The NCHSAA 4A State Championship was held at the Triangle Aquatic Center on Feb. 6th. The swimmers arrived at 7 AM to warm up for the prelim session of the meet. Like other meets in their year-round swimming careers, the athletes swim in the morning, and those who qualify return in the evening to swim for the gold. In the early hours of the morning, strong prelims swims promised a highly competitive atmosphere later in the day.  

For finals, families from all over the state packed the stands. As the fastest heat for each event walked from the ready room to behind the blocks, the lights dimmed, music played, and giant sparklers went ablaze. Though the atmosphere was electric and swimmers were ready to race for their teams, Mere Whelehan notes how the swimmers worked to uplift one another. “The sportsmanship and camaraderie at these higher level meets is always great to be around because it makes the stressful parts of a competition like States a little less scary,” she says. “All of the girls there are obviously great athletes and want to win, but also understand the nerves and pressure that comes along with racing, and recognize that being negative or rude to someone they are racing won’t do either of them good. There are always a bunch of high fives and ‘good jobs’ going around, which makes the atmosphere a lot more light-hearted.” Jeltema agrees, stating “It was really encouraging to cheer for your teammates and to be cheered on as well. Our team’s energy played a huge role in helping us swim faster”

The team’s camaraderie showed through as the Falcons got several top-five finishes. Starting strong, the team had excellent races in the 200-yard freestyle, with Sloane Whelehan taking first and Mere Whelehan taking third. Sloane Whelehan placed first in the 50-yard freestyle and Mere Whelehan got first in the 100-yard freestyle for the fourth year in a row. Sloane’s time of 22.93 was an NCHSAA 4A record. Dietrich placed fourth in the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay featuring the Whelehans, Jeltema, and Lu put up a great race to secure first.

“The 200-yard freestyle relay was probably my favorite race from states because we weren’t expected to win and ended up getting first by a second.” Mere Whelehan says, “It was super exciting cheering on the rest of my relay team, and I’ll never forget that race.” She also comments on the success of her teammates, “I thought my sister Sloane’s 200 and 50 freestyle was really impressive because she won both as a sophomore. Kaylee Dietrich and Nola Meekins also had amazing 500 freestyles at states and both placed in the top 8 as underclassmen which was really fun to watch too.”

Soon after, Jeltema scored points for the team with a strong 100-yard breaststroke that placed fourth. Though they were seeded to be down 72 points to the first-place team Myers Park, the score was extremely close as Jeltema, Meekins, and the Whelehans battled out the 400-yard freestyle relay. The energy was high as Sloane Whelehan anchored the race with an impressive 48.55 split, and the relay team placed second. This final swim pushed the women’s team to 254.5 points— securing an overall second-place win for them at the NCHSAA 4A State Championships. Sloane Whelehan won the 4A State Championship Most Outstanding Swimmer award for being the highest point scorer of the meet. Nola Meekins took home the 4A State Championship Most Outstanding Sportsmanship award.

With Mia Jeltema and Mere Whelehan moving on to swimming for NCAA Division I teams next year, they reminisced on this last meet. “It was more bittersweet than I thought it would be, and it didn’t really hit me it was my last high school States until we had finished our last relay.” Whelehan commented. “I couldn’t be more proud of our team this year and getting second in the state by only 5 points. I’m definitely going to miss being on the same team as my sister, Sloane, because she made it really fun and always helped me feel less anxious before competing.” Jeltema adds, “I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to be a captain, and I will miss being on the same team with all of these amazing people this season.”

Overall, these athletes showcased excellent times due to the sheer amount of work they put in day in and day out. At State finals, Green Hope’s eight swimmers consistently earned national-level times categorized as “AAAA” which only the top 2% of swimmers in their age groups achieve. Their dedication in the pool sets them up for success on this stage as they enjoy these highlights of their high school season.