Patriots win two

With a handful of meets remaining on the schedule, the Patriot boys continue to improve.
The girls team is gearing up for the sectional meet, which is two less than two weeks away.
Jay County High School’s boys and girls swim teams both earned a pair of victories Monday in a double dual meet with the Muncie Burris Owls and Blackford Bruins.
The JCHS boys (6-5) won every swimming event to beat Blackford 82-8, and Burris by a 69-32 margin.
Jay County’s girls (11-1) earned victories in 10 events for an 82-20 victory over the Owls and a 90-11 win over the Bruins.
“I’m pleased with how they swam,” said JCHS boys coach Cori Vormohr, who noted the Patriots backed off slightly on their grueling practice schedule in preparation for the Allen County Athletic Conference meet on Saturday. “It is a difficult time (of the season) to have good times and they’re still doing that despite how tired they are.
“I was very impressed with how they swam.”
Senior Travis Barton set two career bests by picking up victories in the 200-yard freestyle and the 100 breaststroke. He knocked four seconds off his previous best in the 200 freestyle with a time of 2 minutes, 8.56 seconds, and Vormohr said his 1:12.65 in the breaststroke came as a surprise to the first-year coach.
“I knew he was good at breaststroke but I didn’t know he was 1:12 good,” she said. “That is really good for someone who doesn’t practice breaststroke and swim breaststroke consistently.
“I’m so glad that he’s having those best times because this season he’s been really consistent right at his lifetime bests. He was just sitting there consistent and now he’s coming on strong.”
Barton also had his hand in two winning relays, joining Sok Vormohr, Connor Daniels and Jason Minnich for a victory in the 200 medley relay (1:55.26). He then teamed with Garrett Campbell, Tayler Smeltzer and Daniels for a win in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:49.16.
Vormohr, Minnich, Smeltzer and Campbell combined for five more individual Patriot wins, too.
Vormohr won both the 200 individual medley (2:18.02) by more than four seconds and beat Minnich for a win in the 100 backstroke (1:03.54). Smeltzer finished with a time of 1:03.75 to win the 100 butterfly, and Campbell’s time of 55.19 seconds was best in the 100 freestyle.
Minnich and Daniels were one-two in the 500 freestyle. Minnich had a time of 5:37.47, and Daniels — he hadn’t been in the event in two years — was five seconds behind.
“I’m impressed with (Minnich’s) 500 free,” Cori Vormohr said, noting that he’s cut nearly 40 seconds off his time from the beginning of the season. “That might sway some of our sectional events. He did really well in the 500 tonight.”
Sophomore Christopher McDowell accounted for the other individual victory in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.65 seconds. He then swam the first leg of the winning 200 freestyle relay with Smeltzer, Campbell and Daniels. They had a time of 1:43.51.
Ashley Mark was the lone JCHS girl to win a pair of events, doing so in the 200 freestyle (2:21.5) and the 100 backstroke (1:15.2). She finished ahead of teammate Jamie Valentine in the former, and beat Cassie Reno in the latter.
Sophomore Alex Bader edged former Patriot and current Burris senior Emi Minnich for a victory in the 50 freestyle. Bader’s time of 25.55 seconds was 2.28 seconds ahead of Minnich.
Anne Vormohr (100 butterfly – 1:01.22), Elizabeth McDowell (100 freestyle – 1:01.64), Sophie Bader (100 breaststroke – 1:15.16) and Heather Stinson (diving – 187.4 points) also won their respective events.
“Pretty solid meet,” JCHS girls coach Matt Slavik said. “Girls are smiling and having fun, getting ready to finish out the season strong. We swam about as well as I could have expected.”
Slavik jumbled the relay teams but the Patriots still won all three.
Sophie Bader, McDowell, Mark and Valentine combined to swim the 200 medley relay with a winning time of 2:06.22. The Patriot 200 freestyle relay team of Bader, Reno, McDowell and Vormohr was first with a time 1:51.38, and Katilyn Dow, Abby Saxman, Reno and Bader won the 400 freestyle relay in 4:34.35.
“Final scores being what they were, obviously there were lots of firsts and seconds for the Patriot girls,” Slavik said. The Patriots went one-two in all 10 events they claimed victories. Katie Decker of Burris won the 200 IM and 500 freestyle in the only events the Patriots weren’t able to get a victory.
“I am just impressed with where they are at going into the last two weeks of the season,” Slavik said. The Patriots host sectional preliminaries Feb. 4 with the consolation and championships set for Feb. 6. “Everybody did exactly what I’ve asked of them. Everybody is feeling a little rough yet, but that’s right where they want to be.”