Jay tops SA in virtual meet

PORTLAND and BERNE — Schools have gone virtual. Meetings have as well.

So why not a swim meet, too?

The Jay County Summer Swim Team competed Tuesday night in a virtual meet with the South Adams. Jay County had its respective swimmers participate at Portland Water Park, while South Adams swam at Berne Pool.

The times were taken separately and then compiled Wednesday to determine a winner.

Jay County, which was uncontested in every relay race, had a commanding victory, taking all but five of the 62 individual events for a 816-165 win.

Jordyn Champ, Kenna Arnold and Finn Hemmelgarn were all triple event winners in the 8-and-younger age group. Champ was first in the long freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke, Arnold had the top spot in the butterfly, individual medley and short freestyle, and Hemmelgarn had the fastest time in the long freestyle, butterfly and backstroke races.

Raif Beiswanger (9-and-10-year-old) and Lauren Fisher (11-and-12-year-old) won the long freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke in their respective age groups.

Matthew Fisher (11-and-12-year-old) got wins in the IM, breaststroke and short freestyle. In the 13-and-14-year-old division, Morgan DeHoff (butterfly, IM and breaststroke) and Joseph Dow (butterfly, breaststroke and short freestyle) earned three wins, so too did Kyle Sanders (200-yard freestyle, butterfly and short freestyle) and Griffin Mann (long freestyle, IM, breaststroke) in the 15-and-older division.

Murphy Link (8-and-younger), Kaitlyn Fisher (9-and-10-year-old), Maria Laux (9-and-10-year-old), Maddy Snow (11-and-12-year-old), Timo Minnich (13-and-14-year-old), Mara Bader (15-and-older) and Eliza Bader (15-and-older) each had a pair of victories.

Grabbing single wins were Karsen Kuhn, Brooklyn Byrum, Sam Wiggins, Rockland Besiwanger, Ben Fisher, Owen Muhlenkamp, Jacob Monroe, Aubrey Millspaugh, Rhianna Hartman, Lincoln Clamme, Emil Dues, Rieley Brewster and Ashlyn Dow.

Jay County will close its season by going head-to-head virtually with South Adams once again for the Wabash Valley Conference championships. Jay County will swim its portion at 8:30 a.m. July 30.