Gators chomp, records fall at 2026 City Meet
Fast forward 365 days, and head coach Sarah Fortney remained buoyant after the team fell just short of back-to-back titles in the Greater Knoxville Area Interclub Swimming Association (GKAISA) championship.
After unseating Knoxville Racquet Club (KRC) from a 13-year run last season, the Gators totaled 2,005.50 points for a second-place finish at this year’s Tom Schumann Memorial GKAISA championship meet at Tennessee’s Allan Jones Aquatic Center on Saturday, July 25.
KRC reclaimed its throne this year with a total of 2,175 points.
“I feel like we swam up from where we were seeded and outperformed what we were expecting,” Fortney said Sunday, July 26. “Heading into last year when we won, that was our first time to ever score 2,000 points.
“Historically, that’s always been enough to win that meet, and yesterday, it just wasn’t enough. Comparatively, we swam really well and everyone did well. And with that number of points, that’s the best we’ve been in 15 years, aside from last year. So we really can’t be upset with that performance.”
VG turned in 10 first-place finishes, while Concord Hills racked up 1,815.50 points for fourth place with Sugarwood in seventh at 843 points and Gettysvue in eighth with 782. Fox Den came in 16th with a total of 214 points.
There also was a slew of individual awards, most notably three record-breaking finishes from Myla Dru Saffles.
Having enjoyed a birthday on Friday, July 24, Saffles blew out her candles and blew past the competition.
Saffles set new City Meet records in the girls 11-12 50-yard backstroke (27.74 seconds), 50-yard butterfly (26.52 seconds) and 50-yard freestyle (24.99 seconds) to pace the Stingrays.
“Myla Dru is a tremendous athlete,” Sugarwood team president Michelle Bell said. “I’ve known her since she was little and she just keeps getting faster and faster. She is fun to watch! A broken record is a huge accomplishment, as GKAISA has a long history of great swimmers. Setting three records in one meet is exceptional.”
Saffles was not the only area swimmer to carve a new spot in the record book.
Village Green’s Kuba Shaw set a new pace in the men’s 15 and over 100-yard freestyle, while Concord Hills’ Landon Hall snapped a record in the men’s 15 and over 50-yard breaststroke.
Shaw, a future Arizona State Sun Devil swimmer, burned through his heat in 43.94 seconds to bring a fitting end to a rewarding high school career.
“All of our staff was pretty aware that that was a goal, and his eyes were set on that,” Fortney said of Shaw. “We knew how invested he was, and it was special. Not a lot
of D1 swimmers have to
take the time to pour into a community team, and Kuba invests in younger swimmers and makes a point to encourage them. It made it really special for everyone watching that he could do that his senior year.“
Hall, a fellow ASU commitment for 2027, blazed through the breaststroke in an eye-popping 24.88 seconds to break his own record in the event.
“I couldn’t be happier for Landon,” Concord Hills coach Annie Abraham said. “He has always set big goals for himself, and breaking records has been something he’s chased for as long as I’ve known him. To see him come back and break his own City Meet record was really rewarding because I know how much work he’s put in to get there.”
While VG finished with
10 first-place results, including Shaw’s record, another
event stood out in terms of competitiveness.
Farragut senior Adam Webster beat Jefferson City’s Braden Lanham in a swim-off with a 23.46-second finish,
winning men’s 15 and over 50-yard freestyle.
Concord Hills totaled 11 first-place results, a few of which included Landon Hall’s record-breaker, Hayden Hall’s 20.49 result in the 50-yard freestyle and the combo of Katie Dutrow, Sam Duby, Millie Stoewer and Anna Whitley in the women’s 15 and over 200-yard relay at 1:48.83.
Sugarwood’s Lauren Hackett won the girls 13-14 individual medley and breaststroke, and Gettysvue saw several first-place finishes, too: the mixed 11-12 200-yard freestyle relay, Danny Fleming Jr. in the boys 11-12 100-yard freestyle and individual medley and Lilly Britt in the girls 8-and-under 25-yard backstroke.
On the deck, there also were a couple of notable awards to wrap up the summer.
Webster earned the Bill Lauer Service Award while Hardin Valley Academy senior and Sugarwood swimmer Annelise Hwang took home the Tom Schumann Service Award.
“Another huge win with Adam winning the service award because he’s such an exemplary student athlete,” Fortney said.
“It is an honor for Annelise to be awarded the Tom Schumann Service Award,” Bell added of Hwang. “This season she served as an assistant coach for the Stingrays and gave back to our team with her knowledge and experience. She is a role model our younger swimmers can look up to and we are grateful for the leadership she brings to our team.”
