Stingrays secure state championship
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
EDMOND — The Shawnee Stingray swim team recaptured the team state championship on Saturday, March 14, powered by a dominant performance on the girl's side.
Winning titles is nothing new for the Stingrays. Over the past three decades, they’ve collected more than their share.
How many?
That’s hard to say.
A tornado wiped out the trophy collection. Like the YMCA itself, the program had to rebuild from the ground up.
“Everyone was pretty happy when we were not around,” volunteer assistant coach Valarie Colburn said.
“But nobody forgot about us. We may be one of the smaller communities competing, but our reach extends well beyond the area. We have swimmers coming from as far away as Stroud and Kingfisher to be part of this program.”
The 2026 Winter YMCA State Meet was held at the Edmond Aquatic Center at Mitch Park YMCA.
It didn’t take long for the Stingrays to make a statement.
In the very first race of the meet, Caris Tilley powered her way to victory in the Girls 9–18 500-yard freestyle, touching the wall in an outstanding 6:03.
And once they got going… there was no slowing the Stingrays down.
Shawnee piled up points throughout the meet, finishing with 1,002.50 combined points to secure the state championship. The Stingrays dominated the girl's standings with 603.50 points, while the boys added a strong 399-point performance to finish second and help lock down the overall title.
The depth of the Stingrays was evident across every age group.
Shawnee produced four individual top scorers:
Sophia Gao (9–10 girls), co-champion (34 points)
Evelyn Mann (11–12 girls), champion (36 points)
Liam Tilley (13–14 boys), champion (36 points)
Makenzie Burch (15–18 girls), champion (36 points)
Additional top finishes came from throughout the lineup. Maxx Burch placed second in the 11–12 boys division with 31 points, while Archer Dunn finished third with 25. Jun Gao tied for second in the 15–18 boys division with 30 points, and Laken Tilley added a third-place finish in the 13–14 girls division with 31 points.
The boys team played a key role throughout the meet, consistently adding points and maintaining position in the standings as Shawnee built its lead.
And once again, the Stingrays found themselves at the top.
