Cougar boy swimmers win sectional title

SANDRA GROOMS/independent sports

AYERSVILLE – The Van Wert High School swimming and diving teams traveled to Ayersville High School, along with Ada, Ayersville, Bryan, Coldwater, Defiance, Elida, Hicksville, Kenton, McGuffey Upper Scioto Valley, and St Marys Memorial High Schools, for the sectional swimming tournament. The Cougar boys’ team captured the sectional title and the Cougar girls team finished fifth overall.

Junior Taylor Grooms finished the day as sectional champion of both the girls 200-yard freestyle  and the girls 500-yard freestyle. Finishing first qualified her to compete in next week’s district championship meet at Bowling Green State University.

Erin Dingle will also advance to districts in the girls 500-yard freestyle after finishing as sectional runner-up.

Every Cougar boys’ team member scored in the sectional championship to help capture the sectional title, despite no first-place finishes.

The boys’ 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams finished runner-up and qualified to advance to districts. Members of the relay teams were Eric Easley, Trey Stemen, Adam Saylor and Cody Hanes.

Sophomore Kase Schalois finished runner-up and will advance in the boys’ 1-meter, 11-dive event. His sectional score of 380.25 points breaks the VWHS school record of 289.10 points set by Ryan Agler in 2009.

Other individual boys who qualified by time to complete in the districts include: AJ Foster in the 50-yard freestyle, Hanes in the 100-yard backstroke and 200-yard individual medley, Easley in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley and Stemen in the 100-yard breaststroke and 200-yard individual medley. Garrett McDowell will also compete in diving,

Girls Results (all distances in yards)

• *Scored team points
• 200 Medley Relay:  *5^th (2:09.77 –Brittany Jurczyk, Alex Czajkowski, Taylor Grooms, Erin Dingle)
• 200 Freestyle:  *1^st (2:12.98 – Taylor Grooms), *9^th (2:35.41 – Rebecca Johnson), 21^st ( 2:52.15 – Laney Ellzey), 26^th (3:00.96 – Reed Wermer)
• 200  Individual  Medley:  *6^th (2:48.15 – Karlyn Koontz)
• 50 Freestyle: *9^th (27.99 – Erin Dingle), 18^th (31.45 – Holly Hammond), 19^th (31.75 – Linzey Rice), 25^th (33.60 – Laney Ellzey)
• 100 Freestyle:  *6^th (1:05.16 – Brittany Jurczyk), *16^th (1:12.30 – Linzey Rice), 17^th (1:13.55 – Alex Czajkowski), 19^th (1:14.75 – Andi Foster)
• 500 Freestyle: *1^st (6:11.68 – Taylor Grooms), *2^nd (6:14.87 – Erin Dingle), *4^th (6:42.80 – Karlyn Koontz)
• 200 Freestyle Relay:  *6^th (1:54.82 –Brittany Jurczyk, Holly Hammond, Erin Dingle, Taylor Grooms).
• 100 Backstroke: *5^th (1:13.79 – Brittany Jurczyk), *10^th (1:17.39 – Holly Hammond), *13^th (1:22.68 – Rebecca Johnson), 17^th (1:26.40 – Andi Foster)
• 100 Breaststroke:  *5^th (1:24.67 – Alex Czajkowski), *15^th (1:41.00 – Courtney Smith), 17^th (1:41.95 – Reed Wermer)
• 400 Freestyle Relay: *6th (4:51.21 – Karlyn Koontz, Rebecca Johnson, Linzey Rice, Holly Hammond)

Boys Results (all distances in yards),

• *Scored team points
• 200 Medley Relay: *2^nd (1:52.07 – Cody Hanes, Trey Stemen, Eric Easley, Adam Saylor)
• 200 Freestyle: *9^th (2:11.74- Matt Cucciarre), *10^th (2:30.39– Daniel Silette), *11^th (2:31.57 – Nathan Profit)
• 200 Individual Medley: *3^rd (2:11.29 – Eric Easley), *5^th (2:17.92 – Trey Stemen),* 6^th (2:22.53 – Cody Hanes)
• 50 Freestyle: *3^rd (24.83 – A.J. Foster), *7^th (25.60 – Adam Saylor), *13^th (25.60 – Vincent Silette), 22^nd (30.59 – Jacob Scheidt)
• 1 Meter Diving:  *2^nd (310.25  pts. – Kase Schalois), *7^th (238.90  pts. – Garrett Mc Dowell)
• 100 Freestyle: *5^th (56.23 – A.J. Foster), *7^th (56.68 – Adam Saylor), *14^th (1:03.61 – Daniel Silette), *16^th (1:04.83 – Shane Robenalt)
• 500 Freestyle: *7^th (5:52.19 – Kase Schalois), *8^th (5:52.19 – Matt Cucciarre)
• 200 Freestyle Relay: *8^th (1:47.22 – AJ Foster, Vincent Silette, Kase Schalois, Matt Cucciarre)
• 100 Backstroke:  *4^th (1:03.18 – Cody Hanes),* 7^th (1:08.08 – Vincent Silette), *16^th (1:27.70 – Jacob Scheidt)
• 100 Breaststroke: *3^rd (1:05.81 – Eric Easley), *7^th (1:10.85 – Trey Stemen), *14^th (1:24.62 – Nathan Profit)
• 400 Freestyle Relay: *2^nd (3:46.14 – Cody Hanes, Eric Easley, Adam Saylor, Trey Stemen)