Jay Co. takes opener (11/17/04)

PORTLAND — The Jay County girls swim team launched the 2004-05 season with a win Tuesday. It did so with a couple of veterans leading the way, and some nice efforts from some of its less-experienced athletes.

The Patriots won all but one event, crushing the short-handed Muncie Southside Rebels 140-36.

Jay County coach Bev Arnold said she was happy with the meet, because she wanted her team to be able to build off of early success. She also said that though small in number, the six-member Southside team is improving.

“What they have is much more disciplined than in the past,” said Arnold. “They’re better swimmers.”

The Rebels proved as much in the second race as Courtney Williams pulled off her team’s lone win in the 200-yard freestyle relay. But, senior captain Julie Sours followed with a win in the 200-yard individual medley and it was all Jay County after that.

Sours won the IM in 2-minutes, 47.00 seconds, with sophomore Amber Kelly five seconds behind in second place. Sours grabbed a second victory for the Patriots as she finished the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:22.86.

Junior Lindsey Vesperry was the other big winner for the home team with a pair of victories.

She posted a personal-best time in the 50-yard freestyle for the second straight meet, winning in 28.05. She was first in the 100-yard freestyle in 1:05.00.

Vesperry was also the top finisher for Jay County at Saturday’s Norwell Invitational.

“Swimming wise (she has been the leader),” said Arnold of Vesperry after her team’s first dual meet. “That was a career best again for her in the 50 free by more than half a second.”

Vesperry, Sours, Kelly and senior Ashley Imel teamed for two of the Patriots’ three relay victories. They were first in the 200-yard medley relay in 2:17.15 and won the 200-yard freestyle relay in 2:03.47.

Kelly and Imel each added an individual victory as Jay County went one-two in nine events and scored sweeps in four. Kelly was first in the 100-yard butterfly in 1:19.80, and Imel took the 500-yard freestyle in 7:13.24.

Sandy Adkins, a junior in her second varsity season, had the other individual Patriot win, the first of her career. She finished the 100-yard backstroke in 1:23.15, nearly six seconds faster than her previous personal-best time.

Sophomore newcomer Ashley Horn had the best time on the team in the 200-yard freestyle as she took second in 2:44.07.

“The exciting thing tonight is we had some different people beat out some of the veterans,” said Arnold. “Sandy Adkins (swam well) in the medley relay and then turned around at the end of the meet and won the backstroke.

“Ashley Horn I think had a really good night, especially for a rookie swimmer.”

Horn also joined Katey Kohler, Andrea Collins and Brittany Laux in taking first in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 5:12.14.

The Patriots also grabbed 13 free points in the diving events as Southside sent no one to the board. Brittany Lewis led the way with a score of 98.95.

Jay County opened the 2003-04 season by taking 23 of 24 events in the first two meets for a 2-0 record, but won only one meet the rest of the season. It will look to open 2-0 again this year when it visits Elwood Thursday at 6 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]