Saint Ignatius Boys Dominate the Lakewood Sectional Championship Behind Record Swim From Banks
CLEVELAND — Saint Ignatius left no doubt in the boys competition at the 2026 Sectional Championship on Saturday at the Cleveland State University Buslast Saturday, February 14th.
The boys lineup was powered by standout performances from Jude Banks '26, who set a sectional mark in the 100-yard breaststroke and factored into multiple high-impact events. Banks stopped the clock in 54.90 in the breaststroke, establishing a new sectional record in Event 31 and adding a key individual win to the Wildcats’ scoring total. He also turned first place in the 200 individual medley at 1:58.19 as Saint Ignatius stacked points across the lineup along with first place win in the 50 Freestyle at 20.71 by Thor Johannessen '27.
Saint Ignatius also controlled the relays, using early and late wins to set the tone for the day. The Wildcats opened with a victory in the boys 200-yard medley relay, touching in 1:36.35. That unit, which included Jaimeson Hong '27, gave Saint Ignatius an immediate advantage in the team standings and signaled the depth of the Wildcats’ roster in both sprint and stroke events.
The Wildcats closed the meet in similar fashion with a dominant performance in the boys 400-yard freestyle relay. The quartet of Hong, along with teammates Kimak '28, Banks and Johannessen, surged to the wall in 3:09.24 to win Event 32 and cap Saint Ignatius’ team total. The closing relay victory served as an emphatic finish to a meet in which the Wildcats consistently placed multiple swimmers in scoring positions.
Johannessen and Hong played a central role in both championship relays, underscoring the strength of the Aquacats’ relay core. Their ability to combine top-end speed with depth across strokes and distances separated them from the rest of the boys field. Hong also achieved a first place win in the 100Y Backstroke.
Notable PBs (personal bests) were set by the younger Aquacats including Giovanni Pianca '28 (50Y and 100Y Freestyle), DJ Magee '28 (100Y Back), and Deandre Durr (100Y Fly), complemented by impressive debuts from freshmen Maximus Chung '30 (500Y Freestyle), Parker Gildea '30 (200Y IM and 500Y Freestyle), Athan Willis '30 (100Y Fly), and Ben Weber '30 (500Y Freestyle). This collective success led to 16 district qualifiers for the team overall.
With the top team score and a sectional record in hand, Saint Ignatius heads into the next stage of the postseason with momentum. The Aquacats’ combination of record-setting speed from Banks, reliable relay performances across the board, and broad scoring depth across events positions the program well as it turns its attention to district at BGSU which occurs on Saturday, February 21 and the upcoming state competition at the end of the month.
