[Stardust]

http://saxo.highschoolsports.net/article...le?Avis=B2

For the St. Xavier swim team, the beat goes on and on and on.

The Tigers continued their dominance at the Ralph Wright Natatorium at the University of Louisville on Saturday, rolling to their 24th straight state title.

St. X, using superior depth, scored 484.5 points. Covington Catholic was a distant second with 235 points, followed by three more schools from Jefferson County – Trinity (189), Manual (144) and Ballard (131).

St. X coach Todd Larkin said state titles certainly don’t get old for the Tigers.

“Each year is special,” he said. “Each team is different.”

Larkin said he brought 26 individuals to the pool and they all had a hand in the Tigers’ success. “At St. X, we really stress the team aspect. That’s what it is all about.”

The Tigers got off to a solid start by winning the 200-yard medley in 1:34.26.

St. X won more events – William Buese the 100-yard butterfly, 200-yard freestyle relay and Michael Scheid Jr. the 100-yard backstroke.

Buese, a freshman, was taking part in his last meet for the Tigers because his family is moving to Baltimore in August.

“It’s really bittersweet for me,” he said. “It’s my first state meet and my last state meet. I wish I could swim here for three more years.”

In the 200-yard freestyle, Buese was edged by a friend, Ballard junior Jake Schultz.

Ballard coach Brad Hultz said he met Schultz about six months and ago and Schultz immediately started talking about the 200-yard freestyle.

“He’s been focused on this race,” said Hultz, who teaches English at Valley High School.

Hultz said the Ballard program is on the rise. “Every swimmer we put in the pool today will be back next year. If we can add two or three boys, we could challenge Trinity and St. X.”

One of the top individuals was Trinity sophomore Thomas Cooper, who grabbed the 50- and 100-yard freestyles.

Cooper set a state record in the 100 freestyle, swimming the preliminaries in 44.71. In the finals, he won in 45.09. Ballard’s Aaron Sexton was second in 46.89.

Cooper said he stayed focused. “I’ve learned never to take anything for granted. I was hoping to catch St. X. Maybe we can do it next year and topple the dynasty.”

Cooper wasn’t the only swimmer to break a state record.

Covington Catholic junior Max Williamson broke state records in the 200-yard individual medley and the 500-yard freestyle.

He set the record for the 200-yard IM with a time of 1:48.88 in the preliminaries. In the 500-yard freestyle, he set the record in the finals in 4:28.89.

Williamson broke the record of a fellow Covington Catholic swimmer, Scott Ryan, who set the record in 1987 .

Ryan, who went on to become the Big Ten Freshman Swimmer of the Year at the University of Michigan and now lives in Cincinnati, came down to watch Williamson break the record.

“That’s the only reason I came here – to watch him break the record,” Ryan said. “I knew he was going to do it.”

Williamson said: “His record stayed up there for a long time. It was great to finally knock it down.”