CHESTERTOWN — Queen Anne’s got the better of its border rival and host Kent County in high school swimming Jan. 22.
This was the first home meet of the 2025-26 season for the Trojans, whose modest roster of four girls and eight boys is not able to enter every event and sometimes can enter only one swimmer per event.
That’s a disadvantage, especially when competing against a larger team such as Queen Anne’s.
In the girls and boys meets combined on Jan. 22, the visiting Lions won all but three events.
Senior Mary Jane Joiner had the lone victory for Kent County’s girls, heading the 500 freestyle. She also placed second in the 200 free and swam on two second-place relays with Emi Karlik, Brenna Thorpe and Lyric Frase.
Individually, Karlik was the runner-up in the 100 breaststroke, while Frase was third in the 100 free and Thorpe was third in the 100 backstroke.
For Kent County’s boys, senior Lynden Saunders was the top performer with a first also in the 500 free, a second in the 100 butterfly, as the anchor of the winning 200 free relay and as a member of the second-place 200 medley relay.
Tucker Ervin was second in the 100 breaststroke and was a member of both relays with Saunders, Andy Messick and Nate Sutton.
Printed below are complete results for Kent County.
GIRLS
200 medley relay of Brenna Thorpe, Emi Karlik, Mary Jane Joiner and Lyric Frase, 2:24.92, second.
200 freestyle: Joiner, 2:15.36, second.
50 free: Karlik, 31.14, fourth; and Frase, 33.03, fifth.
100 free: Frase, 1:16.81, third; and Thorpe, 1:19.0, fifth.
500 free: Joiner, 5:57.72, first.
100 backstroke: Thorpe, 1:35.11, third.
100 breaststroke: Karlik, 1:35.11, second.
400 free relay of Joiner, Thorpe, Karlik and Frase, 4:59.0, second.
BOYS
200 medley relay of Tucker Ervin, Andy Messick, Lynden Saunders and Nate Sutton, 2:00.84, second.
200 freestyle: Messick, 2:21.84, fourth.
50 free: Jonathan Tedrow, 31.80, fourth; and Alex Kukhianidze, 34.60, fifth.
100 butterfly: Saunders, 1:05.51, second.
100 free: Ervin, 54.23, second; Sutton, 1:09.83, fifth; and Tedrow, 1:26.40, sixth.
500 free: Saunders, 6:04.62, first.
200 free relay of Ervin, Messick, Sutton and Saunders, 1:48.92, first.
100 backstroke: Kukhianidze, 1:40.92, fourth.
100 breaststroke: Ervin, 1:13.45, second; Messick, 1:22.36, third; and Sutton, 1:33.55, fifth.
Looking ahead: After a full week out of the pool due to the recent winter storm, KCHS is scheduled to host Cambridge-South Dorchester on Tuesday, Feb. 3 at the YMCA in Chestertown. The opening gun is at 4 p.m. This is the Trojans’ regular-season finale, and it also is Senior Day.
The Bayside Conference championship meet is Saturday, Feb. 7 at the Queen Anne’s County Family YMCA, located at 210 Vincit St. in Centreville.
