It hasn’t been the swim postseason that we are all used to, but finally, it is state championship weekend for Green Level’s men’s and women’s swim teams. This Saturday, the Gators compete at NC State’s Casey Aquatic Center in the NCHSAA 8A State Championship Meet.
It’s been a long hiatus on racing for the Gators, who last competed at the Quad City 7 Conference Meet over three weeks ago. The recent inclement weather cancelled the NCHSAA’s regional meets, which was scheduled for late January, and moved back the state meet by a week.
It will be the first opportunity for the men’s team to compete, after they accomplished the feat of back-to-back conference championships, with their 2026 Quad City 7 conference title. The men have a trio of freshmen: Efe Cumhur, Benny Palamar, and Elliott Staponkus, who will be competing at their first state championship meet.
“It’s pretty exciting,” Staponkus, one of the Gators’ rising talents, said. “It’s gonna be good. I am excited to hang out with all my teammates and see how good we do and hopefully place.”
Being a freshman at the state championship meet is certainly not easy. These young guys are just a semester into their high school career, and they already have a chance to compete at high school swim’s biggest stage in North Carolina. That comes with nerves, however.
“I’m a little nervous, but I think I am gonna do good,” said Staponkus. “You can’t get into your head too much. I’ve been really talking with my coach and also my teammates to see what they’re doing to prepare.”
Make no mistake, though. The Gators men’s team is not short on experience. Upperclassman Justin Park, Joseph Park, Joseph Sun, and sophomore Kevin Liu, who is seeded third in the 200 yard individual medley, are also competing.
Junior Jonny Palamar is seeded fourth in the 100 yard butterfly, third in the 100 yard backstroke, and Palamar is racing the 200 yard medley relay and the second-seeded 400 yard freestyle relay.
“My goal is to place top 3 in everything and podium because that would be really cool, especially at state,” Palamar announced.
The Gators men’s team has been successful at state meets, including a fifth place finish in the 200 yard medley relay last year, and a podium finish by graduated Gator Leo O’Keefe in the 100 yard backstroke, an event that Palamar placed sixth in last year.
“This year, given that we didn’t have regionals, it’s hard to have an expectation to be honest. It is to just see what we can do. Get some podium finishes, and just see what happens,” said Palamar.
The women’s team is also looking to make some noise at the state meet after a third place finish in the Quad City 7 conference. The Gators have some top seeds on the women’s side, including sophomore Maddie Fox, who is the top seed to beat in the 500 yard freestyle.
On top of that, Junior Marissa Locklear is set for bronze in the 100 yard breaststroke, with a third place seed.
The Gators also have sophomore Poppy Fishburn, juniors Kaylin Ray and Payton McNutt, and seniors Alyssa Ekland and Tara Talwar competing.
Like the men, the Green Level’s women’s team is seeded in the top ten in the 200 yard medley relay and the 400 yard freestyle relay.
While it has been a far from ordinary season for the Gators swim teams, they are prepared and set-up to compete for some podium finishes at the state meet this Saturday. Like they say, it all comes down to the final meet. Make sure to stay tuned into the Gator’s Eye for results next week!
