Culver’s Lute misses state by 0.63 seconds in 200 free, takes 6th in 500 free

Valley 200 free relay finishes 2nd to Culver Academy; Parker has pair of top 3 finishes in sprints

BY VAL TSOUTSOURIS

Sports Editor, RTC

Girls swimming

Culver senior Hayden Lute finished second in the 200 freestyle at the Warsaw sectional Saturday, missing out on going to state by 0.63 seconds.

Warsaw junior Matilda Granger won in 2:02.59, and Lute swam a 2:03.22.

Meanwhile, the Tippecanoe Valley 200 freestyle relay team that qualified first in Thursday’s preliminaries, finished second in 1:46.26 behind Culver Academy, who dropped over six seconds from its prelim time and won in 1:44.61.

In the team standings, Tippecanoe Valley was sixth with 178 points, Pioneer was seventh with 101, Rochester was 10th with 60, and Culver was 12th in the 12-team field with 30 points.

Warsaw won with 425 points, 49 more than runner-up Culver Academy.

Valley also finished fifth in the 200 medley relay in 2:00.07 and sixth in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:15.43.

The 200 freestyle relay team consisted of freshman Alayna Parker, junior Bailey Anderson, sophomore Mya Drudge and freshman Abigail Heckaman. Sophia Becker joined Heckaman, Parker and Anderson on the medley relay. Anderson and Drudge were on the 400 freestyle relay along with Claire Haney and Malia Kreft.

Parker also starred in the individual sprint freestyle events, taking second in the 100 freestyle in 57.89 seconds and third in the 50 freestyle in 26.10 seconds. Fellow freshman Heckaman was eighth in the 100 freestyle in 1:00.51 and seventh in the 50 freestyle in 27.51 seconds. Anderson was also eighth in the 50 freestyle in 27.62 seconds.

Meanwhile, Becker took seventh in 1:09.67 in the 100 backstroke.

In the consolation round, Drudge also took 11th in the 200 freestyle and 13th in the 100 freestyle, and senior Cassie Rich took 16th in the 200 individual medley in her final prep race.

No Pioneer swimmers made an individual final, but senior Cailyn Colford was ninth in the 50 freestyle and 15th in the 100 backstroke, freshman Kenley Jasmantas was 11th in the 100 breaststroke and 14th in the 100 freestyle, freshman Molly Webber was 13th in the 500 freestyle, and freshman Camryn Lowry was 14th in the 100 breaststroke.

Pioneer was also ninth in the 200 medley relay in 2:35.65, sixth in the 200 freestyle relay in 1:54.67 and ninth in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:36.06.

The 200 medley relay consisted of Kalyn Wooten, Lucy Bowditch, Ava Beasy and Olivia Fisher.  The 200 freestyle relay consisted of Colford, Jasmantas, Lavana Tolosa and Aspen Moolenaar. Ellie Hines joined Jasmantas, Tolosa and Colford in the 400 freestyle relay.

The 200 medley relay was the lone Rochester entry in a final. The team consisting of Summer Tyler (backstroke), Lily Chipps (breaststroke), Audrey Widman (butterfly) and Aubrey Miller (freestyle) was eighth in 2:21.44.

Rochester was also ninth in the 200 freestyle relay and 10th in the 400 freestyle relay. Audrey Widman and Riplee Snyder joined Tyler and Miller in the 200 freestyle relay while Layla Tyler and Jenna Seuferer joined Snyder and Chipps in the 400 freestyle relay.

In the individual events, Snyder placed 15th in the 500 freestyle and 16th in the 200 freestyle, and Miller was 14th in the 50 freestyle.

Lute accounted for all her team’s points. She also finished sixth in the 500 freestyle in 5:54.63.

Sectional champions plus those meeting a difficult state qualifying standard will advance to the state finals in the swimming events plus those among the top 32 in their event who did not meet either of the first two criteria.

Pioneer’s Moolenaar was the only area diver to make the finals, and she finished seventh. 

Warsaw’s Sophia  Stewart won the diving with 395.45 points, and Warsaw’s Titiksha Gorhe (364.75), Lewis Cass’ Maleigh Deeter (321.90) and Plymouth’s Carmen Garcia (295.10) also finished in the top four to advance to Tuesday’s Mishawaka diving regional.

WARSAW GIRLS SWIMMING SECTIONAL RESULTS: Warsaw 425, Culver Academy 376, Columbia City 292, Plymouth 268, Lewis Cass 189, TIPPECANOE VALLEY 178, PIONEER 101, Wabash 96, Logansport 90, ROCHESTER 60, Manchester 51, CULVER 30

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 basis for relays

Winners plus all Rochester, Valley, Pioneer and Culver results

200 MEDLEY RELAY

1. Culver Academy (Liu, Pragake, Eggebraten, Valentini) – 1:53.41, 5. Tippecanoe Valley (Sophia Becker, Abigail Heckaman, Alayna Parker, Bailey Anderson) – 2:00.07, 8. Rochester (Summer Tyler, Lily Chipps, Audrey Widman, Aubrey Miller) – 2:21.44, 9. Pioneer (Kalyn Wooten, Lucy Bowditch, Ava Beasy, Olivia Fisher) – 2:35.65

200 FREESTYLE

1. Granger (WAR) – 2:02.59, 2. Hayden Lute (CUL) – 2:03.22, 11. Mya Drudge (TV) – 2:18.75, 16. Riplee Snyder (RHS) – 2:24.53

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY

1. Joseph (CC) – 2:18.78, 16. Cassie Rich (TV) – 2:57.70

50 FREESTYLE

1. Stevens (WAR) – 24.85 seconds, 3. Alayna Parker (TV) – 26.10, 7, Abigail Heckaman (TV) – 27.51, 8. Bailey Anderson (TV) – 27.62, 9. Cailyn Colford (PIO) – 27.36, 14. Aubrey Miller (RHS) – 27.97

DIVING (TOP FOUR ADVANCE TO REGIONAL)

1. Stewart (WAR) – 385.45 points, 2. Gorhe (WAR) – 364.75, 3. Deeter (LC) – 321.90, 4. Garcia (PLY) – 285.10, 7. Aspen Moolenaar (PIO) – 279.20

100 BUTTERFLY

1. Devito (CC) – 59.21 seconds

100 FREESTYLE

1. Cumberland (MAN) – 56.20 seconds, 2. Alayna Parker (TV) – 57.89, 8. Abigail Heckaman (TV) – 1:00.51, 13. Mya Drudge (TV) – 1:02.26, 14. Kenley Jasmantas (PIO) – 1:02.30

500 FREESTYLE

1. Devito (CC) – 5:29.76, 6. Hayden Lute (CUL) – 5:54.63, 13. Molly Webber (PIO) – 6:26.74, 15. Riplee Snyder (RHS) – 6:30.19

200 FREESTYLE RELAY

1. Culver Academy (Pragale, Martinson, Valentini, Eggebraten) – 1:44.61, 2. Valley (Alayna Parker, Bailey Anderson, Mya Drudge, Abigail Heckaman) – 1:46.26, 6. Pioneer (Cailyn Colford, Kenley Jasmantas, Lavana Tolosa, Aspen Moolenaar) – 1:54.67, 9. Rochester (Audrey Widman, Summer Tyler, Riplee Snyder, Aubrey Miller) – 1:59.65

100 BACKSTROKE

1. Liu (CGA) – 1:02.33, 7. Sophia Becker (TV) – 1:09.67, 15. Cailyn Colford (PIO) – 1:16.13

100 BREASTSTROKE

1. Joseph (CC) – 1:09.27, 11. Kenley Jasmantas (PIO) – 1:22.62, 14. Camryn Lowry (PIO) – 1:27.87

400 FREESTYLE RELAY

1. Columbia City (Oelschlager, L. Joseph, C. Joseph, Devito) – 3:47.42, 6. Valley (Bailey Anderson, Claire Haney, Malia Kreft, Mya Drudge) – 4:15.43, 9. Pioneer (Kenley Jasmantas, Lavana Tolosa, Ellie Hines, Cailyn Colford) – 4:36.06, 10. Rochester (Riplee Snyder, Layla Tyler, Jenna Seuferer, Lily Chipps) – 5:03.13