Wilson Hall's Poag wins 2nd straight state title in breaststroke on way to Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week

Wilson Hall's Jack Poag has consistently been one of the top swimmers for the Barons throughout his high school career. On Saturday, Poag swam his last meet for Wilson Hall, helping lead the Barons to a second-place finish as a team on the back of his second consecutive individual state title.

His excellent individual performance, which included being a part of three fresh school records, was enough to earn Hines Furniture Athlete of the Week honors, even if he didn't immediately know he was in the running.

"Not going to lie, I'm kinda shocked," Poag said. "I didn't even know about it until one of my classmates messaged me about it, and I saw on everyone's stories that they were posting about it. It was actually kind of nice."

The meet was special for the trio of Baron seniors that have been the heart and soul of the program since entering high school. Sydnee Richardson and Steve Scholz have been on the team with Poag since middle school. Finishing their careers together in a pair of relays and earning a second-place finish as a team was special.

"Going into it, I was really focused on the races. It didn't really hit me until we were done, and I realized it would be the last time I was swimming with these guys," Poag said. "We've spent like seven years together, and all of a sudden, it's gone. It still doesn't feel real. I'm still waiting for it to hit."

Their friendship started in the pool, but it will last long past Saturday's meet.

"My friendship with them was built because of swimming," Poag said. "Before the swim team, Steve and I never talked. I don't think we'd even introduced ourselves. Since he joined the team, he and I have grown in our friendship. Syd was kind of quiet at first, but he's gotten more and more comfortable, and all three of us have grown closer."

Poag's individual highlight came in the 100-yard breaststroke, where he cruised to a 4A title with a time of 1:00.54. While he won the 4A title by nearly nine full seconds, he wasn't the fastest person in the pool. He raced right alongside Jack Ussary of Hilton Head Christian, who was competing in 3A. Ussary had a blazing time of 56.05, which helped push Poag to be his best on Saturday.

"That dude is crazy fast; he actually broke a state record," Poag said. "Having to race someone that fast is annoying, but it's also very helpful. I don't want to sound cocky, but you get to a point where you're faster than everyone, and you don't have anyone to challenge you. When you have that person to challenge you, you can strive to be better than them, and it helps out a lot."

The Wilson Hall senior felt great about his time, which wasn't a foregone conclusion before the race. Poag swims year 'round, so it's difficult to perfectly balance endurance for the high school season when coming fresh off a packed offseason in the pool. He was proud to set a new personal best given the circumstances.

"Surprisingly, it felt like a really good swim," Poag said. "This season for my breaststroke hasn't been the best because I went from one season immediately into another. I didn't give myself much of a break. I was excited to see how I would do after tapering, and I went in and felt great."

Poag finished second in the individual medley with a time of 2:09.26. He was hoping to steal his school record back from Richardson, who claimed the program's top time at the Panther Invitational with a mark of 2:08.25. He fell just short of reclaiming the title, but it was an example of how fun it has been to swim with Richardson and Scholz through the years. The trio spent most of the season trading school records back and forth, driving each other to be better.

"Syd and I have been trading that (IM) record over the years, but I wasn't able to get it this year. I was still proud to be a part of three new records," Poag said. "It's fun (to trade records) because we get to be the best on the team, but it's also kind of stressful because if I don't get this, I might not get my record back. But it's been enjoyable."

The three seniors swam together on a pair of relays, the 200 medley relay and the 200 freestyle relay. Along with Cliff Bath, Wilson Hall finished second in the medley relay with a time of 1:44.46 and third in the free with a time of 1:35.78. Head coach Hobe Scholz loves watching that group swim the medley relay because their specialties fit so well together.

"There are a few events where they're all close and then they all have their specialty. When we get to do a medley relay, where their specialties are so complimentary to each other, that’s when, as a group, they shine,” Coach Scholz said. “Its fun seeing the individual records go back and forth and them competing against each other, but when you see them in the medley all together and their best skills are highlighted, its magical to watch.”

Poag plans to continue swimming competitively. His future plans aren't set in stone, but he hopes to swim with the program at Drexler.

"I'm going to go to the Y team and work on getting better times so I can join the college team I want to join," Poag said. "If I can't make the actual team there, I'll join the club team, but I plan to continue to swim."