East Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill and Carrboro swimmers all won regional titles last week as they surged toward the upcoming state championships.

All of the N.C. High School Athletics Association ‘s state championship swim meets will be at the Triangle Aquatics Center in Cary: the 4A on Thursday, the 3A Friday and the 1A / 2A on Saturday.

Diving championships for each classification will be held the day before its respective swim meet.

Diving was a big factor in last weekend’s 4A Central Region championships in Greensboro, where East Chapel Hill team the boys’ and girls’ championships.

East Chapel Hill started the meet already down 49 points to Greensboro’s Grimsley High School, thanks to the Whirlies’ diving performances.

East Chapel Hill set the standard for N.C. high school diving when it had future Olympian Nick McCrory and future Tar Heel Ryland Jones in the same lineup, and East’s James Brady continued the tradition by winning the 1-meter event last week, but Grimsley overwhelmed the competition by sheer numbers — with four divers to East’s one.

The Wildcats surged back in front in the Greensboro Aquatic Center pool. The East boys produced 22 personal best times and swamped Grimsley by a 386-230 margin to win the meet. East’s girls improved even more, with 26 setting personal bests in a close meet, which East won with 396.5 points to Grimsely’s 329.

“What a team!” exclaimed East Chapel Hill coach Lyn Smith. “We are so proud of the way that they trained hard all season. The high school-only swimmers see the payoff now in their taper.”

East is sending 23 swimmers onto Thursday’s state meet: 13 girls — Kathy Dai, Elizabeth Jensen, Annabelle Kayye, Caroline Liu, CeCe Marzinsky, Keira Mcullough, Maggie Meshnick, Cori Sept, Morgan Smith, Maya Sokoletsky, Lucy Stuart, Jen Xu and Chelsea Yu; and 10 males — James Brady, Matt Creatore, Conor Guest, Will Krakow, Max Howes, Oliver Hudgins, Liam McCulllough, Koya Osada, Shuya Osada and Michael Wohl.

Smith was a double-winner for East’s girls, earning firsts in the 200 and 100 freestyle.

Howes (200 free, 100 free) and Koya Osada (200 IM, 100 back) were both double-winners for the East boys.

CHHS gets a first, second

Swimming Saturday at the TAC in Cary, the Chapel Hill girls won the 3A East Regionals by a 468-362 margin over conference rival Cardinal Gibbons.

The places were reversed in the extremely close boys’ meet, where, Cardinal Gibbons edged Chapel Hill by a 449-421 margin.

Orange was seventh in the girls’ meet with 99 points — thanks to Michaela Nolte’s wins in the 450 and 100 free — and finished 29th in the boys’ regional.

Claire DeSelm (100 butterfly) and Anabelle Durham (100 backstroke) won individual title for Chapel Hill.

Jaguars win titles

Carrboro swimmers provided a impressive performance in the 1A / 2A East regional meet last Thursday in the Triangle Aquatic center — winning four events and getting seconds in nine others.

Will MacMillan won the 100 backstroke, took second in the 200 free style and swam on Carrboro’s winning 200 medley relay and 400 free relay.

Thomas Bilden likewise won the 100 butterfly and was in on both the winning relays.