RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Rexas –
After winning their third consecutive district title, the Randolph High School Ro-Hawks swim team is aiming for a strong showing at the regional meet next week while hoping to send a swimmer to the state meet for a second year.
The Ro-Hawk boys swimmers won the District 28-4A championship Jan. 26 at Palo Alto College Natatorium in San Antonio. The Ro-Hawks had six first-place and four second-place finishes for 150 points, beating out second place Cibolo Steele, who had 102.
While Randolph competes in Class 2A in other sports, the Ro-Hawks' swimming team competes against 4A and 3A teams in their district.
"Winning district for the third year now is a big deal for us because we compete against 4A schools like Steele and Schertz Clemens," Randolph coach Kathleen Hoffer said. "We won district because we have impressive, hard-working and dedicated swimmers."
All nine of the Ro-Hawk boys swimmers will compete in the regional meet Feb. 8-9, which will be held at Palo Alto College Natatorium.
Randolph is led by junior Cole Gindhart, who earned four medals at the district meet. Gindhart won the 200-yard individual medley and placed second in the 100-yard backstroke and was on two winning relay teams, the 200-yard medley and the 400-yard freestyle.
For his performance at the district meet, coaches awarded Gindhart with the District 28-4A male swimmer of the year award.
Gindhart is one of the best sub-Class 5A swimmers in the San Antonio area; he is ranked No. 1 in both the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard backstroke. Last year, Gindhart competed at the state meet in 500-yard freestyle, an event he won in regionals.
Since Randolph started fielding a swimming team in the 1990s, Gindhart is the third Ro-Hawk to make it to state.
Gindhart said he will need to better his performance at this year's regional meet if he is to make a return trip to state, which will be Feb. 22-23 in Austin.
First-place finishers in each event at the regional meet advance to state. With eight regions in the state, there will be eight first-place winners plus the next eight fastest times from around the state in each event.
"In my race, the 200-yard individual medley, I have a good chance of going to state," Gindhart said. "The competition has improved from last year, but my times are two seconds faster than before."
John Rippetoe will compete in his first regional meet after earning two gold medals, one silver and one bronze medal at the district meet. Rippetoe was a member of both the first-place 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams and placed second in the 100-yard freestyle and third in the 100-yard backstroke.
Rippetoe has simple goals for what he wants to accomplish at the regional meet.
"I want to do my best, improve my times and go out there and compete against some of the more experienced swimmers in the area; it will be exciting to swim against them," he said.
Other Ro-Hawks who turned out strong performances at the district meet were Austin Gindhart, Cole's older brother, Stephen Turner, Evan Turner, Ian McNamara, Tyler Rubio and David Grieder.
Austin Gindhart won the 50-yard freestyle, placed third in the 100-yard freestyle and was a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay. Along with Grieder, Rubio and McNamara, he also was a member of the 200-yard freestyle relay that finished second.
Stephen Turner placed first in the 500-yard freestyle and was a member of the winning 400-yard freestyle and 200-yard medley relay teams. In addition, he finished sixth in the 100-yard backstroke.
McNamara won the 200-yard freestyle and took second in the 50-yard freestyle.
Rubio placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke and fourth in the 100-yard freestyle, and he was part of the first-place 200-yard medley relay and the second-place 200-yard freestyle relay.
Grieder finished fourth in both the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard breaststroke. Evan Turner placed fifth in the 50-yard freestyle and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle.
Luke Nickell, a member of the swimming team, will not compete because of a broken arm, but will go to the regional meet as the team manager.