Seven make finals

The Patriots will swim in the finals of seven events.

The returning champions are the top seed in the same number of races.

Jay County High School’s boys swim team had two individuals make the final heat in two events apiece and had all three relays qualify as well during the IHSAA swimming sectional preliminaries on Thursday.

The top eight places from preliminaries advance to the championship heat, while those finishing ninth through 16 will swim in the consolation finals as the meet resumes at 1 p.m. Saturday. The diving portion of the sectional will begin at 6 p.m. tonight.

Delta, which has won six consecutive sectional championships, earned the top seed in seven events.

Kyle Sanders earned the best individual seed for the Patriots, taking second in the 200-yard freestyle with his time of 1 minute, 54.96 seconds. Delta’s Sam Arnold is the top seed in 1:52.86. Sanders will also be seeded fourth in the 100 freestyle in 50.69 seconds. Bluffton’s Caleb Geimer had a time of 49.72 seconds for the top seed.

Griffin Mann, a senior, will be seeded fifth in the 100 breaststroke as he posted a time of 1:06.54. Justin Xia of Burris earned the No. 1 seed at 1:00.41. Mann’s time of 23.84 seconds will be eighth in the 50 freestyle. Delta’s Brady Samuels set the sectional record with a time of 20.86 seconds.

Nick Lyons, Aaron Funkhouser, Mann and Sanders will be seeded sixth in the 200 medley relay. Sam Crump, Mann, Sanders and Funkhouser earned the No. 7 seed in the 400 freestyle relay, while Konner Sommers, Ralph Link, Wyatt Kunkler and Lyons will be seeded eighth in the 200 freestyle relay.

Swimming in the consolation finals will be Wyatt Kunkler (14th – 200 freestyle), Timo Minnich (16th – 200 freestyle), Josh Monroe (ninth – 100 breaststroke, 14th – 50 freestyle), Lyons (15th – 100 backstroke), Ralph Link (16th – 100 breaststroke), Funkhouser (16th – 50 freestyle) and Sommers (16th – 100 butterfly).