James Ridgeway went into last weekend’s Illinois High School Association Swimming and Diving Championships at New Trier High School looking to become the first Shamrock ever to win multiple state championships. Ridgeway was able to pull it off, winning the 100-Yard Breaststroke in a close race over Kevin Puskaric Lincoln-Way East. Ridgeway’s winning time was 56.52. Ridgeway nearly pulled off a double, finishing second to Brett Lullo of Naperville Central in the 200-Yard Individual Medley. Ridgeway’s time of 1:51.89 Thanks to the efforts of Ridgeway, Saint Patrick finished 14th in the state in the team competition with 29 points.

On Friday afternoon, Ridgeway finished first among the qualifiers for the 100-Yard Breaststroke with a time of 55.91, more than a second and a quarter ahead of his nearest competitor. Ridgeway also secured a spot in the championship finals of the 200-Yard Individual Medley. His time of 1:52.34 was the best in the qualifying round. On Saturday Ridgeway was able to shave nearly half a second off of his qualifying time in the 200-Yard Individual Medley.