Seahorses splash into state championship
Owen swim team gets it done in NCHSAA 1A/2A Western Regionals
Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
February 6, 2022
Owen junior Stephen Henson will compete in the 200 meter individual medley and 100 meter butterfly at the NCHSAA 1A/2A State Championship, Feb. 12. Henson posted personal bests in both events in the Western Regional meet. Photo by Fred McCormick
Hundreds of swimmers representing dozens of programs entered the pool, Feb. 4, at the Mecklenburg County Aquatic Center. When they emerged from the water of the 1A/2A Western Regionals, the boys and girls swimming teams from Owen High School had earned a trip to the 2022 NCHSAA 1A/2A State Championship.
The Seahorses will travel to Cary, Saturday, Feb. 12, when they will compete against the top swimmers in N.C.
Owen finished the season atop the Western Highlands Conference, securing a trip to the Western Regionals, where the girls placed 8th out of 30 teams. The boys took 12th, propelling the Seahorses to a combined 9th place finish.
“I have so much admiration for this group of kids,” said second-year Seahorse head coach Beth Dalton Rathbone. “They were able to go out and prove to themselves that they are worthy, and they are capable. I’ve seen these kids at meets for years, and all that work we’ve put in is starting to just come naturally to them.”
Rathbone is the head coach of the Black Mountain Stingrays, a youth swim league she revived in 2014. Most of the 12 swimmers on the current Owen roster have been members of the youth program for years.
“These kids are on cloud nine, because it’s been quite a long time since both teams have qualified for state,” she said. “I’m hoping that energy carries over to next weekend.”
The Seahorses, an adapted aquatic version of the school’s ‘Warhorse’ mascot, were buoyed by a silver medal performance in the 100 yard breaststroke from Chloe Little. The senior improved her personal best in the event by 5.5 seconds, finishing with a time of 1:12.49.
The Owen Seahorses girls relay team will compete in three events in the NCHSAA 1A/2A State Championship, Feb. 12. The team includes, from left to right: Isabella White, Elsa Quam, Chloe Little and Olivia Hale. Photo courtesy of Amanda and Danny Little
“I was surprised,” said Little, who will compete in four events in the state championship, including three relays and the 100 yard breaststroke. “After the shock hit me, my first thought was how much my parents and teammates have supported me. Their confidence in me really helped me get that time.”
Little, who began swimming with Stingrays as a child, set a personal goal to reach the state championship this year.
“I’ve been training for this race for the past few months,” she said. “I had confidence in myself going in, and I knew I had the ability to do well. So believing in myself really helped get me to my goal.”
Little’s teammate, sophomore Elsa Quam, will also be competing in the 100 yard breaststroke in the state meet, following a 10th place finish (1:19.02) in the regional competition, in which she improved her best time by 4.1 seconds.
“In the swimming world, hundredths of seconds are a big deal, so when you drop that kind of time, especially in that kind of setting, it’s huge,” Rathbone said. “Shortly after that 100 yard breaststroke, Elsa and Chloe were on the 400 meter freestyle relay team. Those girls dropped around 18 seconds.”
Little and Quam will join Olivia Hale and Isabella White on the 400 meter freestyle, 200 meter freestyle and 200 meter medley relay teams in the state championship.
Members of the boys team will compete in four events in the Triangle Aquatic Center next weekend, including the 200 meter medley and 400 meter freestyle relay. Junior Stephen Henson, who led the Seahorses with 18 points in the regional competition, will compete in the 200 meter individual medley and 100 meter butterfly. He posted personal bests in both of those events in the regional meet.
“This is the first time going to state for all of us,” Henson said. “We’re all really excited about it, and looking forward to sharing this experience together.”
Henson, who Rathbone points to as a leader on the Owen swim team, was confident in his team going into Regionals.
“I felt like we had a good chance,” he said. “I think we were all ready to go out there and give it our best effort.”
While the size of the Seahorse roster is small, according to Rathbone, the work ethic of the swimmers is unmatched.
“With the Stingrays, we have the most swimmers in our league by a lot,” she said. “At Owen, it’s kind of the opposite, and we show up to face teams with twice as many swimmers. But, I always tell my athletes that dynamite comes in small packages. People want to be part of something great, and these kids are working hard to build something great here.”
That effort has extended to the parents of her swimmers, too, the coach added.
“Everyone involved in swimming knows if I only had one person on my team, I would still need 20-25 people to help host a meet,” Rathbone said. “These parents not only bring their kids to practice every night, but many of them have also been certified as officials, operate the computer or function as official timers. We wouldn’t be able to do anything without these parents.”