BISD Turns in historic performance at state meet

February 27, 2025

By Aries Ramos

Belton Journal

The Belton ISD swim teams made a strong statement at the UIL-5A State Championship, with the Lake Belton Broncos and the Belton Tigers delivering historic performances. 

With many state qualifiers from both programs and multiple school records broken, the weekend marked a significant milestone for Belton ISD swimming.

The Lake Belton Broncos continued raising the bar for their program, sending their largest swimmers to the state meet.

Five Broncos earned their spot in the competition: Elizabeth Simeroth (Jr.), Gwen Clark (Fr.), Christine Kim (Jr), Brooke Philips (Sr.), and David Stewart (Jr.).

Christine Kim delivered a standout performance, becoming the first Bronco swimmer to place in the top eight in the state. She finished fourth in the 50-yard freestyle and sixth in the 100-yard freestyle,  demonstrating her speed at the highest level. During prelims, Kim shattered her school record in the 50 freestyle with a time of 23.57 seconds, further cementing her status as one of the top sprinters in school history

The girls’ 400-yard freestyle relay team, composed of Simeroth, Clark, Kim, and Phillips, finished 19th overall, representing Lake Belton on the state stage in the relay competition for the first time. 

On the boys’ side, David Stewart put up an intense fight in his events, placing 23rd in the 200-yard freestyle and 20th in the 100-yard freestyle.

The girls team wrapped up the meet with a 22nd-place finish among the 50 point-scoring teams.

The Belton Tigers also left their mark on the state meet, sending a record five swimmers to compete: Olivia Billhart, Mackenzie Gingerich, Liliana Nelson, Addison Richardson, and Ema Whitzel, The Tigers reached new heights by qualifying two girls relay teams for state competition, another first in program history.

Liliana Nelson made headlines by breaking the school record in the 200- yard freestyle, posting a time of 1:55.44 during prelims. She followed up that performance by finishing 15th in the event during finals, proving her ability to compete among the best in Texas. She also placed 13th in the 500-yard freestyle, adding to the Tigers point total.

In the boys 500-yard freestyle, Addison Richardson became the first swimmer in Belton boys history to secure a top-10 finish at the 5A state meet. He placed ninth overall with a time of 4:48.05.

The Tigers’ relay teams also performed well, with the 200-yard freestyle relay (Nelson, Gingerich, Whitzel, Brillhart) finishing 18th and the 400- yard freestyle relay team placing 13th

As a team, the Belton girls finished 35th in the standings with 14 points, while the boys placed 39th with nine points.

The Lake Belton Broncos and the Belton Tigers proved they belong among the state’s best, setting new program records and competing at a high level. Belton ISD swimming is on an upward trajectory with a growing number of state qualifiers and young talent rising through the ranks. This season’s success lays the foundation for even more significant achievements in the years to come.