by Malcolm Butler
A pair of Lincoln Parish swimmers earned individual state championship titles this week during the Louisiana High School Athletic Association Division IV State Swim Meet held at the SPAR Aquatic Center in Sulphur.
Choudrant’s Jack Groce and Cedar Creek’s Camdyn Napper both captured state titles on Thursday.
Groce, a senior at Choudrant High School, won the state title in the boys 100-yard backstroke with a time of 56.0 seconds, edging Lake Arthur junior Slade Legros (56.70).
“Even though I was not met with the ideal circumstances in my finals race of the 100 yard backstroke, I decided to give it my all anyways,” said Groce. “I’ve wanted this for the past four years and through hard work and determination, I finally became the state champ.
“I’d like to thank my amazing Coach, Paulette, and my wonderful teammates for pushing me and keeping me motivated every single day through this amazing journey that I’ve had.”
Groce won the event over 20 other competitors.
Napper, a sophomore at Cedar Creek School, won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:00.89, running away from his nearest competitor in Bell City’s Noah Granger (1:05.63). He won the competition in a field of 15 competitors.
“I was really happy to have won that 100 breaststroke again,” said Napper. “I won it during my eighth grade year and came in third in it my freshman year, so getting to bring home the gold again is incredibly motivating.
“I want to give thanks to my friends, my family, and my coach, Paulette, who have done nothing but build me up and help push me to be the best I can be.”
Napper also finished second in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 1:58.03, barely edging out Groce who was third with a time of 1:58.05. Pope John Paul II High School’s Wyatt Combs won the event with a time of 1:56.37.
