On Feb. 22, the Archbishop Hoban Swim team sent five athletes to compete in the preliminary portion of the OHSAA State Meet. After a night of incredible swims, two Knights qualified for finals, which would take place the following day. Sophomore Rylee Jackson was a part of that group and was the only swimmer to qualify for A finals, which made her eligible to score points and place on the podium, comparable to a state championship game. At finals, Jackson finished third in both the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard freestyle, bringing home 2 bronze medals to The Castle.
Swimming a brain-melting time of 23.75 and 51.66 seconds in the 50 and 100 respectively earned her the All-American designation as well as another school record. Jackson is the first Hoban swimmer to receive this honor since Michael Heller in 2019. Throughout the season, Jackson continued to swim personal bests, breaking her own school records multiple times, as well as claiming additional places in other events on the record board.
All these immense accomplishments were not without hard work. During the postseason, Jackson’s key was holding her taper for the perfect amount of time. By optimizing the balance between resting and swimming fast to maintain endurance, she was able to perform her best at all three stages of the postseason.
Even amidst the pressure of big meets, Jackson did her best to stay calm. Her premeet rituals always begin the night before with a pasta dinner. Then the morning of, she has scrambled eggs, and puts on specific songs for both the drive and her walk into the pool. Once she is at the meet, she always wears a special pink suit for warm up, which matches the one I wear for every warm up. After all of that, it comes down to simply swimming each race as best as possible and allowing for all your practice to pay off.
“I honestly felt shocked. I did not expect it, but it really shows how hard work and determination can get you far,” remarked Jackson about her two third place finishes.
For the next two seasons, Jackson hopes to repeat or best her two third place finishes at state.
If you see Jackson around, make sure to congratulate her on her amazing season!
