By: Griffin Callaghan | [email protected] | March 11, 2024
Fourteen different River Ridge girls swimmers scored points at the Cherokee County championship meet, and it was that depth which propelled the Knights throughout the 2023-24 season.
River Ridge finished first at the county meet and 11th at the Class AAAAAA state competition, earning coach Tracye Bulger the county’s Coach of the Year title.
“Entering the swim season, I was fortunate to have a strong program established by Coach Goodbread during her tenure,” Bulger said. “With the addition of some very strong freshman swimmers, I knew we would be very competitive. As always, much of our success comes from our depth.”
That depth comes from swimmers like Swimmer of the Year Addison Hodgins, Macie Portis, Ava Hoynowski, Maja Brooker, Savannah Ross, Jersey Saylor and others who contributed to River Ridge’s success.
A coaching staff, which included Jeff Portis and Caroline Rubio also played a vital role.
“We all had high expectations for this team,” Bulger said. “We knew we had a great deal of talent, and their success would really rely on them staying healthy and peaking at the right times. These girls were highly competitive and incredibly dedicated to our team and our goals.”
River Ridge’s 200-yard freestyle relay team set a school record at the county invitational with a time of 1:44.81. The unit consisted of Laura Butler, Saylor, Ross and Maja Brooker.
Other pivotal races toward the county title came from Portis, who secured a come-from-behind win in the 100-yard butterfly, and Hoynowski, who notched a first-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke.
Ross also picked up her first state qualifying time in the 100-yard breaststroke, which Bulger said was among her favorite moments this season.
“I had many memorable moments from this season, but I think the strong performances by our girls at the county Invitational were at the top,” Bulger said.
At the state championship meet, Hodgins (31 points), Hoynowski (25 points) and Saylor (18 points) led the River Ridge girls. Hodgins took seventh in the 100-yard freestyle and Hoynowski finished sixth in the 100-yard backstroke. The duo teamed up with Maja Brooker and Macie Portis for an eighth-place finish in the 200-yard medley relay.
River Ridge, with 142 points, was one of four Cherokee County teams to crack the state’s top 15. Woodstock led the county with a ninth-place finish and 148 points, followed by the Knights in 11th, Sequoyah in 14th (95 points) Etowah in 15th (87 points).
