Patriots repeat as champions

The Patriots are on top again.

Jay County High School’s girls swim team won all but two events on Friday in repeating as Allen County Athletic Conference champions.

The Patriots scored 440 points to claim the conference title for the second year in a row, a season after winning every event in totaling 459 points.

Bluffton was runner-up with 380 points, ahead of Adams Central (217) and South Adams (154).

The boys of Bluffton repeated as champions, scoring 318 points. Jay County was second with 304 as it moved up one spot from the previous year. Adams Central (288) and South Adams (226) were third and fourth respectively.

Eliza Bader, Ashlyn Dow and Erica Hathway each had a pair of individual wins and had their hand in a pair of winning relays.

Bader was first in the 100-yard butterfly in 59.14 seconds, and had a time of 1 minute, 3.02 seconds, to win the 100 backstroke. 

Dow won the 100 freestyle in 55.2 seconds while also finishing ahead of the field in the 100 breaststroke in 1:09.65. 

Hathaway touched the wall first in the 200 freestyle (2:09.55) and 500 freestyle (5:46.17)

Bader and Hathaway joined Rieley Brewster and Lilli Clemmons to finish first in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:54.2.

Vivienne Kunkler, Dow, Bader and Brewster combined to win the 200 medley relay in 1:56.59, while Elayna Paro, Dow, Hathaway and Kunkler finished first in the 200 freestyle relay with their time of 1:47.58.

Emily Dues (diving – 165.75) also won for the JCHS girls.

South Adams senior Ashley LeFever had the Starfires’ only win, taking the 50 freestyle with her time of 25.42 seconds.

The South Adams boys got a pair of wins from Kam Yoder. The senior was first in the 50 freestyle (23.38) and 100 butterfly (56.66).