The Lincoln Southwest Boys Swimming and Diving team won its first ever state championship on Saturday at the Bob Devaney Sports Center.

The team came in with high hopes of ending Creighton Prep’s 14-year state championship winning streak, after just barely losing to Creighton Prep, 105-80, earlier this season.

“We did a drop tapper,” senior Ethan Reida said. “Where it starts with 3,500 yards, and each day it got less and less, each day we spent more and more time on technique.”

The final top six scores of the meet were: Lincoln Southwest – 391, Creighton Prep – 385 ½, Elkhorn/Elkhorn South – 261, Grand Island – 115, Lincoln Pius X – 113, Gretna – 91.

“After that relay set the momentum, and then Tommy won the 200 freestyle, it reassured all of us that it was possible to beat Prep, and we just went from there,” freshman Aidin Kolb said. “Ethan also played a big part, dropping from eighth to second, which was amazing.”

Lincoln Southwest won the 200 medley relay with a time of 1:31.10, the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:39.89, the 50 freestyle with a time of 20.04, the 100 freestyle with a time of 46.04, the 200 freestyle relay with a time of 1:24.88, the 100 backstroke with a time of :51.11, and the 100 breaststroke with a time of :55.09.

“It hasn’t settled in yet, really,” junior Tommy Palmer said. “I’ve won it individually a few times in the past, but winning relays, and as a team, was really everything we could have asked for. It was the best.”

The state championship was the cherry-on-top of an overall successful meet for the Hawks, where they won seven gold medals, and a silver medal that resulted in them winning the state championship.