Courtesy Rachael Ausdenmoore
AUSTIN – Behind a gold-medal performance on the diving boards from Bella Sanouvong and a relentless pursuit of the podium by the men’s relay squads, Carroll Swim and Dive re-established itself as a premier force at the 2026 UIL Class 6A State Championships this past weekend.
Sanouvong captured the state title in 1-meter diving with a score of 465.60, headlining a weekend that saw the Dragon Men rocket from a 12th-place finish in 2025 to a third-place podium finish in 2026. The Lady Dragons were equally formidable, securing fourth place overall in a high-octane field at the University of Texas Swim Center.
In a sport often decided by the touch of a wall, the Dragon Men proved that every second counts. Accumulating 121 points, Carroll managed to leapfrog The Woodlands (120) by a single point to claim the bronze.
The surge was anchored by a veteran senior core of William Zhang, Finn McAteer and Colin Heintz, whose leadership fueled a series of All-American performances. The Men’s 400-Free Relay (Dylan Heldenbrand, Zhang, Ethan Jetty and Kobe Dickheiser) delivered the highlight of the meet, clocking a 3:03.12 to take home the State Silver Medal.
The momentum continued in the 200-Free Relay, where Heldenbrand, Heintz, Jetty and Dickheiser notched a fourth-place finish (1:23.79). On the diving side, junior Jack Ma provided a massive points boost, finishing fourth with 502.50 points.
While Sanouvong provided the golden highlight, the Lady Dragons' fourth-place team finish (125 points) was built on a foundation of All-American speed and elite relay execution.
Olivia Colombo cemented her status as one of the state’s premier backstrokers, securing the State Silver Medal in the 100 Back with an Automatic All-American time of 54.52. She was also a vital component of a relay core that went three-for-three in achieving All-American status.
The Lady Dragon relay highlights included:
400 Free Relay (3rd Place): The team of Olivia Colombo, Charlie Rockafellow, Taryn Plows and Emma Bibza clocked a 3:26.99 to claim the bronze and an Automatic All-American time.
200 Free Relay (5th Place): Emma Bibza, Alessia Palmisani, Taryn Plows and Olivia Colombo finished in 1:35.41, earning another Automatic All-American nod.
200 Medley Relay: The quartet of Olivia Colombo, Emma Bibza, Jenna Khalaf, and Taryn Plows posted a blistering 1:44.05 in the prelims to secure an Automatic All-American standard.
Bibza added to the individual tally with a 5th place finish in the 100 Fly (55.07), while Plows took 12th in the 100 Back (56.65).