Vormohr going to state finals (02/04/08)

Cori Vormohr and Nadlie Runyon could not have followed two more divergent paths.

The former is a life-long swimmer chasing goals set from childhood. The latter picked up diving for the first time this year.

Both are sectional champions.

Vormohr, a Jay County High School junior, earned a double trip to the IHSAA State Finals Saturday when she won both 100-yard butterfly and 100 breaststroke at the sectional meet hosted by the Patriots. Runyon moves on to the diving regional along with runner-up teammate April Acker.

Those championship efforts led the Patriots to a third-place team finish with 180 points. They were just seven points behind runner-up Muncie Central while Norwell ran away with the title with 292.

South Adams was fifth at 157.

"Going into Thursday night, Norwell was the dominant favorite. Muncie Central was next about 40 points ahead of everybody else and then it was up for grabs after that," said JCHS coach Bev Arnold, whose team nearly caught the Bearcats as it finished atop that next pack ahead of fourth-place Delta (158), South Adams and sixth-place Bellmont (142). "We were just separated by a very few points. ... I'm just really, really pleased."

Away from the meat grinder Homestead sectional for the first time, Vormohr took advantage of swimming in her home pool.

The Jay County junior's efforts mirrored those of the entire meet as she went unchallenged in either of her events. None of the races were very tightly contested for the championship, with Vormohr's win by 1.95 seconds in the butterfly as the closest in a 100-yard race all day.

Her time of 59.99 seconds was just one hundredth of a second short of the school record she set earlier this season at the Olympic Athletic Conference championships.

Vormohr went on to shatter another record she set at the OAC meet, winning the 100 breaststroke by 2.59 seconds in 1-minute, 9.3 seconds. Her previous record was 1:10.32.

"It's fun being home, and the atmosphere here was nice ... but at state it's going to be exciting," said Vormohr, who will swim in the preliminary round Friday at the IU Natatorium in Indianapolis. "I've had the goal to go to state in high school since I was young and swimming on the age group team."

Vormohr is the first Jay County athlete to reach the state finals since diver Sarah Miller in 2003. Only the sectional champion in each event advances to the state meet.

Runyon will be making her second consecutive regional appearance, but in different sports. Last season she led the JCHS gymnastics team to a regional berth, and Tuesday she and Acker will compete in the diving regional at Hamilton Southeastern.

After putting herself in the mix through the first eight dives, Runyon all but locked up the title on her second dive of the finals. Her 10th dive of the day gave her a double-digit lead over Acker, and by the time she was ready for her last attempt of the day she needed just 13 points to secure the victory. She accomplished that easily, finishing as the only diver to clear the 300-point mark at 302.75.

Acker edged Kara Fiechter of Bluffton for second place, 288.85-288.1. Bellmont's Emma Lichtle was fourth with 283.35 as the top four divers move on to the regional round.

"It's just another meet to me," said Runyon, echoing the non-chalant approach she had as one of the top gymnasts at the Muncie Central sectional last season. "It's all the same pretty much."

The only other Patriot to compete individual in a championship heat Saturday was sophomore Michelle Landfair. She posted a career-best time of 26.76 in the 50 freestyle and finished the 100 freestyle in 59.05. It was just the second time in her career that she finished the 100 in less than one minute as she placed fifth in both events.

Erika Waugh turned in the top effort for South Adams, taking the runner-up slot in 1:06.1. She was also fourth in the at 5:51.69 in the 500 freestyle with teammate Jessica Sharp right behind her in 5:53.35.

Sharp was also sixth in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2:10.15.

Jansen Yoder placed sixth in the 500 freestyle behind Landfair in 27.45, and Allison Beitler came in behind Landfair in the 100 freestyle at 1:00.84.

Vormohr and Landfair led the two top-six relay efforts for JCHS, teaming with Aly Miller and Briann Saxman. They were third in the 400 freestyle with a time of 4:02.40 and took fourth in the 200 freestyle in 1:49.99.

Sharp keyed a pair of fifth-place relays for the Starfires, teaming with Waugh, Beitler and Lauren Rich for a time of 4:06.31 in the 400 freestyle and Beitler, Yoder and Rich in the 200 freestyle to finish in 1:51.16. Waugh, Rich, Yoder and Shannon Muselman combined for sixth place in the 200 medley relay in 2:08.4.

Other Patriots finishing in the top 12 individually were: Miller (seventh - 200 freestyle, seventh - 500 freestyle); Saxman (seventh -butterfly, eighth - 200 freestyle); Megan Taylor (seventh - diving); Maddie Fennig (11th - butterfly) and Ivy Simons (11th - backstroke).

Starfires who finished in the top 12 were: Alexia Fox (eighth - 100 butterfly, 11th - 200 individual medley); Bethany Maven (eighth - 500 freestyle; 12th - 200 freestyle); Jalisa Balsiger (ninth - 200 individual medley, ninth - 100 butterfly); Beitler (ninth - 50 freestyle); Rich (ninth - 100 freestyle); Deserae Kirchhofer (ninth - 100 breaststroke); and Sherri All (10th - 200 individual medley, 12th - 100 backstroke).[[In-content Ad]]