Which Southwest Ohio swimmers and divers are primed for success this winter?

The late autumn air may be cooling down, but natatoriums around Southwest Ohio are heating up. Thousands of swimmers and divers are preparing for another year in the pool and on the springboard.

Last year's times and scores may have been impressive, but each athlete that enters the pool knows there is more to be achieved.

No matter their age, school or division, these swimmers and divers hope to see just as much success this year as they did last year.

Boys swimming

Cooper Burt, Ross

Burt's regular season resume was about as impressive as a high school freshman could have. He posted top three times in the Southwest Ohio Conference in six different events across the freestyle, backstroke, butterfly and individual medley. He was named the conference swimmer of the year and made the all-conference first team in four different events. His rookie year culminated in an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke at the state championships. With a wide skill set and a lengthy career ahead of him, look for Burt to continue to make waves at the conference and state levels.

Cam Craft, Walnut Hills

The sprinter advanced to the 2022 state championship and placed 11th in the 50-yard freestyle race, less than a second and a half out of first place. In swimming's fastest and arguably most competitive race, Craft should be a contender as a junior. Seven of the ten fastest swimmers at the state championships were seniors, opening the door for Craft to ascend the standings this year. He also has top 10 times in the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in various backstroke, butterfly and individual medley races.

Justin Dostal, Anderson

At the Division I state championships, Dostal placed 12th in the 100-yard butterfly and 11th in the 500-yard freestyle. In the ECC, the Raptor junior had top five times in seven events, including the best time in the 500-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley.

Gibson Holmes, Indian Hill

Holmes easily took home the Cincinnati Hills League swimmer of the year for a Braves team that won the league title handily. He had the fastest league time in six different events across all four strokes. He swam on two relay teams at the state championships, but he found the most success on the individual level. Holmes not only won the 200-yard individual medley and 100-yard butterfly, he set the state record in both events. Entering his senior season, a repeat in multiple events is certainly possible. He has committed to swimming at Stanford University, one of the country's premier collegiate swimming programs.

Alex Ingram, St. Xavier

Ingram is one of a pair of freestylers for St. Xavier who found success last year. His season culminated in a sixth-place finish in the 200-yard freestyle and a second-place finish in the 500-yard freestyle swim. He also swam the second leg for the Bombers in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays.

John Kaleta, Fenwick

Entering his senior season, Kaleta hopes to increase his impact in the pool for the Falcons. He made various All-Greater Conference League-Coed teams in a total of four events and swam in three events at the state meet. Individually, he placed fifth in the 100-yard breaststroke. Kaleta also swam on two Falcon relay teams that placed seventh and ninth.

Bryce Menchhofer, Sycamore

The junior was the third Southwest Ohio finisher in the 500-yard freestyle at the state championships, finishing in fifth place. In the Greater Miami Conference, he had top 10 times in the 100-yard, 200-yard and 500-yard freestyle, the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard butterfly. Those times led to him being named to the all-conference team in four events, including as part of two relay teams.

Thackston McMullan, St. Xavier

Along with Ingram, McMullan ensures the Bombers have a promising group of junior freestylers. Last February, he placed third in the 200-yard freestyle race at the state meet, missing second place by four-hundredths of a second. He also won the marathon that is the 500-yard freestyle. With a time of 4:26, he could challenge Grant House's state record of 4:19 this year. In addition to his individual accomplishments, he was on the Bomber squads that took fourth place in the 200-yard and 400-yard freestyle relays.

Will Meyers, Turpin

The junior finished tied for seventh in the 100-yard backstroke at the 2022 state championships. He was named to the second-team All-Eastern Cincinnati Conference in that distance, as well as a member of the 200-yard medley relay and 400-yard freestyle relay.

Logan Ottke, CHCA

Ottke was named the Miami Valley Conference swimmer of the year as a junior. At the state championships, he won the 100-yard breaststroke in a time of 54.96 seconds, less than half of a second off the state record. He also took third in the 50-yard freestyle, finishing three-tenths of a second behind the winner. Both swimmers who beat Ottke were seniors, so multiple individual titles could be in the cards this year. He also swam for a third-place medley relay team and a fifth-place 400-yard freestyle relay team.

Max Plumley, Mason

The senior is coming off a season in which he swam in four different events for the Comets at the state championship. He placed seventh as the top junior in the 100-yard freestyle and took 16th in the 200-yard freestyle. He swam that same stroke on two Mason relay teams that placed second and third. In the GMC, he laid claim to top five times in three different freestyle races.

Jason Zhao, Indian Hill

Last year as a freshman, Zhao excelled in the Cincinnati Hills League, notching top three times in four different events. While he dabbled in the breaststroke and individual medley, his signature discipline is the freestyle. He finished in second place at the Division II state championships in the 100-yard race and third in the 200-yard race. He swam for the Braves' fifth-place medley relay and anchored the 200-yard freestyle relay that finished in third place.

Girls swim

Taylor Bacher, CHCA

She's just a sophomore but has already made an impact for the Eagles. While teammate Jessey Li was the Miami Valley Conference swimmer of the year, Bacher made the all-conference first team in three different distances. She came in second to Seven Hills' Ella Jo Piersma in the 200-yard freestyle, then tied for seventh in the 100-yard butterfly. On the team level, she helped the Eagles take second place in the 200-yard freestyle relay and 200-yard medley relay.

Lauren Clippard, Colerain

Throughout the 2021-2022 season, the junior ascended the GMC rankings, finishing the year with the best time in the 100-yard backstroke, 200-yard freestyle and 200-yard individual medley. She was named to the conference's first team for her backstroke efforts and the second team for the freestyle. Her season culminated in an eighth-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke at the state championships.

Natalie Gockerman, St. Ursula

A freestyle specialist, the sophomore competed for the Bulldogs in four events at the state meet last year. She took seventh in the 500-yard distance, 10th in the 200-yard discipline and swam the third leg of the 200-yard relay that took third place. Both individual events in which she competed were full of underclassmen, meaning Gockerman's competition will be stiff both this year and next.

Mia Latimer, Mariemont

Entering her season, Latimer is looking to put her best arm forward. After making the first-team All-Cincinnati Hills League in four different, she is a contender to be the swimmer of the year this winter. On the individual level, Latimer swam at the state championship in three events. She finished third in the 50-yard freestyle and fifth in the 100-yard backstroke. She also swam the first leg of a medley relay team that finished just off the podium in ninth place.

Margaret O'Toole, Anderson

The sophomore was a workhorse for Raptors last year. With impressive times in all four strokes, it's no surprise that she also excels in the individual medley. Of the eight events she swam, six of her times were in the top five in the ECC. O'Toole ended her season in the state championships, swimming in the 100-yard backstroke. A deep repertoire of events should see her return to Canton this year and beyond.

Addie Robillard, St. Ursula

The Bulldogs have a promising young swimmer in Robillard. As a freshman, she won the 100-yard breaststroke and took second in the 200-yard individual medley. The only swimmer to beat her in the medley last season was a senior, so another individual title could be in her future. Showing off her versatility, Robillard helped the Bulldogs take fourth in the 200-yard medley relay, then anchored a 400-yard freestyle relay team that finished fifth. Outside of her accomplishments at the state level, she was the Girls Greater Catholic League swimmer of the year and was named to the all-conference first team in four events.

Faith Rudowski, Kings

Like many others on this list, Rudowski is a freestyle specialist. Her standout accomplishment from her sophomore season is a fourth-place finish at the state championships in the 100-yard freestyle. With four of the top five swimmers in the event finishing their high school career, Rudowski could have her hands on an individual title before she graduates. She will also look to improve on her personal bests of 24.00 seconds at 50 yards and 50.96 in the 100-yard race.

Julia Shafer, CHCA

Shafer is another promising sophomore for the Eagles. Like Bacher, she made the All-MVC first team in three different events and swam for the same relay teams as Bacher at the state meet. On the individual level, she took sixth in the 200-yard freestyle and eighth in the 500-yard freestyle.

Boys diving

Luke Eminger, Milford

The junior is the top returning diver in the ECC. His personal best of 183.83 earned him honorable mention All-ECC for the 1-meter discipline and was a 20-point improvement from his freshman campaign.

Donny Grote, Oak Hills

Grote, a senior, enters his final season as the top returning diver by score in the GMC. He posted a season-high of 203.25 last year, but his personal best of 204.15 came during his sophomore campaign. Last season, he was second-team All-GMC in diving. He also swam in several different races, but none longer than 100 yards.

Gavin Hang, St. Xavier

He placed third at the state meet on the 1-meter board. Should he return to the state meet, he will again face a tough field. The top four divers in Division I from last February's competition are all juniors and seniors this year. Hang is committed to diving in college at the University of Kentucky.

James Wolf, Moeller

The junior took 12th at the state competition in 2022, besting Massillon Jackson's Vincent Traganza by less than one point. Wolf was also named to the second-team GCL-South in the 1-meter discipline.

Girls dive

Elleka Boeres, Walnut Hills

Boeres will look to fill the shoes of departed senior Elizabeth Noble, who won the state diving championship this past February. Boeres also advanced to the final meet, finishing 10th. She was one of four juniors to place in the top 10, and one of the three divers on this list who are looking to make a splash this season.

Maria Meinhardt, St. Ursula

Her first accolade of the 2021-2021 season came in the form of the Girls Greater Catholic League diver of the year. She then placed fourth at the 1-meter height at the state championship with a score of 466.45. The top three places at that meet were all seniors, meaning a state title is there for the taking if Meinhardt can replicate a successful junior campaign.

Langely Petersen, Mason

In a log jam in the middle of the Division I diving state championships, Petersen emerged with a sixth-place finish at the 1-meter height with a score of 442.25. She was also named to the All-GMC second team.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Cincinnati high school swimming and diving: Who to watch in 2022-23