City High’s Grace Hoeper declares herself the fastest Iowa high school swim sprinter

MARSHALLTOWN — Grace Hoeper wasn’t exactly brimming with confidence as she climbed upon the starting block Saturday afternoon.

You could say she didn’t have High Hoeps.

“I was a little pessimistic,” she said. “But my coaches and friends told me I could do it if I had the right mindset, and I was like, ‘OK.’”

A sophomore from Solon High School — competing for Iowa City High — Hoeper earned the 50-yard freestyle title at the girls’ state swimming and diving championships at the Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA.

Hoeper shot to the lead quickly, led at the midpoint and finished in 23.34 seconds, building a winning margin of more than a half-second.

“I’m just happy,” she said. “The first 25, I was like, ‘Oh gosh,’ but I had a good turn, and I knew I just had to finish hard.”

Hoeper is one of a half-dozen Solon athletes that compete for the Little Hawks, so she doesn’t feel out of place.

“It’s good,” she said. “I have really supportive teammates and coaches.”

Waukee repeated as the team champion, in convincing fashion. The Warriors won six of 12 events (including all three relays), and scored a meet-record 402 points.

West Des Moines Dowling was the runner-up with 267.5, followed by Johnston (184). Iowa City West was the top area team, finishing sixth with 122.5 points. Cedar Rapids Kennedy was ninth, Linn-Mar 10th.

Johnston’s Olivia Swalley earned athlete-of-the-year honors. The senior became the state’s first girl to break 2 minutes in the individual medley, swimming 1:58.59, and also won the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:01.50, which ranks No. 2 all-time.

As the schedule would have it, Hoeper’s two individual events were back to back. But a 20-minute break after the 50 free allowed her to recharge, then she added a third-place finish in the 100 butterfly.

Waukee’s Mallory Kell won in 55.71 seconds; Hoeper was clocked in 56.21.

Iowa City West senior Jade Roghair earned a pair of runner-up finishes in the freestyle distance races.

In the 200, her effort of 1:50.96 placed her behind Waukee’s Nora Kemp (1:48.73). In the 500, Roghair led for the first half of the race before Johnston’s Faith Frantum pulled ahead and won in 4:56.25. Roghair finished in 4:48.61.

“It was exciting to race (Frantum),” Roghair said. “She really builds her speed in the 500. I was pretty close to hitting the times I wanted.”

Linn-Mar’s Hayley Kimmel was denied an elusive first state title. She was second in the 100 free (51.24, behind Nora Kemp of Waukee at 51.08), third in the 100 backstroke (57.25).

“Obviously, it’s not what I wanted,” said Kimmel, a perennial high finisher in multiple events. “My times were amazing; it all came together.

“I did everything in my power, but I always have that expectation to win. I have to be proud of my times.”

Kennedy’s Maria Trotta was third in the 50 free (24.58). Iowa City West was fourth in both freestyle relays. Linn-Mar was fifth in the 400 free relay. West’s Kolby Reese swam to a pair of sixth-place finishes.

In Friday night’s diving competition, Natalie Freeman of Cedar Rapids Jefferson was fourth with 494.00 points; Lacey Neighbor of Cedar Rapids Kennedy (460.40) was sixth.

2022 Iowa girls’ state swimming & diving championships

AT MARSHALLTOWN

Teams — 1. Waukee 402, 2. West Des Moines Dowling 267.5, 3. Johnston 184, 4. Ames 156, 5. Davenport Central 123, 6. Iowa City West 122.5, 7. (tie) Ankeny and Cedar Falls 108, 9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 101, 10. Linn-Mar 94.

Also: 17. Iowa City High 36, 26. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 15, T-28. Cedar Rapids Washington 9, T-30. Decorah 6.

Diving — 1. Trista Thompson (Grinnell), 538.30; 2. Abby Tollefson (Marshalltown), 504.00; 3. Avery Hogan (Waterloo West), 498.50; 4. Natalie Freeman (Cedar Rapids Jefferson), 494.00; 5. Berit Kallemeier (West Des Moines Dowling), 481.95; 6. Lacey Neighbor (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 460.40; 7. Camryn Russell (Grinnell), 457.40; 8. Sasha Gisi (West Des Moines Dowling), 441.45.

200 medley relay — 1. Waukee (Rafferty, Hage, Kell, Bailey), 1:42.89; 2. Johnston, 1:45.07; 3. Davenport Central, 1:46.21; 4. West Des Moines Dowling, 1:47.29; 5. Ames, 1:47.60; 6. Ankeny, 1:48.22; 7. Linn-Mar, 1:48.27; 8. Mason City, 1:49.81.

200 freestyle — 1. Nora Kemp (Waukee), 1:48.73; 2. Jade Roghair (Iowa City West), 1:50.96; 3. Faith Frantum (Johnston), 1:52.71; 4. Olivia Frantum (Johnston), 1:52.73; 5. Kylee Brown (Lewis Central), 1:54.58; 6. (tie) Kolby Reese (Iowa City West) and Taylor Judas (Waukee), 1:54.80; 8. Riley Snakenberg (Ames), 1:55.17.

200 IM — 1. Olivia Swalley (Johnston), 1:58.59 (all-time Iowa best); 2. Mallory Kell (Waukee), 2:04.20; 3. Annie Honkamp (West Des Moines Dowling), 2:04.68; 4. (tie) Julia Sweetman (West Des Moines Dowling) and Willa Hage (Waukee), 2:05.25; 6. Anja Peck (Ankeny), 2:07.56; 7. Dylan Hogenson (Waukee), 2:02.90; 8. Andra Robertson (Ames), 2:11.60.

50 freestyle — 1. Grace Hoeper (Iowa City High), 23.34; 2. Payden Rafferty (Waukee), 23.92; 3. Maria Trotta (Cedar Rapids Kennedy), 24.58; 4. Hayden Bailey (Waukee), 24.75; 5. Anna Gute (Boone), 24.77; 6. Athieno Wandera (Waukee), 24.99; 7. Sophia Mason (Cedar Falls), 25.15; 8. Hailey Vogel (Fort Dodge), 25.18.

100 butterfly — 1. Mallory Kell (Waukee), 55.71; 2. Hannah Cousins (Davenport Central), 55.84; 3. Grace Hoeper (Iowa City High), 56.21; 4. Hayden Bailey (Waukee), 57.37; 5. Julia Sweetman (West Des Moines Dowling), 57.79; 6. Dawsyn Green (Pleasant Valley), 58.66; 7. Mary Flikkema (Cedar Falls), 58.74; 8. Addison Oelke (Sioux City West), 59.24.

100 freestyle — 1. Nora Kemp (Waukee), 51.08; 2. Hayley Kimmel (Linn-Mar), 51.24; 3. Taytem Lehmann (Cedar Falls), 53.15; 4. Eileen Fierke (Fort Dodge), 53.26; 5. Anna Huss (West Des Moines Dowling), 53.74; 6. Brynnly Woolums (Southeast Polk), 53.76; 7. Evan Schwickerath (Waukee), 54.24; 8. Athieno Wandera (Waukee), 55.20.

500 freestyle — 1. Faith Frantum (Johnston), 4:56.25; 2. Jade Roghair (Iowa City West), 4:58.61; 3. Olivia Frantum (Johnston), 5:01.95; 4. Zoe Davey (Waukee), 5:03.98; 5. Riley Snakenberg (Ames), 5:04.85; 6. Taylor Judas (Waukee), 5:05.84; 7. Kolby Reese (Iowa City West), 5:06.20; 8. Allison He (West Des Moines Valley), 5:09.98.

200 freestyle relay — 1. Waukee (Kemp, Hage, Judas, Wandera), 1:36.69; 2. Davenport Central, 1:38.14; 3. West Des Moines Dowling, 1:38.21; 4. Iowa City West, 1:38.95; 5. Cedar Rapids Kennedy, 1:39.15; 6. Ankeny, 1:39.31; 7. Cedar Falls, 1:39.62; 8. Ames, 1:39.81.

100 backstroke — 1. Hannah Cousins (Davenport Central), 54.98; 2. Payden Rafferty (Waukee), 55.74; 3. Hayley Kimmel (Linn-Mar), 57.25; 4. Abby Wilcox (West Des Moines Dowling), 57.71; 5. Avery Schmidt (Dubuque Wahlert), 57.79; 6. Rachel Rolow (Ankeny), 58.59; 7. Evan Schwickerath (Waukee), 59.06; 8. Sutton Paulsen (Cedar Falls), 59.97.

100 breaststroke — 1. Olivia Swalley (Johnston), 1:01.50; 2. Willa Hage (Waukee), 1:03.72; 3. Isabel Heller (Davenport Central), 1:04.31; 4. Emma Foth (West Des Moines Dowling), 1:04.94; 5. Annie Honkamp (West Des Moines Dowling), 1:05.09; 6. Eileen Fierke (Fort Dodge), 1:05.58; 7. Anja Peck (Ankeny), 1:05.63; 8. Emma Myers (Carroll), 1:05.85.

400 freestyle relay — 1. Waukee (Kemp, Kell, Judas, Rafferty), 3:27.66; 2. Johnston, 3:29.92; 3. West Des Moines Dowling, 3:33.07; 4. Iowa City West, 3:35.10; 5. Linn-Mar, 3:37.25; 6. Sioux City West, 3:38.37; 7. Ames, 3:39.08; 8. West Des Moines Valley, 3:39.12.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com