Saginaw made a splash at the Region 2-5A Regional Swimming Championships held at the Mansfield Sports Complex on Feb. 9-10. In the prelims, the Girls 200 Medley Relay (Autumn Smith, Macey Braden, Divya Chhetri, Amber Lewis) secured 15th, while the Girls 200 Freestyle Relay (Sophianne Cortes, Ava Washington, Braden, Chhetri) surpassed their best time by two seconds, finishing 17th and claiming the first alternate spot for finals. The Girls 400 Freestyle Relay, featuring the same group as the 200 relay, earned an 11th place finish and advanced to the finals. Notably, Cortes delivered outstanding individual performances, clinching first in the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly, breaking her own school record in the latter. Heading into the finals, every Rough Rider who swam in the prelims secured a spot.

In the finals, the team secured the 14th fastest Girls 200 Medley Relay and the 11th fastest Girls 400 Freestyle Relay in the Region. Cortes emerged as the Regional Champion and State Qualifier in both the 50 Freestyle and the 100 Butterfly. Cortes will now represent Saginaw at the UIL State Swimming Championships on Feb. 23-24 at the Lee & Joe Jamail Texas Swimming Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Photo Gallery: