ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Rocky River Boys Swimming & Diving has qualified into eight event slots at the Feb. 20-24 DII Buckeye State championship meet; the River girls team has qualified into five slots in the DI meet.
The River boys competed Wednesday and Friday at the
DII Northeast District Qualifier held at Cleveland State University. The Pirates got off to a swashbuckling start to their week when Toby Rastatter, Matthew Swislocki, and Connor Thomas placed third, 11th, and 12th, respectively, in the 1-meter diving competition on Wednesday. That trio is now Canton-bound: the 2024 OHSAA Swimming & Diving State Championships will be held at the C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Joining that diving contingent for the boys will be River's 200-yard medley relay quartet, Luke Nolan in the 200 IM, Maceo Tabora in the 50 freestyle, the 200 free relay, and 400 free relay. At CSU, the Buccaneer boys were eighth among 33 teams registering points in the season's penultimate meet. Rocky River netted 108 points.
On the girls' side, River is sending Taylor Devorace and Carolyn Wanosik to the state 200 IM. Wanosik also qualified in the 100-yard breaststroke. The Pirates also have a pair of relays (200 free, 400 free) headed for Buckeye State title waters. The group of athletes qualified out of the
DI Northwest District Championships, which were held at Bowling Green State University (swimming on Saturday).
For the girls, Devorace and Wanosik, and for the boys, Rastetter are returnees to the state's preeminent high school meet. For a second straight year, Devorace advanced to the state meet with a district win in the 200 IM. On Saturday, she touched in with a time of 2:07.03, more than 2 seconds ahead of the runner-up. Her statewide 10-seed marks the Pirates girls' best seed heading to Canton. Rastetter is seeded fifth in the 1-meter; he has the boys' top mark heading in to next week.
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state qualifiers]
The River girls took third in the district meet, logging 150 points.
by Skip Snow