MARSHALLTOWN — Grace Hoeper is still the fastest 50-yard freestyle swimmer in the state. Hoeper, a junior swimming for Iowa City High School, won the State Championship in the event last year and defended it this past weekend in the Girls State Swimming and Diving Meet in Marshalltown with a 23.44 performance, which beat her preliminary time of 23.50. Hoeper also won the 100-yard freestyle in 50.27, again shaving time off of her preliminary heat result which was 50.58.
Hoeper and fellow Solonite Madelyn Elkins joined City’s Elsa Farber and Margalit Frank for the 200-yard freestyle relay, which finished eighth in 1:39.96 while Hoeper anchored the 15th-place 400-yard freestyle with Frank, Farber, and City’s Saoirse Miller with a total time of 3:42.80.
Waukee took the team title with 381 points with Dowling Catholic (Des Moines) the runner up with 241.5. The Iowa City West High/Liberty High team took sixth (146) while the City High Little Hawks finished 14th (66).
In addition to Hoeper and Elkins, Tatum Holtkamp, Claire Leone, Avery Mann, Ella Vernon, Taryn Anderson, and Paige Anderson competed for the Little Hawks this season.
Grace Hoeper won the varsity 500-yard freestyle (shown here) Tuesday, Sept. 12 at Cedar Rapids Washington. Hoeper also won the 200-IM and anchored the winning 200 freestyle relay.