NASHVILLE, TN- On Friday and Saturday, February 8-9 the Baylor School has won the combined and girls 2019 TISCA State Swimming & Diving Championships. This is the fourteenth year in a row that the Baylor School has won the combined team title, while the girls claimed the state title with a narrow six point victory over Harpeth Hall. The Baylor Girls defeated the defending state and national champions from 2018. This is the first time since 2013 that the Baylor School girls have won the TISCA State Title. The Baylor School boys finished third overall just behind the McCallie School and Maryville High School.
The highlight of the meet came on Friday from the Girls 200-yard Medley Relay of Ellie Waldrep, Jewel Gordon, Addison Smith, and Callie West swimming a time of 1:39.91. They finished with a state title, new Baylor School team record, NISCA Automatic All-American time, and currently have the fastest time in the nation in the event. The Baylor School girls finished second in both the 200 freestyle relay (Dallas Woods, Jewel Gordon, Jamee Mitchum, Addison Smith) and the 400 yard freestyle relay (Ellie Waldrep, Jamee Mitchum, Avery Wilson, Callie West) to help clinch the state title.
The Baylor School had two individual event state championships on Saturday evening. Senior Addison Smith repeated her State Championship in the 500-yard freestyle in a winning time of 4:46.11. Smith broke her own Baylor School team record, and it is also a new NISCA Automatic All-American time. The other individual event champion was senior Jack Kirby. Kirby took the title in an automatic All-American time of 48.21 in the boys 100-yard backstroke. He also claimed second in the 100-yard freestyle recording a time of 44.57. In the Girls 100-yard backstroke, sophomore, Ellie Waldrep blasted a automatic All-American time of 52.42. Her time also breaks her own Baylor School team record in the event, which was set in December of 2018. Junior, Alex Borisov helped lead the Baylor School boys by finishing second in the 100-yard breaststroke swimming a time of 56.13. Head Coach Dan Flack was also named TISCA State Women’s Coach of the Year.
On Friday, the Baylor School boys 200 yard Medley Relay of Jack Kirby, Alex Borisov, Aidan Sims, and Will Tippett claimed second in the event just behind Maryville High School in a NISCA Automatic All-American time of 1:33.05. Junior and newcomer, Alex Borisov claimed the TISCA State Title in the the Boys 2oo-yard IM, recording a time of 1:50.40. A trio of Baylor swimmers also finished in the top three on Friday evening. Senior, Addison Smith finished second in the 200 freestyle in an Automatic All-American time of 1:47.23, Jewel Gordon took third in the 50-yard freestyle, and sophomore Ellie Waldrep claimed second in 100-yard butterfly in a NISCA Automatic All-American time of 54.32. In the girls 1-meter diving competition Haley Rice finished third overall with a combined score of 351.85, while teammate Eva Binder took sixth with a score of 302.45.
Team Scores
| Combined Team Scores | Girls Team Scores | Boys Team Scores |
| 1. Baylor School 543.5 | 1. Baylor School 320 | 1. McCallie School 271 |
| 2. Maryville 364 | 2. Harpeth Hall 314 | 2. Maryville 231 |
| 3. Ensworth School 280 | 3. Hardin Valley 151 | 3. Baylor School 223.5 |
| 4. Hardin Valley 215 | 4. Maryville 133 | 4. Ensworth School 151 |
| 5. Collierville 180 | 5. Ensworth School 129 | 5. Memphis University School 117 |
Other Baylor School / Baylor Swim Club athletes finishing in the top 16
Girls
Eva Binder (6th-1 meter diving); Heidi Dierig (9th-200 IM, 11th-500 FR); Jewel Gordon (3rd-50 FR, 6th-100 BR); Sarah Hollowell (12th-100 BK); Jamee Mitchum (7th-100 BK, 8th-100 FLY); Cecilia Porter- Signal Mountain (2nd-100 BR); Haley Rice (3rd-1 meter diving); Audrey Rackel- Signal Mountain (15th-100 FLY); Addison Smith (1st-500 FR, 2nd-200 FR); Ellie Waldrep (2nd-100 BK, 2nd-100 FLY); Avery Wilson (14th-100 FLY); Callie West (7th-50 FR, 9th-100 FR); Dallas Woods (9th-100 BK, 10th-200 IM);
Boys
Noah Althoff (8th-200 IM); Alex Borisov (1st-200 IM, 2nd-100 BR); Zach Kangiser (4th-500 FR, 10th-200 FR); Jack Kirby (1st-100 BK, 2nd-100 FR); Aidan Sims (7th-500 FR, 11th-200 FR); Daniel Snyder (16th-500 FR); Will Tippett (9th-100 BR, 12th-50 FR); Daniel Unhuryan (8th-100 BR, 13th-100 FLY); Chapman Varnell (16th-100 FR)
Congratulations to all the Baylor School / Baylor Swim Club student athletes that competed this weekend.
