Gilmer swimmers Law Lykins and Ryder Johnstone are state champions.
The Georgia Recreation and Park Association’s Class C state meet was held in Tifton last Thursday and Friday, and the Gilmer Swim Team returned from the final competition of the season with top-three medals across 12 events.
Lykins competed in the 15-18-age division and was the top swimmer in two events. He was more than a second faster than his closest competitor in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 25.55. He had plenty of room to spare in the 100-yard individual medley where he won by over 5 seconds at 1:01.89.
Johnstone knocked 2.44 seconds off his preliminary 100-yard backstroke time to come up big in the finals. He clocked in at 24.23 to win the 7-8-year-old championship by 23 hundredths of a second. He also nabbed fifth in the 25-yard freestyle (20.91).
Lykins was a runner-up in the 50-yard freestyle. His time of 23.64 was 25 hundredths of a second behind first place. He also joined up with Jacob Kucera, Elizabeth Kucera and Esther Bowman for third in the 200-yard mixed medley relay in 2:14.63.
The Kuceras, Bowman and Ty Cox also placed third in the 200-yard mixed freestyle relay with a time of 2:02.56. Jacob Kucera secured a trio of fourth-place finishes in the 50 free (24.57), 50 fly (27.15) and 100 individual medley (1:08.07).
Bowman nabbed a medal in the 50-yard breaststroke when she finished third in 43.25. She was also fifth in both the 100 free (1:14.38) and 50 free (32.42). Elizabeth Kucera took sixth in the 50 fly (42.93) and eighth in the 50 back (42.44).
Cox competed in the 50 back (40.75) and 100 free (1:06.97) and finished in fifth and sixth place, respectively.