RUSTON, La. — Ruston High School won the combined team title at the 2026 Red River High School Swimming Conference Championships, finishing with 634 points on Saturday, Oct. 31, in Ruston.
Caddo Magnet was second with 548 points, and CE Byrd was third with 516.
The championships drew 150 swimmers from 18 central and north Louisiana schools. Preliminary swims were held Thursday, Oct. 29, in Shreveport, and the top 16 qualifiers in each event advanced to Saturday’s finals.
The Ruston boys won their team title with 434 points, ahead of Caddo Magnet (322) and Holy Savior Menard (204). CE Byrd won the girls title with 333 points, followed by Caddo Magnet (226) and Ruston (200).
Ruston’s boys set two conference meet records, both previously held by Ruston teams from 2023. J.J. Hoover won the 100 butterfly in a new record time, and the team of Joseph Amiano, Paul St. Cyr, Matthew Roach and Samuel Jackson won the 400 freestyle relay in record fashion.
“We are so pleased with the results of this meet, especially with the busyness of the week with Homecoming activities,” Bulldog Aquatic Head Coach Paulette Butterfield said. “The swimmers were able to be in the moment and produce some great swims. Now, we have a few weeks to work on the details as we prepare for the state meet.”
Jackson, who won the 50 and 100 freestyles, was named Conference Male Swimmer of the Year. Butterfield was named Conference Coach of the Year, and Ruston received the team sportsmanship award.
Hoover also won the 200 individual medley. Ruston’s boys swept the relays, winning the 200 medley relay (St. Cyr, Hoover, Amiano, Jackson) and the 200 freestyle relay (Hoover, Roach, Jackson, Smith).
Ruston’s top boys finishers also included:
- Roach: 2nd in the 200 freestyle and 4th in the 100 freestyle
- Amiano: 2nd in the 100 butterfly
- Maddox Greenwood: 2nd in the 100 breaststroke
- St. Cyr: 3rd in the 200 IM
For the Ruston girls, Breanna Senn won the 50 freestyle and Emily Xu won the 100 freestyle. Hannah Best was third in the 100 freestyle. The 400 freestyle relay team of Xu, Mikayla Colvin, Best and Senn won its race, and the 200 medley relay team (Colvin, Emma Hinton, Xu, Senn) finished third.
Two smaller programs also made their mark. Cedar Creek’s Camdyn Napper won the 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke. Choudrant’s Jessie Groce was second in the 50 and 100 freestyles.
“The Cedar Creek and Choudrant swim teams may be small in number, but they post great results with all swimmers finishing in the top eight in all of their events,” Butterfield said.
Cedar Creek and Choudrant, both Division 4 teams, will compete at the LHSAA state meet Nov. 18-19 in Sulphur. Ruston, a Division 2 team, will swim at state Nov. 20-21, also in Sulphur.
