McKee is lone Jay Co. finalist (02/06/04)

PORTLAND — Jay County got one swimmer through to the finals in individual events, and South Adams advanced four. But the Norwell Knights stole the show.

The Patriots’ Rachel McKee will join four Starfires in championship races at Saturday’s Jay County Sectional finals while Norwell looks primed to cruise to a third straight sectional title.

The Knights dominated Thursday’s preliminary round with juniors Kymberly Cossairt and Kelli Gates leading the way. They each qualified as the top seed in two races as Norwell took the No. 1 spot in eight of 11 events, including all three relays.

Cossairt also set new sectional and pool records with a time of 1-minute, 1.36 seconds in the 100-yard butterfly. She shattered the previous sectional mark of 1:02.38 seconds held by Norwell’s Cylle Hoopingarner.

April Heyerly was the other individual to grab a top seed for the Knights, and she also set a new sectional record. She broke the previous mark of 1:10.28 held by Oak Hill’s Alicia Keown by finishing with a time of 1:09.76.

The remaining top seeds went to Bellmont (two) and Bluffton (one).

McKee turned in her best time ever to qualify fourth for the finals of the 100-yard freestyle. She hit the wall in 59.78, which also inducted her into Jay County’s 50-second club.

The senior finished as the No. 5 seed in the 50-yard freestyle in 27.38.

McKee also led both of the Patriot relay teams which qualified for championship races. She teamed with Lindsey Vesperry, Julie Sours and Amber Kelly to qualify fifth in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:55.08, and joined Ashley Imel, Linsy Wilson and Vesperry to qualify fifth in the 400-yard freestyle relay in 4:17.98.

South Adams qualified as the No. 2 seed in each of the two freestyle relays, but also did not have an individual in the top three in any event.

Haleigh Lehman, Robyn Habegger, Ashley Gresla and Chelsea Yoder finished the 200-yard freestyle relay in 1:53.07. Margaret Beymer, Talitha Maven, Chelsea Yoder and Lehman turned in a time of 4:10.73 in the 400-yard freestyle relay.

The team of Whitney Liechty, Channing Yoder, Habegger and Maven took the fifth seed in the 200-yard medley relay in 2:10.16.

The top individual for the Starfires was Lehman, who finished just ahead of Chelsea Yoder in the 100-yard butterfly to take the fourth seed in 1:07.38. Yoder was next in 1:08.61.

Lehman was also sixth in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:12.09. She finished behind Habegger, who took the fifth seed in 1:11.34.

Channing Yoder also finished with a No. 6 seed in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:36.75.

Qualifying for the consolation finals for Jay County were Tori Bradburn (100-yard breaststroke), Vesperry (200-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle), Sours (200-yard individual medley, 100-yard breaststroke), Imel (100-year butterfly, 500-yard freestyle) and Kelly (100-yard butterfly).

Reaching consolation finals for South Adams were Alyse Hoover (50-yard freestyle), Chelsea Yoder (200-yard freestyle), Channing Yoder (100-yard breaststroke), Maven (200-yard freestyle, 100-yard freestyle), Gresla (200-yard freestyle, 500-yard freestyle), Liechty (200-yard individual medley, 100-yard butterfly), Habegger (50-yard freestyle) and Beymer (500-yard freestyle).

The sectional finals will be Saturday, with diving beginning at 9 a.m. Jay County’s Sarah Miller is the favorite to win her third consecutive sectional championship, and fellow Patriots Ada Bebi and Brittany Lewis will join her on the board.

Swimming finals will begin at 2 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]