ThisWeek announces Super 12 for girls swimming & diving

ThisWeek’s Super 12 girls swimming and diving honorees include individual, relay and team state champions.

All the honorees are finalists to be named Captain – our girls swimming and diving Athlete of the Year.

Our top athletes in all 30 sports will be among the honors revealed during the Central Ohio High School Sports Awards, presented by Encova Insurance and in partnership with Nationwide Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine and Raising Cane’s. The event will be held June 15 at the Ohio Theatre. A registration link will be available soon.

To read bios for fall honorees, go to dispatch.com/sports/central-ohio-high-school-sports-awards.

Here is the Super 12 for girls swimming and diving:

Marie Belli

School: Gahanna Lincoln

Year: Junior

Also a Super 12 honoree as a freshman, Belli placed in four Division I state events.

She was district champion in the 100-yard breaststroke and district runner-up in the 200 individual medley and then placed third in the 200 IM (1:03.15) and seventh in the 100 breast (1:04.65) at state.

She also swam the backstroke on the Lions’ state-championship 200 medley relay (1:43.47) and competed on the 200 freestyle relay that placed eighth (1:36.52).

Emily Brown

School: Dublin Coffman

Year: Sophomore

In two seasons, Brown already is a four-time Division I state champion and two-time Super 12 honoree.

She defended her state titles in the 200 free (1:46.91) and 500 free (4:45.47) and also was part of the Shamrocks’ 200 medley relay that placed ninth (1:46.76).

At district, Brown won the 200 free and 500 free and helped the 200 medley relay finish fourth.

Riley Huddleston

School: Upper Arlington

Year: Senior

Huddleston, a four-time state qualifier and three-time Super 12 selection, finished third at state in the 100 free (50.9), placed fourth in the 200 free (1:49.85) and anchored the championship 200 free relay (1:32.61).

Huddleston, who also anchored the runner-up 400 free relay (3:24.5), was fourth at district in the 100 free (51.13) and 200 free (1:50.42). She and teammate Caroline Porterfield shared the 50 free state title as juniors.

Cameron Kuriger

School: Olentangy

Year: Senior

Kuriger, who also was on the Super 12 last year, battled a non-COVID illness in the second half of the season, but that didn’t stop her from another strong postseason. 

After winning the Division I state title in the 100 butterfly (54.14) in 2021, edging teammate Martina Peroni, Kuriger finished third in the event (54.29) this season and ninth in the 200 free (1:52.92).

She also swam on two state-placing relays: the 200 free (seventh, 1:36.43) and 400 free (ninth, 3:31.97).

Ava Lachey

School: New Albany

Year: Senior

Lachey capped a stellar prep career by anchoring the Division I state championship 400 free relay (3:23.86) – for the fourth year in a row – to secure the Eagles’ second consecutive team title.

A three-time Super 12 selection, Lachey also anchored the runner-up 200 free relay (1:32.73) and was second in the 100 free (50.43) and fifth in the 200 free (1:50.14). She was district runner-up in the 100 free (50.37) and third in the 200 free (1:49.22).

Olivia Matson

School: Dublin Jerome

Year: Freshman

Matson finished second in the 50 free (23.11) and sixth in the 100 free (51.27) as the Celtics placed fourth in the Division I state meet for their best finish in program history.

Matson also swam on the fourth-place 200 free relay (1:35.92) and sixth-place 400 free relay (3:29.83). She was second in the 50 free (23.0) and third in the 100 free (50.76) at district, and she won the 50 free (24.47) in the OCC-Cardinal Division meet.

Carly Meeting

School: New Albany

Year: Junior

Meeting was part of three championships at the state meet, winning the 50 free (22.75) and 100 backstroke (53.31) and leading off the first-place 400 free relay (3:23.86). That relay’s victory ensured the team’s repeat as champions with 247 points, 29 ahead of runner-up Upper Arlington.

The repeat Super 12 honoree also was on the second-place 200 free relay at state after sweeping her individual events at district, including a repeat as 100 back champion (53.2).

Olivia Oyster

School: Watterson

Year: Senior

Among the area’s top sprinters since her sophomore season, Oyster placed third in the 50 free (23.21) and ninth in the 100 free (51.35) in the Division I state meet.

Oyster, who was fourth in the 50 free and seventh in the 100 free as a sophomore and sixth in the 50 free as a junior, also swam the free portion of the Eagles’ 22nd-place 200 medley relay at state and was CCL champion in the 50 free and 200 free.

Martina Peroni

School: Olentangy

Year: Senior

Peroni’s collection of Division I state titles and records grew this season. After setting the state-meet record of 1:57.77 in the 200 IM in 2021, she did the same thing this year in the 100 fly (52.96) and won her second consecutive title in the 200 IM (1:58.04).

Peroni, who also made the Super 12 last season, finished second (54.19) behind teammate Kuriger (54.14) in the 100 fly last season, second in the 200 IM (2:01.63) in 2020 and fifth in the event (2:04.08) as a freshman.

Caroline Porterfield

School: Upper Arlington

Year: Senior

Porterfield was part of four top-five finishes at state, where UA finished second to New Albany.

The two-time Super 12 honoree finished fourth in the 50 free (23.27) and fifth in the 100 free (51.05) and led off both the first-place 200 free relay (1:32.61) and second-place 400 free relay (3:24.5). The previous week at district, she won the 100 free, placed third in the 50 free and was on the winning 400 free relay and runner-up 200 free relay.

Emma Skinner

School: New Albany

Year: Senior

Skinner led off the Eagles’ pursuit of their second consecutive Division I state team championship by finishing third in diving (469.65).

Skinner, who also finished 17th at state last year and 13th as a sophomore, won her first district championship this season (500.7). She was second for most of the state competition before finishing in third by 11.1 points and was the top placer from the area.

Kiah Smith

School: Westerville Central

Year: Senior

A repeat Super 12 selection, Smith finished fourth in the 100 fly (55.17) and fifth in the 50 free (23.36) in the Division I state meet after placing second in the 100 fly (55.05) and fourth in the 50 free (23.33) at district.

In the OCC-Ohio meet, Smith won the 100 back (59.61) and was second in the 200 IM (2:12.61).

[email protected]

@ThisWeekSports