The Van Wert County Courthouse

Friday, Mar. 29, 2024

Cougar swimmers do well at WBL meet

SANDRA GROOMS/for The Van Wert independent

DEFIANCE — The Van Wert High School swimming and diving teams traveled to the Defiance County YMCA for the 15th annual Western Buckeye League championships. The boys’ team finished in fourth place, while the girls’ team finished ninth. Lima Shawnee’s teams were champions and Celina teams were runners-up for both boys and girls. Other high schools participating included Lima Bath, Defiance, Elida, Kenton, Ottawa-Glandorf, St. Marys, and Wapakoneta.

The Cougar divers scored impressively on Thursday evening. Junior Kase Schalois finished as

WBL runner-up with 357.20 points. Seniors Garrett McDowell and Gretchen Klinger placed seventh and fifth, respectively.

Medal winners (top three places) for the Van Wert swimmers were sophomore Eric Easley, who placed second in the 100-yard breaststroke; and Easley, with seniors Trey Stemen, AJ Foster and Cody Hanes, placing third in the boys’ 400-yard freestyle relay.

Boys who also reached the podium (top six places) for the boys: Easley, fourth in the 200-yard freestyle; Foster, fourth in the 50- and fifth in the 100-yard freestyles; Hanes, fifth in the 100-yard backstroke and sixth in the 100-yard butterfly; Stemen, sixth in both the 100-yard breaststroke and the 200-yard individual medley; Schalois, fifth in the 500-yard freestyle; and the 200-yard medley relay of Hanes, Easley, Stemen, Foster, which finished fourth.

Senior Matt Cucciarre scored by placing eighth in the 500-yard freestyle and 10th in the 200-yard freestyle and, along with Daniel Silette, Adam Jurczyk and Schalois, competed in the 200-yard freestyle, finishing seventh.

Seniors Brittany Jurczyk, Erin Dingle and Taylor Grooms, along with freshman Hannah Stemen, reached the podium in both the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relays, finishing fifth and sixth, respectively.

Other scorers for the girls included Grooms, seventh in the 200- and 10th in the 500-yard freestyles; Hannah Stemen, 10th in the 100-yard backstroke; and the 200-yard freestyle relay team of Holly Hammond, Briana Agler, Karlyn Koontz and Chelsea Henning, which finished ninth.

Coach Kim Clifton was pleased with today’s meet. “Our swimmers had 47 personal records and 35 better finishes than seed times,” she said. “Way to go!”

The swimmers and divers will now have two weeks to prepare for sectionals that will be held in Ayersville on February 10 and 11.

Girls Results (all distances in yards)

  • Diving: 5th (200.20 points – Gretchen Klinger)
  • 200 Medley Relay:  6th (2:10.04 – Hannah Stemen, Brittany Jurczyk, Taylor Grooms, Erin Dingle)
  • 200 Freestyle:  7th (2:13.53 – Taylor Grooms), 13th (2:23.69 – Hannah Stemen), 16th (2:32.65 – Mackenzie Agler), 18th (2:33.64 – Briana Agler)
  • 200 Individual Medley:  15th (2:42.75 – Brittany Jurczyk), 17th (2:51.18 – Andi Foster), 21st (3:03.40 – Rebecca Johnson)
  • 50 Freestyle: 14th (28.86 – Holly Hammond), 20th (29.88 – Chelsea Henning), 24th (31.31 – Briana Agler), 28th (32.41 – Whitney Meyers)
  • 100 Butterfly: 14th (1:17.99 – Karlyn Koontz), 18th (1:26.43 – Rebecca Johnson)
  • 100 Freestyle: 8th (1:02.72 – Erin Dingle), 17th (1:08.99 – Andi Foster), 21st (1:11.11– Chelsea Henning), 31st (1:18.92 – Meredith Arn)
  • 500 Freestyle: 10th (6:12.93 – Taylor Grooms), 13th (6:27.83 – Karlyn Koontz)
  • 200 Freestyle Relay:  9th (2:00.50 – Holly Hammond, Briana Agler, Karlyn Koontz, Chelsea Henning)
  • 100 Backstroke: 10th (1:12.91 – Hannah Stemen), 13th (1:15.37 – Holly Hammond), 19th (1:21.23 –Mackenzie Agler), 22nd (1:24.22 – Marissa Sperry)
  • 100 Breaststroke:  13th (1:23.82 – Erin Dingle), 16th (1:26.53 – Brittany Jurczyk), 26th (1:42.60 – Reed Wermer), 30th (1:51.68 – Miranda Rickard)
  • 400 Freestyle Relay: 5th (4:16.30 – Brittany Jurczyk, Erin Dingle, Hannah Stemen, Taylor Grooms)

Boys Results (all distances in yards)

  • Diving: 2nd (357.20 points – Kase Schalois), 7th (208.75 points – Garrett McDowell)
  • 200 Medley Relay:  4th (1:49.87 – Cody Hanes, Eric Easley, Trey Stemen, AJ Foster)
  • 200 Freestyle:  4th (1:56.84 –Eric Easley), 10th (2:09.01 – Matt Cucciarre), 13th (2:12.41 – Adam Jurczyk), 19th (2:32.05 – Jacob Scheidt)
  • 200 Individual Medley: 6th (2:17.29 – Trey Stemen), 16th (2:41.11 – Dan Silette)
  • 50 Freestyle:  4th (24.14 – AJ Foster), 19th (27.46 – Adam Jurczyk), 29th (30.77 – Jon Lisa), 33rd (40.83 – Mitchel Mengerink)
  • 100 Butterfly:  6th (1:03.87 – Cody Hanes)
  • 100 Freestyle:  5th (54.32 – AJ Foster), 22nd (101.79 – Josh Overholt), 23rd (1:02.78 – Dan Silette), 31st (1:07.85 – Kory Schlatter)
  • 500 Freestyle: 5th (5:47.03 – Kase Schalois), 8th (5:51.29 – Matt Cucciarre)
  • 200 Freestyle Relay: 7th (1:47.83 – Matt Cucciarre, Daniel Silette, Adam Jurczyk, Kase Schalois)
  • 100 Backstroke: 5th (1:01.07 – Cody Hanes), 15th (1:17.94 – Jacob Scheidt), 17th (1:18.41 – Kory Schlatter), 22nd (1:43.84 – Mitchel Mengerink)
  • 100 Breaststroke: 2nd (1:05.03 – Eric Easley), 6th (1:10.25 – Trey Stemen), 27th (1:25.88 -Josh Overholt), 28th (1:26.78 – Jon Lisa)
  • 400 Freestyle Relay: 3rd (3:38.85 – Eric Easley, Trey Stemen, AJ Foster, Cody Hanes)

POSTED: 01/30/12 at 1:29 am. FILED UNDER: Sports