Vesperry wins pair in Patriots' loss to AC (11/23/04)

PORTLAND — The winning streak for the Jay County girls swim team ended abruptly at two. At least there was Lindsey Vesperry.

The junior picked up the Patriots’ only two victories of the night as they dropped a 119-67 decision to the Adams Central Jets.

“Lindsey Vesperry had a very excellent night,” said Jay County coach Bev Arnold, noting that Vesperry told her prior to the meet that she hadn’t felt well all day. “I guess if that’s how she swims when she doesn’t feel very well, she needs to (not feel very well) more often.”

Vesperry had the best 50-yard freestyle of her career as she fought off Cassie Lehman and Kristin Everett of Adams Central. The two Jets were almost dead even with her all the way, but she held on for the victory in 27.65.

Her time against AC was the best of her career by four tenths of a second, and was just 15 hundredths behind what Rachel McKee swam at the same time last year. McKee, a senior in 2003-04, was the only Patriot to qualify for the sectional finals last season.

Vesperry’s second win of the night came in the 100-yard freestyle, where she topped the rest of the field by more than two seconds in 1-minute, 5.01 seconds. She also turned in a couple of solid anchor legs on relays as she teamed with Ashley Imel, Julie Sours and Amber Kelly to place second in the 200-yard medley relay in 2:16.69 and joined Sours, Imel and Katey Kohler for second in the 200-yard freestyle relay in 2:05.41.

“I think one thing that helps her is cross country,” said Arnold of Vesperry. “Even though she’s not in the water training all throughout the fall, she is training in an endurance-type sport. There is that carry-over aerobically for her.

“And when she gets in the water she wants to do well. She sets, I think, personal goals for herself to keep cutting time off.”

Jay County managed just three second-place efforts in the remaining individual events as the Jets took the top two spots on four different occasions, including a one-two-three finished in the 100-yard backstroke. Adams Central had never beaten the Patriots before last season, but has now topped them in back-to-back years.

Sours had two of the second-place finishes. She hit the wall in 2:49.46 in the 200-yard individual medley, and completed the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:24.18.

Imel was second with a season-best time of 1:18.41 in the 100-yard butterfly.

“We were hurt by some injuries and illnesses tonight,” said Arnold. “The final score did end up a little further than I anticipated.”

Three Patriot swimmers joined Vesperry in turning in personal-best times on the evening.

Nikisha Imel had the biggest improvement, knocking off about 20 seconds from her time in the 500-yard freestyle as she placed fifth in 7:31.62. Stephanie Skiver added a personal-best time of 1:34.67 for fifth place in the 100-yard backstroke, and Tori Bradburn finished fifth in the 200-yard freestyle with a personal-best time of 2:53.04.

Season-best times came from Molly Sutton, Katey Kohler and Bradburn. Brittany Lewis posted a season-best score in diving.

The next meet for the girls team, and the first for the boys, will be at Bluffton Tuesday, Nov. 30 at 5:30 p.m.[[In-content Ad]]