Jay short of ninth straight title

BERNE — The Jay County Summer Swim Team dominated its way to victories in its seven dual meets. It also won the conference relays last month.

It came up just shy of winning its ninth straight championship in the full conference meet.

A margin of just 43 points ended a stretch of eight straight Wabash Valley Conference Championships as Wells Community came away with the team title Saturday at Berne Pool.

Wells Community, which recorded the most victories (48 of 82 total events) and set two new conference records, totaled 2,708.5 points to win its first title since 2000.

Jay County, which was denied its 15th overall championship, was the runner-up with 2.665.5 points. South Adams (1,295) was third, North Central — a combined Adams Central and Bellmont squad — was fourth with 464 points and the newly formed Blackford team scored 421 for fifth.

Jay County had a total of 27 race victories. Twelve of those wins came from the 8-and-younger age group, the most in any division for Jay County.

Maria Laux and Ben Fisher were each triple winners for the youngest group. 

Laux won the long freestyle, butterfly and individual medley, while Fisher was champion in the butterfly, IM and breaststroke. Elly Byrum and Finn Hemmelgarn each won their respective backstroke races in the same division.

Jordyn Champ, Kali Wendel and Laux teamed with Lila Wendel for a victory in the medley relay, then joined Kenna Arnold to touch the wall first in the freestyle relay.

Murphy Link, Tony Beiswanger, Fisher and Hemmelgarn earned the title in the medley relay, while Griffin Forsness, Beiswanger, Fisher and Hemmelgarn were victorious in the freestyle relay.

The 15-and-older age group was next with nine victories, including three from Eliza Bader (butterfly, backstroke and IM). Vivienne Kunkler and Griffin Mann each had breaststroke wins, and Erica Hathaway came out on top in the open 200-meter freestyle.

Elayna Paro, Kunkler, Bader and Hathaway combined for wins in the medley and freestyle relays, then Kyle Sanders, Matthew Minnich, Dorane Beiswanger and Chase McFarland got the championship in the freestyle relay.

Morgan DeHoff (long freestyle) and Kenzie Huey (backstroke) had the only individual victories in the girls 11-12-year-old division, and then they joined Lauren Fisher and Aubrey Millspaugh for first in the freestyle relay.

Mara Bader’s victories in the IM and breaststroke accounted for Jay County’s titles in the 13-14-year-old age group, and Raif Beiswanger grabbed the top spot in the boys long freestyle race in the 9-10-year-old age division.