Patriots tankers finish second

The returning state medalist and state qualifiers were faster Saturday than they were at the same time last season. So is everyone else on the roster.
That wasn’t enough for an invitational victory, but it has the Patriot coaches excited for the rest of the season.
Jay County High School’s girls swim team won eight of 12 events as it hosted the Jay County Invitational, but the Oak Hill Golden Eagles put three swimmers in the top 10 of five events to take the title. OHHS, which handed the Patriots their only dual meet loss by an 173-141 score on Dec. 8, used its depth to score 429 points for a 90-point win in the 15-team competition
“We were faster than we were last year at this time, and look what we did last year,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik, whose team won its first sectional title a year ago and finished in the top 16 in the state in six events. “And we’re swimming more tired than we were last year.”
Jay County’s boys were third out of 13 scoring teams with 327 points.
Oak Hill swept the meet as its boys scored 480 points to finish ahead of Celina (376) and the Patriots.
“We did a good job of attacking our goals,” said JCHS boys coach Cori Vormohr. “Individually we’re doing really well. Each kid had a lifetime best or a season best in one of his events.”
Fort Recovery’s girls scored 175 points for sixth place. The Indians were last in the boys field with 17 points.
The Patriot girls started strong as Anne Vormohr, Sophie Bader, Alex Bader and Ashley Mark posted by far their best time of the season — 1:51.86 — to win the 200-yard medley relay. Vormohr won the 50 freestyle three events later, but Oak Hill took second and third to pull even with JCHS and then outscored the home team 27-9 in diving to nab the lead for good.
The Golden Eagles pulled away by taking second and third in the 100 freestyle behind Alex Bader’s win in 55.21 and then claiming three of the top six positions in the 500 freestyle with Lizzie Wood fighting off Mark for the win.
Vormohr’s second individual win was a blowout as she took the 100 backstroke, in which she has two state medals, by almost seven seconds in 58.88. Sophie Bader won the 200 freestyle by almost 10 seconds in 1:58.96 and the 100 butterfly in 59.16, and her sophomore sister Alex earned her second win in the 100 breaststroke in 1:10.35.
Mark, Vormohr and the Bader sisters were also first in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.73. Mark (2:28.09) was third in the 200 individual medley, and Jamie Valentine (1:15.05) finished third in the 100 breaststroke.
“Over half of our times today were either personal bests or season bests. And that’s saying a lot,” said Slavik. “And when your top three girls that all made it to the top 16 at the state tournament are swimming faster than they were last year at this time, it’s a good feeling.”
Sok Vormohr led the boys team with his pair of runner-up efforts in his rematches against Celina’s Mason Baker. They had met in Thursday’s dual meet, with Baker winning the 50 freestyle and Vormohr scoring a comeback victory in the 100 freestyle. This time around, Vormohr’s late surge in the 100 freestyle came up short as he was the runner-up in both races in 23.35 and 50.75 respectively.
Connor Daniels trailed Baker and Vormohr in the freestyle sprints, placing fifth in both, and Jason Minnich took fifth in the 200 freestyle.
Cori Stone was the only swimmer to stay even remotely close to Sophie Bader in the 200 freestyle, turning in Fort Recovery’s top effort with a second-place finish in 2:08.57. She was also third in the 100 butterfly.
“I think (the competition) helped push her to get the time that she did,” said FRHS coach Mindy Bubp, “to be able to swim against Jay County and Versailles and Oak Hill … all tremendously strong teams.”
Sophie Timmerman placed third in the 500 freestyle and fourth in the 100 breaststroke, and Cassy Martin was fifth in the 200 individual medley.
Alexis Bubp, Stone, Timmerman and Martin broke the FRHS record in the 200 freestyle relay, finishing sixth in 1:49.07.
Nolan Thobe’s 14th-place finish in the 100 breaststroke led the Tribe boys.