Rankin, Gators excel in Meet of Champions

Sophomore Mia Rankin had a strong showing and a handful of her Xavier Prep teammates fared well on Nov. 7 in the Arizona Interscholastic Association’s inaugural Meet of Champions, which featured the state’s top swimmers and divers, regardless of division.

Rankin, the state runner-up in the 500-yard freestyle to Scottsdale Chaparral’s Ashley Strouse, had another duel with the sophomore in the MOC. Rankin, with nearly a 3-second deficit in the recent Division I state meet, was within .09 of a second this time, and both swimmers earned automatic All-American nods at the Phoenix Country Day School aquatic center.

Rankin also finished third in the 200-yard individual medley and anchored Xavier’s fourth-place finish in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

AIA Meet of Champions

Xavier Prep results

200-yard medley relay – XCP 3rd, 1:47.73 (Fr. Gracie Munk, So. Paola Guerra, Jr. Olivia Paliscak, So. Kelly Scott).

200-yard freestyle – Maddie Wright, Jr., 8^th, 1:55.08.

200-yard individual medley – Mia Rankin, So., 3^rd, 2:04.52.

100-yard butterfly – Munk, 10^th, 57.87.

500-yard freestyle – Rankin, 2^nd, 4:50.62 (automatic All-American); Wright, 7^th, 5:04.30.

200-yard freestyle relay – XCP 3^rd, 1:38.76 (Paliscak, Scott, Jr. Vica Dow, Wright).

100-yard backstroke – Munk, 7^th, 58.56.

100-yard breaststroke – Guerra, 9^th, 1:07.16.

400-yard freestyle relay – XCP 4^th, 3:38.43 (Munk, Wright, Dow, Rankin).