Patriot girls win invite

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Celina’s Kennedy Newell won a pair of events. So did Oak Hill’s Khloe Price.

But where the Bulldogs and Golden Eagles racked up points with their individual leaders, Jay County countered with a pair of Baders, and plenty of depth behind them.

Sisters Alex and Eliza Bader each won two individual events and were part of two victorious relays Saturday as the host Patriots scored 406.5 points to win the girls swimming competition at the Jay County Invitational.

Celina was the runner-up in the 16-team meet with 371.5 points, and Oak Hill was third with 307.5.

“I thought there was a lot of great competition today,” said JCHS coach Matt Slavik. “This is a really fun meet. It’s good to see a lot of different people that we don’t normally compete against and get out of our comfort zone a little bit. … It’s just what we needed at this point in time.”

Fort Recovery put some pressure on Oak Hill for the No. 3. spot, placing fourth with 291 points. The Indians were more than 100 ahead of fifth-place New Bremen.

“Going in, I was kind of thinking that would be where we would potentially end up, with Celina and Jay and Oak Hill as just very large, very strong, great teams,” said FRHS coach Mindy Bubp. “I’m very happy with a fourth-place finish for us.”

Jay County’s boys followed up Thursday’s victory over Celina with a fourth-place finish.

“That win just reinforced their efforts,” said Slavik, whose team scored 261 points to trail Oak Hill (481.5), sectional and conference rival Bluffton (350) and Versailles (266). “Looking at where they were (at the beginning of the season) to where they were today, it’s a night-and-day difference. They’re starting to believe in themselves.”

Fort Recovery had just one male swimmer with Josh Gonzalez placing 16th in the 50-yard freestyle to account for one point.

Alex Bader, a senior, paced the JCHS girls thanks to strong finishes.

The 2017 state medalist trailed Claire Gass by 0.26 seconds at the mid-point of the 100 breaststroke but outpaced the Celina swimmer by more than two seconds in the final 50 yards to win in 1 minute, 6.3 seconds.

“Alex is much stronger in the second half,” said Slavik. “She doesn’t leave much between her splits in her 50s in that race.”

She also pulled away from the field in the second half of the 50 freestyle to take first in 24.66 ahead of Fort Recovery’s Cassy Martin (25.32). She erased her team’s deficit of more than a second to rally for a victory in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:43.06 along with her sister, Ashlyn Dow and Elizabeth McDowell. They took the top spot by more than two seconds over Celina with Fort Recovery’s Alexis Bubp, Ava Bubp, Paige Fortkamp and Martin in third.

Vivienne Kunkler, the Bader sisters and Dow also opened the meet by winning the 200 medley relay in 1:54.93.

Eliza Bader also needed a rally in the 100-yard backstroke after making the turn in third place. She outpaced Martin (1:04.27, a new school record) and Kinsey Price (1:04.44) of Oak Hill to win in 1:03.95.

The freshman was in control of the 100 butterfly throughout, posting a time of 1:03.78 with Fort Recovery’s Alexis Bubp (1:05.31) second and McDowell (1:07.79) third.

The lone victory for the Jay County boys came from Garrett Campbell, who dominated the 100 butterfly in 1:00.58. He was also the runner-up in the 50 freestyle in 23.97 and led the Patriots’ third-place effort in the 400 freestyle relay as he teamed with Tayler Smeltzer, Skyler Myers and Chase McFarland for a time of 3:45.96.

“Garrett Campbell had a nice day all day long,” said Slavik. “He got us a good jump out front on the relays.”

Alex LeMaster, Campbell, Smeltzer and McFarland were also fifth in the 200 medley relay.

Fort Recovery’s girls closed the meet in style with Sophie Timmerman, the Bubp sisters and Martin claiming the top spot in the 400 freestyle relay by nearly four seconds over Oak Hill in 3:52.71.

“I was really happy,” said Mindy Bubp. “I had not put those girls together yet this year. That was the first time that they went in and swam that.

“We were wanting to finish strong.”

The Patriot girls were strong in support of their six victories, with Hathaway, Brewster, Dow, Kunkler and McDowell all adding top-eight finishes in a pair of events. Lilli Clemmons was eighth in one event and teamed with Kunkler, Hathaway and McDowell to take third in the 400 freestyle relay.

“Lilli Clemmons almost broke a minute in the 100 freestyle,” said Slavik, noting the freshman’s split in the 400 freestyle relay. “She came out and she scored points for us.

“Rieley Brewster … came through for us in the relays. …

“The freshmen that came in this year are an incredible attribute.”

Adding points by placing ninth through 16th in individual events were Kaitlyn Dow, Mackenzie Knisely and Jenna Dunfee Clemmons.

Smeltzer, McFarland and Myers each picked up a pair of top-eight finishes for the Jay County boys. Also scoring in individual events by finishing between ninth and 16th were Griffin Mann, Mitchell Brown, Ben Strausburg, Calvin Whitney, Giovanni Perod and LeMaster.

Alexis Bubp added a third-place effort for Fort Recovery in the 200 individual medley, and Ava Bubp and Timmerman were in the top five in both of their individual events. The Indians were sixth in the 200 medley relay and also got individual scoring contributions from Kyra Clark, Autumn Burk, Shelby Stammen and Fortkamp.