EDMOND – Brenda Nguyen was nearly overcome with excitement as she confidently followed her competitors to the starting platform at the Edmond School Aquatic Center.
With most of the team goals checked off her list, Nguyen had one more individual accomplishment to achieve. The 50-yard freestyle. Her best event.
“My heart was beating so fast,” she said. “I was just ready to swim.”
Once Nguyen hit the water, she turned her focus to the lanes next to her. :24.94 seconds later, the Mustang junior finally cracked the 25-second mark and became the highest individual finisher in program history, finishing fourth at the 2023 OSSAA state swim meet on Friday night.
“It was just a blur to be honest,” she said. “It has been a goal of mine for a while to break 25 seconds, so that was definitely a big accomplishment for me. It was difficult, but also really fun.”
Nguyen also finished 12th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of :56.11 and helped lead the 400-yard freestyle relay team to 10th place and the 200-yard medley relay team to 11th. Zoey Clark (Sr.), Katelyn Capp (Jr.), and Jacee Jimeson (Jr.) also helped lead the relay teams.
Jacee Jimeson (Jr.) poses with her medal after finishing eighth in the 100-yard backstroke on Friday at the 2023 OSSAA state meet in Edmond. (Photo provided)
Jimeson also took home a medal in the 100-backstroke, helping propel the Mustang girls to 13th place overall. She finished in eighth place with a time of 1:03.85.
“Jacee was really close to breaking that school record,” Mustang coach Tony Evans said. “She was just short, but to be in that A final and to take home a medal is a big accomplishment. The same for Brenda, who has worked really hard to break that 25-second mark.
“We’re proud of the girls team as a whole. It was a really good showing for them.”
The Mustang boys took home one medal on Friday.
Dominic Tonn (Fr.), Skyler Fair (So.), Ace Seck (So.), and Mason Scott (So.) led the 200-yard freestyle relay team to an eighth-place finish with a time of 1:36.77. They shed nearly a full two seconds off their time of 1:38.09 in the prelims.
Dominic Tonn (Fr.), Skyler Fair (So.), Ace Seck (So.), and Mason Scott (So.) pose with their medals after finishing eighth in the 200-yard freestyle relay at the 2023 OSSAA state meet in Edmond. (Photo provided)
“They had a great race and took home a medal, which hasn’t happened often,” Evans said. “That’s great because they are all underclassmen and will come back next year and look to improve.”
Tonn, Parker Campbell (So.), Brody White (Sr.), and Gavin Davis (Jr.) finished 12th in the 400-yard freestyle relay while White, Davis, Seck, and Scott placed 11th in the 200-yard medley relay.
The Broncos finished 15th overall with 44 points.
It was an exciting finish for both the Class 6A girls and boys.
On the girls side, Jenks barely edged Bartlesville for first place, outscoring the Bruins 318.5 to 318. Edmond North finished third with 286 points.
The Edmond North boys won the state championship by just one point over second-place Jenks. Bartlesville finished third with 202 points.
