Wall, Chase Guenther and Logan Tobery.
St. X was 11th in the 200 free relay with Tobery, McMullan, Taylor and William Froass.
St. X was 16th in the 400 free relay with Tobery, McMullan, Wall and Taylor.
Freshman Thackson McMullan was 60th in the 200 freestyle.
Senior Nathan Wall was 58th in the 200 individual medley and 79th in the 100 breaststroke.
Senior Owen Taylor was 62nd in the 50 freestyle and 45th in the 100 free.
Senior Adam Lamping was 77th in the 500 free.
Tristan Menninger was 90th in the 100 backstroke.
Sycamore
Junior Avery Clapp was 96th in the 100 butterfly and 64th in the 100 backstroke.
Sycamore was 92nd in the 400 free relay with Clapp, Bryce Menchhofer, and Erik Menchhofer.
Junior Preston Landolt was on the All-American list in diving. NISCA did not rank the honorees in diving.
Seven Hills
Senior Tim Kalin was 29th in the 100 backstroke.
Walnut Hills
Senior Alex Craft was 62nd in the 200 freestyle and 37th in the 500 free.
Lakota East
Junior Adam McDonald was 93rd in the 100 breaststroke.
East Central
Junior Nick Weber was 52nd in the 50 freestyle and 100th in the 100 freestyle.
Beechwood
Senior Eli Shoyat was 12th in the 500 freestyle.
Girls
Notre Dame
Lainy Kruger ranked 25th in the 100 breaststroke.
Mason
Reese Lugbill was 44th in the 100 breaststroke and 32nd in the 200 individual medley.
Emma Dalton was 14th in the 100 backstroke.
Senior Kiara Anchrum was 47th in the 100 butterfly.
Mason was 64th in the 200 freestyle relay with Charlotte DeSantos, Hale Oal, Charlotte Trunsky, and Gwenyth Woodbury.
Mason was seventh in the 200 medley relay with Lugbill, Dayton, Kiara Anchrum and Tiana Anchrum.
Seven Hills
Junior Ella Jo Piersma was 47th in the 200 freestyle and 60th in the 100 free.
Walnut Hills
Junior Phoebe Wright was 58th in the 200 freestyle and 49th in the 100 free.
Lakota West
Junior Paige Striley was 21st in the 100 butterfly.
Lakota East
Isabelle Gomez was 48th in the 500 freestyle.
Diving
Five locals were honored by NISCA, which did not rank the honorees: St. Ursula juniors Mallory Hanna and Maria Meinhardt, Mount Notre Dame junior Sarah Krusinski, Walnut Hills junior Elizabeth Noble and Mason sophomore Langely Petersen.
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