The Davie girls 200 free relay team finished 20th in the state meet Feb. 11. Senior Maria Stillson, junior Katie Shoaf, sophomore Victoria Sinopoli and freshman Alexa Hutton finished 1:44.28. They took second in the Central Piedmont Conference and eighth in the region. The top eight earned berths to the state.

“The girls were hoping to break the school record of 1:43.66 held by Stillson, Shoaf, Sinopoli and Danielle Wood,” coach David Koontz said. “I was really proud of these girls. They obviously carried our women’s team throughout the season. To finish the year with an all-conference nod and regional and state qualifications, they had a tremendous season in 4-A swimming.”

The boys 400 free relay placed 24th in the state after earning eighth in the regional. Seniors Cam Fearrington and Johnson Marklin and juniors Hunter Thurlo and Wyatte Copeland went 3:27.55, shaving three seconds off their time at regional, where they dropped seven seconds from their previous best.

“I was super proud of our guys because they had to wait the entire day to swim,” Koontz said. “The state championship includes a preliminary meet in the morning, where the top 16 finishers move on to the finals at night. Now the 400 free relay is swam as a final of its own in the night round. Our guys were spectators for the whole day, so I was a little worried about fatigue and making sure they had the energy for the swim. They didn’t disappoint, though, and they swam exceptionally well against some tremendous competition.”

Koontz Leaving Coaching

The state meet closed the book on Koontz’s nine-year coaching career.

“I’m hanging up coaching,” he said. “I’m going to start my masters in the fall for school administration. I want to spend more time at home, and I will need time to work on my coursework.”

Koontz’s departure will leave a gaping hole for two sports and four teams. He coached boys and girls swimming for four years, and he coached boys and girls cross country for three years. Before returning to his alma mater, he coached five years at West Iredell High.