Warsaw girls swimming sectional recap: Pioneer’s Chan finishes 2nd in 100 breaststroke at sectional

Rochester’s Faoro takes 3rd, advances to diving regional; Hisey 6th in 200 free

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Pioneer junior Chloe Chan finished second in the 100 breaststroke at the Warsaw girls swimming sectional Saturday, ending her season.

Columbia City’s Emma Johnson swam a 1:10.16 to edge out Chan by 1.97 seconds and earn the automatic berth to the state finals.

Only sectional champions and those meeting a difficult state qualifying standard advance to the state finals. The state qualifying standard for the 100 breaststroke was 1:05.79.

Chan also finished eighth in the 200 individual medley and helped Pioneer finish eighth in the 13-team field with 125 points.

Among other area teams, Rochester was seventh with 128 points, Tippecanoe Valley was 10th with 92 points, and Culver was 11th with 45 points.

Culver Academy won the sectional with 456 points. Warsaw was second with 330.

While no area swimmers advanced to the state finals, Rochester diver Simona Faoro scoured 295.80 points and finished third in a field of 16 divers and advanced to the diving regional, which will be held at Mishawaka at 6 p.m. Tuesday.

The top four divers at the sectional advanced to the regional. The top eight finishers at the regional will advance to the state finals. The diving portion of the state finals will be held at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis and will begin at 9 a.m. this Saturday.

Rochester

Rochester’s Melody Hisey finished sixth in the 200 freestyle in 2:10.72 at the Warsaw sectional Saturday. (Photo provided by Matt Steininger)

Senior Melody Hisey, who took sixth in the 200 freestyle in 2:10.72, was the only Rochester individual swimmer to reach an individual final.

Hisey also tied for ninth in the 100 freestyle in 59.54 seconds.

Hisey also swam a leg on the 200 freestyle relay team that took sixth in 1:53.76. Bella Riffle, Molly Vance-Gruss and Kendyll Bradley joined Hisey on an all-senior team. That foursome also took ninth in the 200 medley relay in 2:15.36.

Other Lady Z swimmers who swam at Warsaw included Riffle, who was 14th in the 200 individual medley and 10th in the 100 butterfly; and Vance-Gruss, who was 13th in the 200 individual medley and 14th in the 100 backstroke.

The 400 freestyle relay team consisting of Araceli Ochoa, Skyla Mitchell, Ava Thomas and Lola Brady took ninth, trimming off more than 11 seconds from its preliminary time two days earlier.

Tippecanoe Valley

Junior Kendall Craig was the lone Valley swimmer to reach an individual final, and she placed sixth in the 500 freestyle in 6:02.01. She also took 11th in the 200 freestyle in 2:14.82.

Overall, Craig was partially or totally responsible for 55 points.

The Rochester 200 freestyle relay team consisting of, clockwise from top left, Kendyll Bradley, Molly Vance-Gruss, Bella Riffle and Melody Hisey finished sixth in 1:53.76 at the Warsaw sectional Saturday. They cut 1.30 seconds off their preliminary time from Thursday. Earlier in the meet, this foursome finished ninth in the 200 medley relay in 2:15.36. (Photo provided by Matt Steininger)

Among other Valley swimmers, Makena Smith won both the 200 individual medley and 100 breaststroke consolation races in 2:36.44 and 1:18.62, respectively, and placed ninth in both to close out her prep swimming career.

Olivia Wilson, also a senior, took 15th in the 100 backstroke in 1:18.11.

Freshman Cassie Rich also swam in the 200 individual medley consolation race and finished 16th in 2:54.69.

The 200 freestyle relay team, which consisted of Wilson, Smith, Rich and Craig, took eighth in 2:02.98. That quartet also placed 10th in the 200 medley relay in 2:16.96.

The 400 freestyle relay team also swam in the consolation round and took 10th in 5:08.70. That team consisted of McKenna Lowe, Katelyn Stump, Lelin Gallego and Alejandra Jimenez. That team knocked nine-and-a-half seconds off its prelim time from Thursday.

Pioneer

Chan was the only Pioneer swimmer to reach a sectional final, but three others did swim in the consolation round.

They included freshman Cailyn Colford, who took 13th in the 100 backstroke in 1:15.95; junior Kaia Murray, who placed 15th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:29.37; and junior Elizabeth Rance, who swam the 500 freestyle in 7:08.56 and took 16th place.

Pioneer also took eighth in the 200 medley relay and seventh in both the 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay.

Timed in 2:09.62, the 200 medley relay team consisted of Colford, Chan, Adeline Cripe and Murray. Chan, Aspen Moolenaar, Rance and Murray made up the 200 freestyle relay, which swam a 1:56.27. Cripe, Lane Hood, Ayla DePoy and Rance swam the 400 freestyle relay in 4:42.29.

Culver

Freshman distance freestyler Hayden Lute was the lone sectional finalist representing the Lady Cavaliers, and she took fifth in the 500 freestyle in 6:02.00. Lewis Cass senior Erilka Baber won the race in 5:26.62.

Lute also finished ninth in the 200 freestyle in 2:11.02, a 1.87-second improvement from her prelim time from Thursday.

Culver also took 12th in the 200 freestyle relay in 2:23.34 and 11th in the 400 freestyle relay in 5:20.30. Both teams consisted of junior Arwen Kornblith, freshman Madison Beach, junior Mickenzie Beach and Lute.

No swimmer or relay team advanced on the state time standard.

Warsaw girls swimming sectional results: Culver Academy 456, Warsaw 330, Plymouth 291, Columbia City 220, Manchester 195, Lewis Cass 194, Rochester 128, Pioneer 125, Logansport 113, Tippecanoe Valley 92, Culver 45, Northfield 23, Wabash 17

Scoring on 20-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-9-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for individual events and 40-34-32-30-28-26-24-22-18-14-12-10 basis for relays

State qualifiers plus all Rochester, Valley, Pioneer and Culver swimmers

200 medley relay

1. Culver Academy (Liu, Zhu, Zhang, Curtis) – 1:53.79, 8. Pioneer (Cailyn Colford, Chjloe Chan, Adeline Cripe, Kaia Murray) – 2:09.62, 9. Rochester (Molly Vance-Gruss, Melody Hisey, Bella Riffle, Kendyll Bradley) – 2:15.36, 10. Valley (Olivia Wilson, Makena Smith, Cassie Rich, Kendall Craig) – 2:16.96

200 freestyle

1. Baber (LC) – 1:58.26, 6. Melody Hisey (RHS) – 2:10.72, 9. Hayden Lute (CUL) – 2:11.02, 11. Kendall Craig (TV) – 2:14.82

200 individual medley

1. Briner (MAN) – 2:14.63, 8. Chloe Chan (PIO) – 2:34.00, 9. Makena Smith (TV) – 2:36.44, 13. Molly Vance-Gruss (RHS) – 2:46.10, 14. Bella Riffle (RHS) – 2:46.96, 16. Cassie Rich (TV) – 2:54.69

50 freestyle

1. Howett (WAR) – 24.98 seconds

Diving (top four advance to regionals)

1. Gorhe (WAR) – 318.70 points, 2. Stewart (WAR) – 307.60, 3. Simona Faoro (RHS) – 295.80, 4. Orendain (CGA) – 278.35, 5. Aspen Moolenaar (PIO) – 265.55, 9. Maddy Brouyette (RHS) – 244.90, 12. Lane Hood (PIO) – 224.40, 14. Kendyll Bradley (RHS) – 201.05, DQ. Gracie Clem (PIO)

100 butterfly

1. Briner (MAN) – 58.59 seconds, 10. Bella Riffle (RHS) – 1:12.46, 15. Cassie Rich (TV) – 1:25.90

100 freestyle

1. Howett (WAR) – 55.06 seconds, t-9. Melody Hisey (RHS) – 59.54, 16. Elizabeth Rance (PIO) – 1:07.46

500 freestyle

1. Baber (LC) – 5:26.62, 5. Hayden Lute (CUL) – 6:02.00, 6. Kendall Craig (TV) – 6:02.01, 16. Elizabeth Rance (PIO) – 7:08.56

200 freestyle relay

1. Culver Academy (Shafeek-Horton, Curtis, Gifford, Teglia) – 1:42.02, 6. Rochester (Bella Riffle, Molly Vance-Gruss, Melody Hisey, Kendyll Bradley) – 1:53.76, 7. Pioneer (Chloe Chan, Aspen Moolenaar, Elizabeth Rance, Kaia Murray) – 1:56.27, 8. Valley (Olivia Wilson, Makena Smith, Cassie Rich, Kendall Craig) – 2:02.98, 12. Culver (Arwen Kornblith, Madison Beach, Mickenzie Beach, Hayden Lute) – 2:23.34

100 backstroke

1. Teglia (CGA) – 1:01.44, 13. Cailyn Colford (PIO) – 1:15.95, 14. Molly Vance-Gruss (RHS) – 1:16.42, 15. Olivia Wilson (TV) – 1:18.11

100 breaststroke

1. Johnson (CC) – 1:10.16, 2. Chloe Chan (PIO) – 1:12.13, 9. Makena Smith (TV) – 1:18.62, 15. Kaia Murray (PIO) – 1:29.37

400 freestyle relay

1. Culver Academy (Zhang, Shafeek-Horton, Gram, Teglia) – 3:47.17, 7. Pioneer (Adeline Cripe, Lane Hood, Ayla DePoy, Elizabeth Rance) – 4:42.29, 9. Rochester (Araceli Ochoa, Skyla Mitchell, Ava Thomas, Lola Brady) – 5:02.12, 10. Valley (McKenna Lowe, Katelyn Stump, Lelin Gallego, Alejandra Jimenez) – 5:08.70, 11. Culver (Arwen Kornblith, Madison Beach, Mickenzie Beach, Hayden Lute) – 5:20.30