Saint Ignatius Wins National Catholic Swimming Championship, Record breaking Relay Wins, Event Titles
BALTIMORE — Cleveland St. Ignatius captured the boys team title at the National High School Catholic Swimming Championships at Loyola University Maryland on Jan. 17-18, piling up 277.5 points to finish more than 20 points clear of runner-up Georgetown Prep (254.5). The Wildcats combined depth, relay strength and multiple individual victories to secure the overall championship against a deep field from across the East and Midwest.
Relays set the tone for St. Ignatius. The Wildcats opened with a statement swim in the 200-yard medley relay, winning in 1:30.72 with the quartet of Ian Kimak (backstroke), Jude Banks (breaststroke), Jaimeson Hong (butterfly) and Chris Saxon (freestyle). The time came within 0.01 seconds of the meet record that St. Ignatius set last year, underscoring the program’s consistency at the top of the event. Later, the Wildcats delivered the meet’s signature sprint performance in the 200-yard freestyle relay, winning the A-final in 1:23.96 with Saxon, Banks, Aiden Malke and Thor Johannessen. That swim established a new National Catholic meet record, replacing the previous mark that had stood since 2022.
Individually, Banks led the way for St. Ignatius with a dominant performance in the 100-yard breaststroke. He won the A-final in 53.57, a time recognized in the championship results as a meet-mark swim and highlighted with a “$” designation. Banks also added valuable points in the 200 individual medley, placing 3rd on the podium in 1:54.23 ahead of Jaimeson Hong (4th place with 1:54.97) further bolstering the Wildcats’ team total.
Hong and Johannessen joined Banks at the top of the podium for the Wildcats. Hong claimed first place in the 100-yard backstroke in 49.09, a personal-best swim that strengthened St. Ignatius’ edge in the backstroke events. Johannessen sprinted to the title in the 50-yard freestyle, stopping the clock in 20.37 to win one of the meet’s most competitive races. Along with Saxon, Malke, Kimak and James Yan, those finalists formed the core scoring group that pushed St. Ignatius past Georgetown Prep and the rest of the field.
In all, 17 St. Ignatius swimmers qualified for the National Catholic Championships, and most recorded season- or lifetime-best times over the two-day meet. Seven Wildcats advanced to individual finals — Banks, Hong, Johannessen, Kimak, Malke, Saxon and Yan — and their collective scoring in championship and consolation heats proved decisive. That depth allowed St. Ignatius to offset standout performances from other programs.
The relay record, combined with three individual event titles from Banks, Hong and Johannessen, highlighted a balanced team effort that extended beyond the top of the podium. St. Ignatius’ ability to place swimmers in finals and capitalize on nearly across-the-board time drops gave the Wildcats enough separation in the standings to hold off Georgetown Prep’s late push. With another championship secured and a meet record in hand, St. Ignatius leaves Baltimore with momentum and a reinforced reputation as one of the premier Catholic high school swim programs in the country.
Coming off its national championship performance in Baltimore, St. Ignatius now shifts its focus to the Ohio High School postseason next month. The Wildcats will look to build on that momentum as they take on the state’s top programs, striving to finish at the top when it matters most.
Article Written by Kyoko Hong
