02/11/2026
Under the leadership of coaches Alisa Dusan, Ryan Dobbs, and Fran Adair, our Veritas Swim Team delivered a historic performance at the TAPPS State Championships. For the first time in school history, the Girls team claimed the State Championship title, winning gold by an incredible 58-point margin. After finishing 2nd, 4th, and 3rd in recent years, this long-anticipated victory marks a defining moment for the program.
The Boys team earned the title of State Runner-Up, finishing just five points behind British International of Houston and securing their 10th consecutive Top-2 finish at State — a decade-long legacy of excellence in TAPPS swimming. Even more remarkable, this is the second year in a row that both the Boys and Girls teams have finished Top 2 at the State Championships — a rare and extraordinary accomplishment.
Five of six Veritas relays finished on the podium, including a State Championship victory in the Girls 200 Medley Relay (Kate MacPherson, Bailey McGehee, Julia Rhodes, and Jane Thomas). The Boys 400 Freestyle Relay (Aiden Diaz, Nathan Kozubek, Andrew Morgan, and Silas Sekula) dropped an impressive 23 seconds on their way to a fourth-place finish.
Senior captain Kate MacPherson and senior chaplain Julia Rhodes earned 1st Team All-State honors, each finishing Top 5 in all four of their events. Senior Bailey McGehee and junior Jane Thomas also received 1st Team All-State recognition, while junior chaplain Haddie Dusan earned 2nd Team All-State. Several swimmers earned All-State Honorable Mention, including Abigail Rhodes, Lorelei Dobbs, Caleb Eilers, Nathan Kozubek, Brayden Nelson, and Lyle Thorburn.
Congratulations to this exceptional group of student-athletes and to every member of the DeFINder family — swimmers, student leaders, parents, and coaches — who made this championship season one to remember.