Kinkaid’s swim team delivered a strong performance at the South Zone Championships, finishing third overall in the combined team standings.
The boys team also placed third, while the girls team earned a fifth-place finish, with several athletes contributing podium finishes and key points across swimming and diving events.
Kinkaid also secured third place in the medley relay competition, adding to the team’s overall point total.
One of the meet’s top performances came in the third event, the girls 200-yard freestyle, where freshman Kaitlynn Maas placed first with a time of 1:56.94, earning nine points for Kinkaid.
“I focused on staying relaxed and swimming my own race,” Maas said. “I tried to time the intervals so that my first 50 would be a 28, and my last three would be a 29.” Meaning that she would like her first lap of the race to be 28 seconds, and the three after the first lap to be 29 seconds.
Swimmers earn points for the team based on their finishing positions in each event. Individual races grant point awards to the top eight finishers, with first place awarding the most points. Relay races follow a similar structure but award more points due to more swimmers participating. The points combine across all the events to determine the team’s standing.
The boys’ team added points in twelfth event, the boys 100-yard butterfly, as sophomore Isaac Mayer finished third, followed closely by freshman Victor Peng in fourth place. Mayer later returned to the podium in the boys 100-yard backstroke, placing third once again.
Another highlight for the boys came from freshman Aston Liu, who earned first place in event 14, the boys 100-yard freestyle, touching the wall at 50.47 seconds.
“I concentrated on my start, and my underwater dolphin kicks to give me a good start for a steady pace,” Liu said. “Winning that race felt great, especially knowing it helped the team’s overall standings.”
In the diving competition, senior Olivia Hamilton earned a second-place finish in one-meter diving, while teammate junior Peyton Taylor placed fourth, contributing valuable points on the girls’ side.
Additional scoring came from freshman Danica Lin, who placed fifth in the girls 100-yard backstroke, along with junior J.P. Whiteley, who competed in both the boys 50-yard freestyle and boys 100-yard backstroke, further strengthening Kinkaids’ overall performance.
“It was a tough race, but I focused on staying consistent and making sure my strokes were controlled and long to ensure fast speed,” Lin said. “Every point mattered, and it felt good to contribute.”
With multiple podium finishes, strong relay results and consistent scoring across events, Kinkaid’s third-place finish at the South Zone Championships reflected both individual and team effort.
The South Zone Championships was the last meet before the Southwest Preparatory Conference for the Kinkaid swimmers. It was held on Feb. 1, 2026, at the University of Houston’s natatorium.
