Happy to be hosts (11/09/07)

For the last three seasons, Jay County High School swim teams have had to deal with a grim reality.

No matter what their regular season brought - the Patriot girls were solid at 8-6 last season, halting a streak of three consecutive losing seasons - there was little, if any, hope in the postseason. That's because the sectional tournament was held at Homestead.

The host Spartans, ranked No. 3 in the state to start the season and a perennial top-10 team, routinely took three of the top six places in each event in a tournament where only the top competitor is guaranteed to advance. Often, Homestead finished first, second and third, leaving the scraps for the remaining teams.

But that situation is changing this year as Jay County is hosting the boys and girls sectional tournaments again, and the Spartans are out of the field.

"I've seen a whole different attitude in the girls since they found out that we were getting the sectional back," said JCHS girls coach Bev Arnold, whose team last hosted in 2004. "The last three years they practiced hard and they improved their time, but they always knew that pretty much the door was going to be slammed shut at the end of the season. And now we can see the light."

It shines fairly bright, especially for Jay County's leader.

Cori Vormohr, a junior who holds four JCHS records, was the only Patriot to even make the finals in an individual swimming event last season at Homestead, finishing second in the sectional breaststroke and fourth in the butterfly. Both were excellent efforts, but left her short of the state finals.

However, comparing the 2007 sectional times among the teams - Adams Central, Bellmont, Blackford, Bluffton, Delta, Muncie Central, Muncie Southside, Norwell and South Adams - who will be at JCHS this season shows just what Vormohr might be capable of. In that grouping, her time in the butterfly was best by nearly five seconds, and she would have also been first in the breaststroke by more than two seconds.

"Definitely getting the sectional back here, that's going to open up some doors for her and hopefully get her to state," said Arnold, who has not had a state competitor since Sarah Miller in diving in 2004 and no swimmers since the 200-yard freestyle relay team (Abby Arnold, Janelle Johnson, Rachel McKee and Megan Franks) qualified in 2002. "I'd really like to work on some combinations with relays to see if we can get (one through). ... I truly think we can get maybe more than one diver on to regional."

Arnold will have plenty of divers to work with, including top returnee April Acker.

The junior finished sixth at Homestead last season, and her score of 280.05 would have been good for third and a regional berth in the current grouping. Joining her in returning this year is classmate Tricia Skiver (10th in the 2006 sectional).

Sophomore Nadlie Runyon joins the team as a first-year diver along with freshman Megan Taylor.

"When we're at a home meet we can have four (diving) entries," said Arnold. "That gives you some competition among the girls ... I think we should be solid. As an event, we will score lots of points in diving this year."

Runyon also sports big potential thanks to her background in gymnastics.

"She has a body awareness," Arnold said. "She'll be able to somersault, she'll be able to twist. It should be not too difficult to fine-tune that. We should be able to get to regional."

Sophomore Michelle Landfair and junior Briann Saxman return as the only two Patriots other than Vormohr who reached the finals or consolation finals in individual swimming events in the 2006 sectional.

Saxman posted a ninth-place finish behind Vormohr in the butterfly, and Landfair was 12th in the 100-yard freestyle.

Alysha Miller, a stalwart in Jay County's summer and winter club programs, is also expected to provide a boost.

"Aly Miller will be a nice (addition)," said Arnold, noting the freshman's dedication in winning the sectional title this year in cross country. "She's a very hard worker ... and she's a real competitor. ... She's versatile.

"Those four young ladies are going to score a lot of points for us. (Sophomore) Caitlin Ruchgy came on last year at the end of the season really, really strong. I look for her to be another top contender as well."

If there is a question mark for the Patriots, it comes in the distance events where they lost Ashley Horn to graduation. However, with her cross country background, Miller could step into that role as Landfair takes care of the sprints.

And as always, Arnold said she expects to score a lot of points with the remainder of her large roster.

"One thing I've always tried to emphasize is every single person on the team is important.," she said. "You might be scrapping for that fifth place over sixth place to get that one point, but your one point is important to the team."

The mix of big points from the top swimmers and the strong diving group along with that depth has Arnold excited as the sectional returns.

"It's just made all the difference in the world in the intensity in the practices," she said. "They're challenging themselves a little more.

"In my mind I have set some real lofty goals"[[In-content Ad]]