For the first time in its 50-year history, the UIL swimming and diving state championships will be contested outside of Austin.
The event, with the boys competing on Friday (Class 6A) and Saturday (Class 5A) and the girls on Monday (6A) and Tuesday (5A), will be held at North East ISD’s Walker Pool and Davis Natatorium. Swimming prelims are at 10 a.m., diving is at 2 p.m. and swimming finals are at 5 p.m. each day.
Since 1970, the meet has been hosted by the University of Texas, first at the Gregory Gym Pool (1970-77) and then at the Jamail Center (1978-2020), but was relocated to San Antonio this year because Texas has event restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Jamail Center is hosting the Big 12 Conference swimming championships from Feb. 24-27, a long course time trial on Sunday, the Big 12 diving championships on March 1-3 and the American short course championships on March 4-7.
As of now, the move to San Antonio is for this year only, UIL communications coordinator Julia Atkins said.
With the high school swimming spotlight on the Alamo City during the next few days, here are some key storylines to follow:

COVID’s impact
Like with so many other aspects of life, swimming has also been impacted by the pandemic — in and out of the pool.
Because of health precautions, the number of athletes advancing from district to regional and regional to state in each event was trimmed from 24 to 16. The alteration means that teams that previously relied on their depth to rack up points and contend for a team title might not have the same luxury this time around.
The restrictions will also be felt in the stands. Local health protocols have limited seating capacity to 300 for swimming and 150 for diving. Tickets had to be purchased in advance and will not be sold on site.
Anyone attending the meet has to wear a mask and social distance at all times. The mask has to completely cover the nose, and can only be removed for eating and drinking.

Flash in the pool
Walker Pool opened a year ago after being demolished and rebuilt as part of a $14 million NEISD bond, but the rave reviews haven’t been confined to the facility’s upgrades.
Whether it was a dual, district, regional or state competition, the venue has quickly earned a reputation for producing fast times and records. In 2020, for example, 16 meet records were established at the District 26-6A championships.
With the best of the best in Texas in town over the next five days, the record book could be poised for some revisions.

Seeking a rare feat
A year ago, Southlake Carroll senior Hailey Hernandez became only the seventh girl diver in Texas history to win three gold medals in 1-meter diving. Her older brother Nathaniel also won three state diving crowns before enjoying an All-American career at Duke.
On Monday, Hailey could join even rarer company as she tries to lead the Dragons to a third straight Class 6A team title. With another first-place performance, Hernandez, a Texas signee, could become only the third girl diver to earn a four-peat. She would join MacArthur’s Janette Stephenson (1989-92) and Houston Memorial’s Kelly Jenkins (1984-87).
Even more intriguing, claiming the honor could have a full-circle quality to it. Hernandez’s father, Richard, is a Central Catholic graduate.

Home pool advantage?
There’s no denying that San Antonio-area athletes have an edge over the rest of the field when it comes to competing at Walker Pool and Davis Natatorium. Many have practiced and competed at the facilities for months, if not years.
With that as a backdrop, which area athletes or teams could benefit most from the favorable circumstance?
Both Alamo Heights teams earned top-10 team finishes a year ago, with the boys placing third and the girls 10th. With Connor Foote among the favorites in the 100-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke, and Lila Foote and Elizabeth Walsh strong contenders in multiple individual events, look for the Mules to be in the picture again.
This time last year, the Johnson girls made a historic splash, earning their first relay medal by placing second in the 200 freestyle relay as the team of Mikayla Moore, Samantha Robles, Leyna Beach and Jada Scott clocked a 1:34.39.
Moore, Beach and Scott were joined by Elsa Musselman on the relay and the quartet finished in 1:34.19, establishing meet, pool and school records. Robles qualified for state in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke and is scheduled to swim legs on two relays.
In short, keep an eye out for the Jaguars in the team standings.
Reagan’s Morgan Bartley (50 freestyle and 100 breaststroke) and Marcel Mateos Salles (diving) and Churchill’s Hayden Elliott (diving) are others who should be in medal contention.

terrence@terrencesports.com
Twitter: @sa_terrence1