TIFTON — Tift County will get the opportunity to host its biggest swim meet of the high school season Saturday, with the Blue Devil Invitational, which takes place at the pool on the former Darton State campus.

The competition will involve high and middle schools.

Head coach Ivey Vickers said she expected up to 20 teams to participate at the meet. Fifteen had been confirmed earlier this week. Six or more middle schools will take the plunge. Among the high schools who have accepted are Lee County, Coffee, Warner Robins, Veterans, Camden County, Spalding, Bainbridge, Colquitt County and she will have at least one team coming in from Columbus.

Vickers said the meet had always been a good one for Tift County.

The season has been going well, too, she said.

Tift finished sixth overall (of 33 teams) at their last meet, held Dec. 16 in Athens at the University of Georgia’s Ramsey Center. The Lady Devils were fifth in competition with 184 points.

“That was really good,” Vickers said.

At Athens, five swimmers finished in the top five. Kirsten Murphy and Beau Bengston were fourth in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, respectively. Bengston was fifth in the 500 freestyle, as was Lauren Stone. Olivia Thomas, Karoline Ponder, Ansley Mobley and Kirsten Murphy combined for fifth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Vickers said multiple Tift swimmers have already made state cuts. Mobley, Thomas, Ponder, Murphy, Stone, Bengston, Ashlee Golden, Stephanie Connell, Samuel Lawson, Jacob Redd, J.D. Bengston and Caleb Rice are all guaranteed to compete at state in various events.

Stone and Ponder have already qualified for an amazing six races each, Murphy and Redd in five.

The few setbacks for Tift County this year have mainly been illness-related, she said.

Even the cold isn’t stopping them. During a week where snow fell in the county, Tift’s teams continue to practice outdoors. Thankfully, the Swim Devils have a heated pool, though Vickers joked that she might get frostbite from coaching them.

In addition to the state cuts, a number of swimmers have set records for Vickers’ coaching tenure.

Eight new marks have been established. Redd, J.D. Bengston, Beau Bengston and Rice hold the record in the 200 medley relay. Individually, Beau Bengston (100 butterfly, 500 freestyle and 100 backstroke), Redd (200 individual medley), Murphy (200 individual medley, 100 butterfly) and Ponder (100 freestyle) are new record-holders.

The Swim Devils will be back in Albany next Saturday for the Trojan Invitational, hosted by Lee County and also held at the Darton pool. Region will be Jan. 19 at South Georgia State in Douglas, with the annual Last Chance Meet at the local YMCA pool Jan. 22. State will be the first week of February.