🏊‍♂️🔥 Vikings Make Waves in Thriller vs Blackhawk — Girls Tie, Boys Battle Hard! 💙🏆

The Hopewell Vikings turned in a strong, spirited performance Wednesday night in a highly competitive swim meet against Blackhawk, highlighted by close races, personal bests, and several first-place finishes.

The girls team battled to a dramatic 43–43 tie, while the boys fell 55–37, but head coach Kathi Lopez emphasized the growth and progress shown across the board.

“The Vikings had an exciting meet yesterday vs Blackhawk. This was a very competitive meet with lots of close finishes. The Vikings posted lots of best times and had quite a few 1st place finishes,” said Lopez.

Girls Deliver Big Performances

The Hopewell girls were impressive from start to finish, winning key events and relays to secure the tie. The meet opened with a victory in the 200 Medley Relay, setting the tone early. Several swimmers followed that momentum with strong individual performances.

Hazel McCowin led the way with wins in both the 200 Individual Medley and the 100 Breaststroke, showing strength and consistency in multiple disciplines.

Ava Yoder captured first place in the 100 Butterfly and 100 Backstroke, continuing her standout season.

Lindsey Brown sprinted to victories in the 50 Freestyle and 100 Freestyle, and anchored the winning 200 Freestyle Relay, which closed out the meet in dominant fashion.

Boys Show Speed and Depth

On the boys’ side, the Vikings put together several strong performances against a deep Blackhawk squad.

Joey Gregory delivered one of the night’s most important swims by winning the 200 Freestyle and placing second in the 100 Freestyle. Despite finishing runner-up in that event, Gregory dropped nearly a full second from his previous time, improving his WPIAL qualifying seed, one of the biggest highlights of the meet.

Mitchell Ryan was outstanding in the sprint events, winning the 50 Freestyle and anchoring the 200 Freestyle Relay to a first-place finish.

Tyler Oliver also had a big night, winning the 100 Butterfly and contributing to both relay teams.

The Vikings’ relay groups performed well throughout the meet, including strong efforts in the 200 Medley Relay, 200 Freestyle Relay, and 400 Freestyle Relay, showcasing depth and teamwork.

A Meet Built on Momentum

While the boys came up short on the scoreboard, the overall performance showed clear progress for the Vikings as they continue building toward postseason competition.

“One of the meet highlights was, even though Joey Gregory came in second in his 100 free, he dropped a second in the event and bettered his seed for the WPIAL meet,” Lopez added.

With multiple first-place finishes, numerous personal bests, and strong relay performances, Hopewell proved it can compete at a high level on both the boys’ and girls’ sides.

Source: Hopewell vs. Blackhawk Meet Results (January 7, 2026)