January 26, 2018 at 5:08 a.m.
Swimmers sweep Marion
Swimmers sweep Marion
The Patriot boys are hoping to close the season on a win streak.
For the girls, the winning ways went wire-to-wire.
Jay County High School’s swim teams swept the Marion Giants on Thursday with the boys using their numbers for a 116-68 victory while the girls took the top three spots in half of the events, including a relay, to dominate by a 154-29 score.
Half of the Patriot boys’ four wins have come this week, as they also defeated Blackford as part of a double-dual Tuesday. They will close the regular season next week at Adams Central.
“Every week we’ve gotten better and better,” said Slavik. “These boys have responded every time we’ve asked something of them. it was a good meet for them. It was good to see them excited and pick up a win.
“Right now we’re just wanting to end the season on a high note … And we’re well on our way there.”
The blowout from the girls completed the second perfect regular-season in school history at 13-0. (The other came in 2014.)
“They had a great night tonight,” said Slavik. “That’s a tremendous feat for this class of kids. The girls are leaving their mark.”
Seniors Garrett Campbell and Alex LeMaster each picked up a victory in the final home meet of their careers for the Patriot boys (4-8).
LeMaster went first, cruising to a victory by nearly 25 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:57.11. Campbell’s race was closer, but still a strong victory as he beat Marion’s Tyler Morgan by more than three seconds with a time of 1:05.19 in the 100 backstroke.
Tayler Smeltzer was part of a couple of one-two finishes, taking the top spot in the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.12 ahead of Griffin Mann and finishing second to Skyler Myers (2:09.69) in the 200 freestyle. Orlando Castro earned the other win with 172.85 points as the Patriots were uncontested in diving.
“Alex LeMaster dropped seven seconds in the 500 freestyle,” said Slavik. “He did a great job.
“Garrett Campbell had a couple good, solid swims for us tonight.”
Chase McFarland, Campbell, Smeltzer and Myers took first in the 200 medley relay in 1:54.6, and Daylen Young, McFarland, Myers and Mann won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:07.26.
The girls team spread the wealth against Marion, with eight different athletes earning individual victories.
The lone double winner was Vivienne Kunkler, who topped the charts in the 50 freestyle in 27.37 and 100 butterfly in 1:15.99.
Seniors Mackenzie Knisely (diving – 158.2 points), Elizabeth McDowell (100 freestyle – 1:02.41) and Alex Bader (100 backstroke – 1:09.08) closed out their home dual-meet carries with one win apiece, and senior first-year swimmer Gabby Kunkler took to the diving board for the first time and placed second.
Other victories came from Ashlyn Dow (200 freestyle – 2:08.17), Erica Hathaway (200 individual medley – 2:34.32), Eliza Bader (500 freestyle – 6:03.65) and Rieley Brewster (100 breaststroke – 1:26.27).
Jay County was so dominant that it took the top four spots in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with Kearsten Myers, Jenna Dunfee, Alex Bader and McDowell leading the way in 1:54.83. Kelly Strausburg, Lilli Clemmons, Gabby Kunkler and Alex Bader took the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:26.57, and Ashlyn Dow, Hathaway, Clemmons and McDowell claimed the victory in the 200 medley relay in 2:06.01.
Brewster, Dunfee, Hathaway, Clemmons, Emma James and Kaitlyn Dow all added second-place finishes in individual events, and Kelly Strausbug, Grace Lavy and Kassidy Fennig earned thirds.
While winning by wide margins over Marion on Thursday and both Blackford and Burris on Tuesday, the girls team used the week as a bit of a cool down following Saturday’s Allen County Athletic Conference Championships. It’s part of the preparation for next week’s sectional — preliminaries are Thursday with finals to follow Feb. 3 — during which the Patriots hope to earn their third title in four years.
“It makes it more fun,” said Slavik. “We’ve got to be light. We’ve got to be loose. We’ve got to be coming into this taper positive. …
“It’s great. It’s a mental thing. Half of a taper is pure mental. …
“Being able to have these meets and be relaxed and loose saved us a little bit.”
For the girls, the winning ways went wire-to-wire.
Jay County High School’s swim teams swept the Marion Giants on Thursday with the boys using their numbers for a 116-68 victory while the girls took the top three spots in half of the events, including a relay, to dominate by a 154-29 score.
Half of the Patriot boys’ four wins have come this week, as they also defeated Blackford as part of a double-dual Tuesday. They will close the regular season next week at Adams Central.
“Every week we’ve gotten better and better,” said Slavik. “These boys have responded every time we’ve asked something of them. it was a good meet for them. It was good to see them excited and pick up a win.
“Right now we’re just wanting to end the season on a high note … And we’re well on our way there.”
The blowout from the girls completed the second perfect regular-season in school history at 13-0. (The other came in 2014.)
“They had a great night tonight,” said Slavik. “That’s a tremendous feat for this class of kids. The girls are leaving their mark.”
Seniors Garrett Campbell and Alex LeMaster each picked up a victory in the final home meet of their careers for the Patriot boys (4-8).
LeMaster went first, cruising to a victory by nearly 25 seconds in the 500-yard freestyle in 5:57.11. Campbell’s race was closer, but still a strong victory as he beat Marion’s Tyler Morgan by more than three seconds with a time of 1:05.19 in the 100 backstroke.
Tayler Smeltzer was part of a couple of one-two finishes, taking the top spot in the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.12 ahead of Griffin Mann and finishing second to Skyler Myers (2:09.69) in the 200 freestyle. Orlando Castro earned the other win with 172.85 points as the Patriots were uncontested in diving.
“Alex LeMaster dropped seven seconds in the 500 freestyle,” said Slavik. “He did a great job.
“Garrett Campbell had a couple good, solid swims for us tonight.”
Chase McFarland, Campbell, Smeltzer and Myers took first in the 200 medley relay in 1:54.6, and Daylen Young, McFarland, Myers and Mann won the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:07.26.
The girls team spread the wealth against Marion, with eight different athletes earning individual victories.
The lone double winner was Vivienne Kunkler, who topped the charts in the 50 freestyle in 27.37 and 100 butterfly in 1:15.99.
Seniors Mackenzie Knisely (diving – 158.2 points), Elizabeth McDowell (100 freestyle – 1:02.41) and Alex Bader (100 backstroke – 1:09.08) closed out their home dual-meet carries with one win apiece, and senior first-year swimmer Gabby Kunkler took to the diving board for the first time and placed second.
Jay County was so dominant that it took the top four spots in the 200-yard freestyle relay, with Kearsten Myers, Jenna Dunfee, Alex Bader and McDowell leading the way in 1:54.83. Kelly Strausburg, Lilli Clemmons, Gabby Kunkler and Alex Bader took the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:26.57, and Ashlyn Dow, Hathaway, Clemmons and McDowell claimed the victory in the 200 medley relay in 2:06.01.
Brewster, Dunfee, Hathaway, Clemmons, Emma James and Kaitlyn Dow all added second-place finishes in individual events, and Kelly Strausbug, Grace Lavy and Kassidy Fennig earned thirds.
While winning by wide margins over Marion on Thursday and both Blackford and Burris on Tuesday, the girls team used the week as a bit of a cool down following Saturday’s Allen County Athletic Conference Championships. It’s part of the preparation for next week’s sectional — preliminaries are Thursday with finals to follow Feb. 3 — during which the Patriots hope to earn their third title in four years.
“It makes it more fun,” said Slavik. “We’ve got to be light. We’ve got to be loose. We’ve got to be coming into this taper positive. …
“It’s great. It’s a mental thing. Half of a taper is pure mental. …
“Being able to have these meets and be relaxed and loose saved us a little bit.”
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