MANSFIELD — With no team scores kept at Saturday’s Division II Malabar sectional swim meet, the goal was simply to survive and advance.
The exact number of local district qualifiers won’t be determined until results from all of Saturday’s sectionals are compiled, but it’s safe to say north central Ohio will be well-represented at the Bowling Green District meet next week.
“It was a great sectional meet. Our kids were fantastic,” Lexington coach Brock Spurling said. “Our kids did exactly what they needed to do. We had a game plan in place and they followed it to a tee for the most part.
“We’ve set ourselves up very good for next week.”
The same goes for swimmers at Ontario and Colonel Crawford. The Warriors, Eagles and Lex combined to win 15 of 16 individual events and all six relays.
“We were very pleased,” Ontario coach Deb Henry said. “Our kids swam very well.”
Ontario siblings Grantham and Mirielle Trumpower each won a pair of individual events. Grantham took first in the 50-yard freestyle (22.78 seconds) and the 100 free (49.58). Mirielle captured sectional titles in the 100 butterfly (58.94) and the 100 backstroke (59.52).
In addition to his two individual titles, Grantham Trumpower was part of Ontario’s winning 200 freestyle relay and 400 free relay teams. Trumpower, Logan Bernat, Owen Walter and Evan Ruhe won the 200 free relay in 1:33.86 and the 400 in 3:26.21.
Ruhe won the 100 butterfly in 56.53 and Bernat won the 100 backstroke in 58.36.
Lexington’s Cooper Watters captured a pair of sectional titles in the 200 freestyle (1:54.86) and the 500 free (5:16.76). Colonel Crawford’s Ava Finnan won the 200 free (2:01.06) and the 100 free (56.18).
The Eagles’ Ashtyn Rickel won the 200 individual medley in 2:22.68, while teammate Landon Sutter won the boys 200 IM in 2:07.56. Crawford’s Riley Finnan won the girls 50 free in 26.28.
Rickel, Ava Finnan and Riley Finnan teamed with Ashtyn Rickel to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:44.38 and the 400 free relay in 3:46.71.
Lexington siblings Katya and Ivan Prykhodko swept 100 breaststroke. Katya won the girls race in 1:12.92 and Ivan took the boys race in 1:00.13.
Shelby’s Emma Montgomery won the girls 500 freestyle in 5:27.58.
Lexington swept the 200 medley relay. The girls team of Kayla Caldwell, Julia Wyant, Maggie Nolan and Emma Caldwell won in 1:57.77. The boys quartet of Joe Hathaway, Ivan Prykhodko, Trey Nickoli and Oden Bell finished in 1:44.09.
The Bowling Green District tournament begins Tuesday with the Division I diving competition and continues Wednesday with the Division II diving competition. The Division II swimming portion of the tournament is Friday and the Division I swimming events are Saturday.
The top three finishers in the individual swimming events at Bowling Green qualify for the state meet.
“We talk about having a big dinner next Friday at Bowling Green and you want to have a seat at the table,” Spurling said. “If you’re not in the top 32, you don’t get a seat.”