Sports
Westlake's Craven Wins State Swim Crown
Senior wins 100 butterfly; first Demon state champ since 1992.
Westlake High School welcomes home its first swimming state champion since 1992 with senior Joe Craven winning the 100-yard butterfly at the 84th annual Ohio High School Athletic Association swimming and diving championships on Saturday at Canton's C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Craven, who was fighting a slight illness coming into Saturday's championship final, won with a personal best time of 49.74 seconds to hold off runner up Ian Wooley of team champion Cincinnati St.Xavier, who had a 50.69.
The Demon senior had entered the finals after recording the top time in the prelims on Friday with a 50.37.
"This was the event I was focused on," said Craven, who also swam at the state meet in the 100 back. He joins Lisa Schuette as a Westlake High state champion, who won the 200 free for the Demons back in 1992.
Since that time, a trio of Westlake girls have finished second including Schuette. That list includes Amy Paganie, who was second in diving in 1991; Schuette, who took second in the 500 the same year she won the 200 free; and Katie Wise, who was second in the 100 fly back in 1999.
"Joe has come a long way since he was an eighth grader," said Westlake coach Jessica Dye. "No one is more deserving than Joe."
Dye also had senior Megan Spalin in the girls 100 fly, the girls 400 free relay, and divers Nate Renkel and Sammie Sposet advance to the Canton meet.
Craven, who clearly enjoyed the moment, had to settle for the consolation finals of the 100 back after placing ninth with a 52.67 in the Friday prelims. In the Saturday consolation finals, Craven was 12th with a 53.07.
Splain finished 20th in the 100 fly with a 59.20 while the Demon 400 free relay - using junior Lauren Choban, sophomore Nora Lee and seniors Heather Smith and Splain - wound up 23rd in 3:43.66.
In diving, Renkel missed the first cut, scoring 171 points with Michael Kreft of Solon repeating as state champion with 506.25 points while Sposet reached the girls semifinals, placing 18th with 272.20 where Haleigh Bartlett of Cuyahoga Falls won with 482.55 points.