Jay girls dominate

The Patriot girls were in control before the swimmers took the blocks.
South Adams’ boys didn’t secure the win until near the end of the meet.
Jay County High School’s girls swim team continued its dominance against conference opponents Monday, winning 10 events and earning a tie for first place in another in beating the Starfires, 186-123.
South Adams’ boys squad went back and forth with Jay County, but earned a 151-146 victory.
“Tonight we matched up pretty well against South Adams,” said JCHS girls coach Matt Slavik, whose team has yet to lose to an Allen County Athletic Conference opponent. “I think South Adams has a phenomenal team. Their girls have come a long way. They have a solid group of kids and we matched up really well with them.
“We were able to out-race them in some tight races and come out with the win in this one.”
It also helped that Jay County (4-1, 3-0 ACAC) basically started with 15 points by having four divers go uncontested. Reigning ACAC champ Korinna Schindler of South Adams did not compete because of a knee injury. JCHS junior Heather Stinson won by scoring an even 200 points to become the first JCHS female diver to reach the milestone since Megan Taylor in 2009.
“That’s a pretty big deal as a diver here,” said Slavik. Stinson becomes just the 12th Patriot girl in the history of the program to score 200 points. “I’m super stoked about that.”
Jay County built on its lead, finishing in first and third place in the 200 medley relay. Elizabeth McDowell, Jamie Valentine, Ashley Mark and Kaitlyn Dow won with a time of 2 minutes, 6.03 seconds, and Abby Saxman, Vivienne Kunkler, Allisyn Smith and Cassie Reno teamed to place third in 2:15.40, three seconds behind the Starfire relay squad.
“From the start of the meet, I told them in the locker room, ‘If our 200 (medley) relay comes out and gets first and third, it will set the tone for the night,’” Slavik said. The Patriots then rattled off five straight victories.
Sisters Sophie and Alex Bader won two events apiece, and their cousin Anne Vormohr accounted for the other. Sophie Bader won the 200 freestyle (1:57.86) and 100 butterfly (58.03 seconds) in convincing fashion, and Alex Bader beat the field in the 200 individual medley (2:16.85) by nearly eight seconds and was ahead in the 100 freestyle (55.39) by almost two seconds.
Vormohr won the 50 freestyle in 24.74 seconds, and later placed first in the 100 backstroke in 1:00.06.
South Adams sophomore Olivia Von Gunten held off Patriot senior Ashley Mark to win the 500 freestyle in 6:01.69. Mark had a time of 6:06.32, and JCHS sophomore Elizabeth McDowell was third in 6:21.91
“I thought we could go two-three, which is what we did,” Slavik said. “I know that Olivia is a heck of a 500 freestyler. I wanted to put our two girls against her to see what they’re capable of right now.”
JCHS junior Jamie Valentine and South Adams junior Audrey Burson touched the wall simultaneously in 1:16.39 to tie in the 100 breaststroke.
Mark, Vormohr and the Baders teamed to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.8, and the latter three joined McDowell for a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:48.46 to cap a meet during which the Patriots led from start to finish.
South Adams’ girls fell to 6-1 (1-1 ACAC).
The South Adams boys (5-0, 2-0 ACAC), however, needed victories in the final three races to avenge a loss Saturday to Jay County.
“We are very excited obviously about this win,” said SAHS coach Andy Lehman, whose team was fourth at the Norwell Invitational on Saturday, 12.5 points behind the Patriots. “We knew we obviously had to make up some ground. We made it our mission to go out and swim our best.”
Jay County senior Sok Vormohr had a come-from-behind victory in the 500 freestyle to put the Patriots (1-3, 0-2 ACAC) ahead 103-101. He trailed David Steffen for the majority of the race, overtaking the Starfire senior with 100 yards to go.
“I was real nervous about (the 500) because me and Steffen are always close in every race we do,” said Vormohr, who also won the 200 IM in 2:16.36. “I was just trying to keep tempo with him and by the end of the race I was trying to pull ahead as best I could.”
But wins in the 200 freestyle relay (Daniel Burson, Jesse Sutton, Zach Colpaert and Steffen – 1:37.45), 100 backstroke (Zach Teeple – 1:03.05) and 100 breaststroke (Daniel Steffen – 1:08.88) gave South Adams the team victory.
Connor Daniels and Christian Phillips joined Vormohr in earning individual victories for Jay County. Daniels won the 100 freestyle in 54.45 seconds, and Phillips, who also scored points as a swimmer, totaled 185.55 points for a diving win.
Jason Minnich, Christopher McDowell, Daniels and Vormohr also picked up a victory in the 400 freestyle with a time of 3:41.98.
South Adams got individual wins from Burson in the 200 freestyle (1:58.86) and 100 butterfly (1:00.06), and David Steffen in the 50 freestyle (23.66 seconds).
Daniel Steffen, David Steffen, Burson and Teeple combined for a victory in the 200 medley relay in 1:49.2.