Eagles Place Third at NW Districts, Punch Multiple Tickets to State Meet
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio — Powered by a record-setting relay and a series of clutch podium finishes, the Lakewood St. Edward Eagles men’s swimming and diving team turned in a breakthrough performance at the NW District Division I Championships on Feb. 21 at Bowling Green State University, placing third overall in the boys’ standings.
Competing against significant programs such as Cleveland St. Ignatius and Toledo St. Francis De Sales, the Eagles maximized their potent group of seven district qualifiers. Out of 13 individual and relay swims, St. Edward produced seven district podium finishes and advanced four athletes to the OHSAA Division I State Championships in Canton. The performance marks the program’s first state-meet appearance in six years and capped what coaches described as a long-term goal after narrowly missing state qualification in several events last season.
The highlight of the meet came in the final event, where the Eagles’ 400-yard freestyle relay not only secured a podium finish but also rewrote the program record book. The A-relay of senior Julian Wolke, senior KC LaRue, senior Sam Gibson and junior Luke Potts clocked 3:12.58, dropping more than five seconds from its sectional time and placing third at districts. The performance broke a school record (3:12.88) that had stood since 2018, when current head coach Bob Lenart anchored the previous mark alongside Kyle Gluck, Hayden Walter and Emilio Sese. The relay scored 32 points and enters the state meet as the No. 11 seed, giving the Eagles a legitimate shot at a state podium.
St. Edward’s sprint group also delivered in the 200-yard freestyle relay, which took second at districts and secured an automatic state berth. Potts, Gibson, LaRue and Wolke combined for a time of 1:27.17, carving more than a second off their sectional performance and adding 34 more points to the Eagles’ total. The 200 free relay is also seeded 11th for the state meet, positioning the group for another run at the podium in Canton. The 200 medley relay added critical early-meet momentum as well, as the quartet of senior backstroker Noah Stachnik, sophomore Benny Budiman, sophomore Samuel Belenki and Larue dropped 1.46 seconds to post a 1:44.47 and finish 10th, contributing 13 key points to the team score.
Individually, Gibson delivered one of the standout performances of the meet. The senior co-captain produced lifetime bests in both of his freestyle races, placing third in the 200-yard freestyle in 1:45.81 and second in the 100-yard freestyle in 47.43. The time drops — 2.17 seconds in the 200 free and 1.46 seconds in the 100 free earned him 33 individual points and an automatic state qualification in the 200 free and the 100 free as the No. 32 seed and No. 27 seed respectively. His swims, combined with his relay legs, anchored the Eagles’ surge up the standings.
Wolke added to the scoring load in two demanding individual events. The senior dropped 2.39 seconds in the 200-yard individual medley to finish sixth at 1:57.85, then returned in the 100-yard butterfly to claim eighth in 53.58, trimming another 0.13 seconds from his best. Those swims brought in 24 points and underscored his versatility before he closed the meet as the anchor of the 200 and lead off in the 400 freestyle relays. Potts, a junior sprinter, also came up big, racing to sixth in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.61 and adding an 11th-place finish in the 100-yard breaststroke at 1:01.73. His 19 individual points, and his anchor leg on the record-setting 400 free relay immediately after the 100 breast, highlighted both his speed and endurance.
LaRue’s contributions spanned the entire lineup, as the senior co-captain swam legs on all three scoring relays and added an individual point total in the 100 butterfly. He placed 15th in the fly in a personal-best 56.02, dropping 1.31 seconds from his previous mark, and was an integral presence on the deck and in the water as a relay stalwart. Sophomore sprinter Sam Belenki gained valuable championship experience with a 23.91 in the 50 free and a 57.34 in the 100 fly, while Budiman battled through illness to compete on the 200 medley relay despite being unable to contest his qualified 100 breaststroke. Stachnik, a senior, provided one of his top backstroke splits on the medley relay and was cited by coaches for his leadership and resilience after illness affected his individual events at sectionals.
With a third-place team finish at districts, four state qualifiers, four state qualified swims, seven podium placements and a school record in hand, the Eagles turn their attention to the OHSAA Division I State Championships at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. For a senior-heavy core that has spent the season targeting a return to the state stage, the upcoming meet offers one more opportunity to extend the program’s resurgence and add to a landmark postseason run for St. Edward swimming and diving.
