Chou caps high school career with state gold
Oak Ridge swimmer Andrew Chou celebrates winning the state title in the men’s 100- meter butterfly at the TISCA state championship meet last Friday night at the Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville. (photo:Tony Cox )
Chou, an Oak Ridge High School senior, broke two of his own school records Friday and Saturday at the TISCA state swimming and diving championships at the University of Tennessee’s Allan Jones Intercollegiate Aquatic Center in Knoxville.
On Friday, Chou won the boys 100-yard butterfly with a time of 47.26 seconds, shattering the record he set in his previous race at the Knoxville Interscholastic Swim League championships.
He also helped the Wildcats’ 200-yard medley relay team to a seventh-place finish with a time of 1 minute, 36.57 seconds. Chou teamed up with Mason Greenhalgh, Colin Suddeth and Dorian Volcansek in the event.
Chou returned to the pool Saturday and took second place in the 100-yard backstroke, clocking in at 47.32 seconds.
“I think Andrew broke his own record in the 100 back, too,” Oak Ridge Coach Alicia Williamson said.
He closed out his high school career with another performance, finishing seventh in the 200-yard freestyle relay alongside Micah Brown, Volcansek and Greenhalgh, with a time of 1:28.44.
Williamson said she was proud of her team’s efforts throughout the season.
“Everybody who swam (at state) had their season-best times,” she said. “We only lost two dual meets this season, and we won the Division II championship at the KISL meet.”
