Ladue Horton Watkins High School

The Ladue Rams Boys Swimming & Diving Team took the short drive up Warson Road on Thursday, September 18th for the annual “War on Warson” non-conference tri-meet against the host MICDS Rams and the CBC Cadets. Given the solid competition, and despite having to restrict a key swimmer to relays only, the Rams performed well and battled the hosts in a back- and-forth meet. After six events, the Rams held an 8-point lead. MICDS came back with a 1-3 finish in both the 100 free and the 200 free relay to take a 2-point lead after nine events. With only three events remaining, the Rams dug in and won two events, including the crucial 400 free relay by 1.55 seconds, to score 124 points and win the meet, just ahead of MICDS with 117 and CBC with 88. Had MICDS won that relay, they would have won the meet 121-120. It came down to the wire – and the Rams stood tall! The outcome takes the Rams to 2-0-0 (first-second-third) in tri-meets while still holding a Red Conference-best 2-0 record. The Rams relied on their strong team depth at the meet, grabbing a whopping 72 depth points. The Rams had three individual event wins - double event-winner SO Dravya Pradhan (200 IM, 500 free) and JR Kevin Wu (100 back), good for 21 points. Notably, the Rams won two of the three relays as well, a huge factor in winning the meet, scoring 28 points. The numerous individual Rams who scored in 2nd-6th places using tri-meet scoring included JR Eliot Levine (3rd 200 free, 4th 100 fly), SO Alvin He (5th 200 free, 5th 100 free), FR Kelson Cui (3rd 200 IM, 2nd 100 breast), SR co-captain Arlo Ziolkowski (3rd 50 free, 2nd 100 free), JR Luther Ciorba (3rd 1M diving), JR Brighton Westermayer (4th 1M diving), SO Jinghuan Xu (5th 100 fly, 5th 100 breast), SO Max Bending (4th 500 free), and SR Sam Etherington (4th 100 back). As mentioned, two of the three Rams A relays won their event – the 200 medley of Wu, Cui, Pradhan, and Ziolkowski, and the 400 free of Ziolkowski, Pradhan, JR Kevin He and Wu. The Rams A 200 free relay of Levine, Kevin He, FR Ray Blum and Bending took 2nd. The B relays contributed as well, taking a 4th and two 5th places, with the 200 medley of Etherington, Xu, Blum and Bending, the 200 free of Alvin He, FR Reed Sehy, SR Oscar Yanuck and SR Carson Crane, and the 400 free of Levine, Bending, Alvin He and Cui. Well done by the Rams relays! Two State cuts were established or lowered at the meet – Pradhan in the 500 free (5:13.84) and Cui in the 100 breast (1:04.38). The Rams now have six individuals with twelve total cuts, and all three relays qualified on the State list, and those individuals are moving up consistently! The Rams host a key conference dual meet with the class 2 Lindbergh Flyers on Tuesday the 22nd, then turn around and travel to Lindbergh on Saturday the 26th for the big Splash for Cancer Invitational, the second of three large local meets this season for the Rams. See the Ladue Activities website for details. GO RAMS!