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RHMS girls take home three medals at state meet
Left to right: Sophia Zhao, Mia Montano, Aili Hines, Marianne Hatala. Photos provided.

Small, but powerful, a group of female swimmers from Richmond Hill went home with medals at the 2026 Georgia Age Group Long Course State Championship, July 16-19 at Georgia Tech in Atlanta.

The four girls, Aili Hines, age 11, Mia Montano, 11, Marianne Hatala, 12, and Sophia Zhao, 12, attend Richmond Hill Middle School and are swimmers on GCAT.

They competed in and medaled in the following races:

  • Third place in the Girls 12 & Under 200 meter medley relay with a time 2:17.09 -- Montano- backstroke, Hatala- breaststroke, Zhao- butterfly and Hines- freestyle.
  • Second place in the Girls 12 & under 400 meter freestyle relay with a time 4:24.85.
  • Third place in the Girls 12 & under 200 meter freestyle relay with a time of 2:01.36.

The girls cheering on the final leg of the relay.
Left to right: Sophia Zhao, Mia Montano, Marianne Hatala, Aili Hines.