JENKS – The Mustang Broncos capped the 2023-24 season with three record-breaking performances in the Class 6A State Championship Meet last weekend.
Senior captain Brenda Nguyen broke one record and tied another while the 200-yard freestyle relay team highlighted Mustang’s showing with a second broken record.
Nguyen, who also medaled at state last season, took home two this year.
She finished sixth in the 50-yard freestyle, tying her own school record with a time of :25.26, before nabbing seventh place in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of :55.67. Her :55.32 preliminary time in the 100-yard freestyle was good for a new school record.
“It was honestly such an adrenaline rush, and I was so excited,” Nguyen said. “It was a really big accomplishment. I love competing with the girls on our team and the other girls. It was a lot of fun.”
Brenda Nguyen (Sr.) shows off one of the two medals she earned last weekend at the Class 6A State Championship Meet. Nguyen finished sixth in the 50-yard freestyle and seventh in the 100-yard freestyle. She also helped the 200-yard freestyle relay team break the school record. (Photo provided by MHS Swim Team)
Nguyen, Adamaris PadillaAscoy (So.), Jacee Jimeson (Sr.), and Aurora Grant (Fr.) clocked in at 1:48.53 in the 200-yard freestyle. They were .04 seconds faster than the previous record holders.
Nguyen started the event with a time of :25.13 on the first leg, followed by a time of :27.89 by PadillaAscoy on the second. Jimeson tallied :29.12 before Grant finished things off at :28.39.
“It was really surprising,” Nguyen said. “Mainly because we didn’t realize we had never broken it before. So, to do it our senior year really is special.”
Jimeson, the team’s other captain, capped her high school career with a 14th place finish in the 100-yard backstroke and a 23rd place showing in the 50-yard freestyle.
She clocked in at 1:04.39 in the 100-yard backstroke finals and :27.25 in the 50-yard freestyle.
Nguyen, PadillaAscoy, Jimeson, and Julian Hua (Jr.) clocked in at 2:03.09 in the 200-yard medley with PadillaAscoy as the anchor.
“It was a great meet for the girls where I think we kind of exceeded our expectations a little bit,” Mustang coach Tony Evans said. “The fact that the 200-yard freestyle team broke the school record took everybody by surprise and really highlighted the meet.”
The Broncos finished in 12th place as a team, collecting 52 points. They missed out on the top 10 by just 19 points and finished behind the 11th place Norman North Timberwolves by six.
The Bartlesville Bruins dominated on route to the state championship, scoring 405.5 points while the second place Jenks Trojans scored 300. The Edmond North Huskies finished third with 277 points.
