After helping Apex’s 400-yard freestyle relay team to a third-place finish, senior Mandy Myers stood victoriously among her teammates on the pool deck at Triangle Aquatic Center and declared, “We finally won it!”

The Tri-Eight swimming and diving championships belonged to the Cougars. The girls won the title on Jan. 22 for the first time since 2004, and the boys won for the first time in coach Greg Huff’s seven-season tenure.

The boys seized the lead after the second race and ran away with the title by compiling 611 points to Green Hope’s 460. The girls side featured a tad more drama, as Apex took the lead after the third-to-last race and prevailed 524-499 over the Falcons.

“It was a lot more fun,” Huff said of winning both titles as opposed to winning one or the other. “What was more fun for me was the boys cheering for the girls. It was the whole team.”

A team win

The Cougars’ 151-point margin of victory was staggering enough, but it takes on greater significance when the fact they compiled all those points without winning any of the meet’s 12 events is factored in.

“The whole year, it hasn’t been about winning individual events,” said Apex senior Brett Scott, who finished third in the 200 free and 100 free. “Everybody’s been coming up big. Not winning, but getting second and third, second and fourth. That’s just huge, and it adds up a lot more than just one [first-place finish].”

In the nine individual events, Apex had at least three swimmers score in all of them. In the three relays, both teams swam in the final heat and finished in the top six.

“Apex definitely had more depth than we did,” said Green Hope coach Jim Swartz.

Apex and Green Hope were tied after the day’s first event, the 200 medley relay. Both teams scored 58 points. After the next race, the 200 freestyle, Apex took a 109-94 lead over the Falcons and never looked back. It was one of their best events of the day and the first of seven in which the Cougars scored at least 50 points.

Apex also got a big boost from their divers. Jamie Haigh was the top place winner for the team at the 1-meter competition, which was held Jan. 18 at Pullen Aquatic Center. Haigh finished second to Green Hope’s Bryant Wooten, and he was one of five Apex divers who contributed a total of 70 points to the Cougars’ cause.

Mike Smiechowski finished second in the 500 free in 5:03.51 and fourth in 200 free in 1:49.40. Teammate Kevin Hughes was second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.62.

“It wasn’t won by our superstars, and that’s what our team has been built around for so long,” Huff said. “Our boys, we’ve never had somebody that’s undefeatable, so it’s because all the kids work so hard.”

While the Cougars triumphed in the team competition, several individuals for other teams had noteworthy days.

Cary’s Beau Dove won the 50 free in 22.22 seconds.

Athens Drive’s Phillip Arve and Andy Lamb said they were both exhausted for the conference meet, since both swam the previous weekend in a meet for Raleigh Swimming Association.

The fatigue didn’t show.

Arve and Lamb won two individual events and two relays to help the Jaguars finish third as a team.

Arve won the 200 individual medley in 2:00.24, 11 seconds ahead of the field. He also won the 500 freestyle in 4:48.02.

“I was pretty worn out. But this is the last regular-season meet, so you put it all together and go your hardest,” said Arve, who was named the meet’s most outstanding swimmer.

Lamb won the 100 butterfly in 51.98 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 53.51 seconds.

“I was pretty exhausted overall, but I think I pulled out pretty well despite the conditions,” Lamb said. “I didn’t get any best times, but I got pretty close, so I’m pretty satisfied.”

The duo teamed with Dylan Kab and Jeff Paske to win the 200 medley relay in 1:41.07. Kab, Arve, Lamb and Zach D’Alessio won the 400 free relay in 3:20.34, 8.5 seconds ahead of the field.

Green Hope freshman Dominick Glavich entered the day having won every 200 freestyle and 100 breaststroke race he swam during the season, and that streak continued.

Glavich won the 200 freestyle in 1:44.63 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:00.46. Green Hope teammate Ryan Mahoney won the 100 freestyle in 48.20 seconds.

“This prepped me for regionals, so I know what I’m up against and how hard I need to train to be at the top,” Glavich said.

‘The coolest thing ever’

When he looked at the heat sheet and compared times, Green Hope’s Swartz thought Apex might overtake the Falcons after the 200 free relay.

He was close.

Apex, which trailed Green Hope by as many as 46 points, trimmed the deficit to one point after it won the 200 free relay then overtook the Falcons in the next event, the 100 backstroke, and never looked back.

“It’s the coolest thing ever,” said Apex junior Brittany Crisp, who won the 100 freestyle in 56.60 seconds. “I can’t even explain it because we haven’t won in so long. So it’s cool to be a part of it.”

The Cougars won four events on the day. In addition to Crisp’s win in the 100 free and the 200 free relay team’s win, Myers won her two events and was named the meet’s most outstanding swimmer. Myers won the 200 freestyle in 1:54.33 and the 100 backstroke in 59.34 seconds.

After six events, the Cougars trailed Green Hope 256-212.

Crisp’s win in the 100 free helped turn Apex’s fortunes around and came as a bit of surprise.

“I’ve had a block, and I finally did what I’ve been trying to do for so long, and it felt great,” said Crisp, whose seed time was the third fastest in the race. “[Huff] told me to just relax and not worry about anything. That’s what I did, and it worked perfectly.”

Within two races, Apex cut Green Hope’s lead to one point. Myers’ win in the backstroke helped the Cougars outscore Green Hope 51-43 in the race and secure the lead for good.

Heading into the final race, the only thing that would have derailed Apex’s title would have been a disqualification in the 400 free relay.

“We were slated to be second when you look at all the seeds,” Swartz said. “If [Apex] had been disqualified, we’d be on top of the board right now. We did everything we could do to put ourselves in position.”

Green Hope’s Whitney Sweesy won the 50 free in 25.36 seconds, and teammate Katie Lehman won the 100 butterfly in 1:01.16.

Athens’ Kirsten Smith joined Myers as the only swimmer to win her two individual events. Smith won the 200 individual medley in 2:02.29, a new pool record, and the 500 free in 4:58.30. Smith also helped the Jaguars’ 200 medley relay team, along with Katie Olson, Elyse Elder and Meredith Hardy, to a first-place finish.

Cary’s Torrey Bussey won the 100 breaststroke in 1:06.22.

Now everyone turns their attention toward the 4-A East Regional championships, which will be Friday at N.C. State’s Casey Natatorium. There, both Apex teams will have the chance to unseat the only team they lost to all season — Enloe. Both Eagles boys and girls have won the East the last nine straight years.