Apex and Green Hope squared off in a four-way season-opening meet with Enloe and Millbrook.

Individually, Apex senior and N.C. State-bound Hayley Tomlinson, fellow Apex senior and North Carolina-bound Mitch DeForest and Green Hope sophomore and 2012 US Olympic trials-bound sophomore Hannah Moore all surfaced with a variation of a same theme:

"These are times I didn't swim until the end of last year.”

Apex and Green Hope were a battle of girls state powers Tuesday evening at the Triangle Aquatics Center, with the Cougars beating Green Hope 184 to 162. Enloe was a distant third at 95 and Millbrook fourth at 77.

In the boys competition, Enloe edged Green Hope 150 to 149. Millbrook was third with 121 and Apex fourth with 96.

Moore, the 4A state runner-up as a freshman in the 500-yard freestyle and 100 backstroke, won her specialties with times of 4 minutes, 58.38 seconds and 58.20, respectively.

"To be under five minutes in the 500 free in her first meet is really great,” Green Hope coach Richard Wesendunk said. “She's only a little more than one second off her school record she set in last year's state meet.”

Moore thinks the performance was a result of improved strength and endurance. Her training has been geared to peak next week for the Junior Nationals in Austin.

"I didn't expect to go this fast because I'm resting for the Junior Nationals -- and my goggles were coming off,” she said with a laugh. “I didn't swim this fast early last year.”

Although Apex won the team score with depth, Green Hope's girls captured six of the eight individual events.

The Falcons' Claire Nobles won the 200 free (1:56.04) and 100 free (54.02), Paige Rubendall the 100 butterfly (1:00.03) and Erin Mahone the 50 free (25.17).

Apex's girls, the defending 4A state team champion, were led by Tomlinson winning the 200 IM in 2:12.45 and the 100 breast in 1:06.75. Tomlinson is the defending state champion in the 100 breast and was third in the state meet 200 IM.

"Everything is going well well for the whole team,” Tomlinson said. “We've been training hard and I think we're ahead of last year. We have a supportive team that works hard. Green Hope is tough competition for us, and we were expecting the score to be closer.”

In the boys competition, Enloe and Millbrook swimmers won five of the eight individual events.

Green Hope's only win was from Alex Matthews in the 50 free with a time of 22.77.

Apex's two wins were from DeForest with a 1:58.68 in the 200 IM and a 53.52 in the 100 backstroke.

"It's a good start for the first meet,” DeForest said. “I've been working on my techniques – perfecting the strokes. My endurance and conditioning were pretty good for a first meet.

"I was strong off the walls on my turns. I've been working on my starts and I felt I was fast. It's a lot of little things, but they all matter a lot.”