Houg wins 2 events at WBL championships

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

DEFIANCE — Van Wert’s Sam Houg won two events and helped the Cougars to a fifth place finish at Saturday’s Western Buckeye League Swimming and Diving Championships. The annual event was held at the Defiance YMCA.

Houg took top honors in the 200 yard freestyle with a time of 1:51.08, nearly seven seconds better than runner-up Kaniel Koh of Shawnee (1:57.79). Houg also claimed the WBL 100 yard freestyle in 50:32, narrowly edging Wapakoneta’s Gannon Casebolt (50.38).

The boys 400 yard freestyle team of Robbie Gamble, Owen Scott, Cole Story and Houg recorded a fourth place finish (3:47.53), and the 300 yard freestyle relay team of Drew Laudick, Gamble, Scott and Story finished fifth (1:41.97).

Gamble finished fifth in the 100 yard freestyle (54.01) and Laudick logged a sixth place finish in the 100 yard backstroke (1:03.38).

As a team, the Cougars finished with 125 points. Shawnee won the team title (245.5) followed by Ottawa-Glandorf (242), St. Marys Memorial (238.5), Wapakoneta (142) Van Wert (125), Celina (111), Kenton (88) and Bath (26).

On the girls’ side, Van Wert’s Haley Chiles was the highest individual finisher, placing fifth in the 100 yard freestyle (1:00.78) 200 yard freestyle (2:13.74). The 400 yard freestyle relay team of Olivia Ashbaugh, Katie Kramer, Noelle Byrum and Chiles also finished fifth with a time of 4:19.68.

Ottawa-Glandorf won the team title with 280 points, followed by St. Marys Memorial (268) and Wapakoneta (177.5). Shawnee finished fourth (174), Elida (107), Kenton (86), Van Wert (68.5), Defiance (65), Celina (62) and Bath (11).