Orange swimming’s Katie Belle Sikes, Luke Roman & Alex Andre talk winning regional championships

It is the final week of swimming season and several Orange Panthers are going for state championships. In the case of Orange senior Katie Belle Sikes, she will complete her legacy as the most accomplished swimmer in the history of Hillsborough. On Saturday, Sikes claimed two more individual regional championships at the Central Regional Championships at the Greensboro Aquatic Center. Sikes won the 50 yard freestyle regional championship for the fourth year in a row, ending with a time of 23.11 seconds. For the third consecutive year, Sikes captured the 100 yard freestyle title at 51.17 seconds. In both races, Orange sophomore Piper White finished runner-up behind Sikes. It helped the Orange women finish second in the Central Regional championships, its best-ever showing. On the men’s side, Orange had the top two finishers in the 500 yard freestyle. Junior Luke Roman won his first regional championship at 4:45.59. His teammate, Alex Andre, finished 2nd at 4:50.54. Later that night, Andre won his first regional championship in the 200 yard individual medley. He touched the wall at 2:01.50 in the tightest race of the night. Carrboro’s Matt Strada finished second at 2:01.72. Sikes, Roman and Andre will join their teammates in the 3A State Swimming Championships on Thursday at the Triangle Aquatic Center in Cary. It will be Sikes final meet as an Orange Panther. She has three individual state championships in her career, as well as a relay championship with Riley White, Ainsley Rasinske and Piper White. In 2023, Sikes was named the Most Outstanding Swimmer of the 3A State Championships.