Bob Jones, Grissom Win Swimming Titles

TUSCALOOSA - Bob Jones captured its fifth straight state AHSAA swimming championship here Saturday at the University of Alabama Aquatic Center while the Grissom girls team captured its first title since 1999.

In the diving competition, Laura Russell of McGill-Toolen was the girls winner with 423.05 points, followed by Jullian Braun of Auburn with a 373.45 final score. Robert Raley of Murphy was the boys winner with 396.80 points ahead of runner-up Matt Ramey of Hartselle with 364.60 points.

Bob Jones boys scored scoring 302.5 points ahead of runner-up Auburn with 250.50. Its 400 freestyle relay team won with a state-record time of 3:13.56. The team included George Wong, Russel Johnson, Phil Deaton and Scott von Jouanne.

Bob Jones now holds the state record in all three boys relay events.

Johnson was also on the runner-up 200 medley relay and took fourth in the 100 butterfly and fifth in the 100 backstroke.

The Grissom girls, doing well in the relays, won the championship with 193 points ahead of runner-up Auburn’s 164 total.

The Grissom 200 medley team of Krys Kittredge, Jasmine Sabio, Hannah Busk and Iman Newman took second; the 400 freestyle team of Sarah Henderson, Beth Anne Ashcraft, Busk and Newman was third; and the 200 freestyle team of Callie Smith, Rebecca Mai, Sabio and Ashcraft finished fourth.