Jackson senior Chase Kinney and Walsh Jesuit freshman Lauren Heller are in postseason form in the pool.
So are a lot of other area swimmers.
Four meet records were set Saturday in each of the Division I sectional girls swim meets at the University of Akron’s Ocasek Natatorium.
Hudson won the 16-team North sectional team title in the afternoon following Jackson’s team triumph in the 15-team South sectional. Kinney and Heller took part in three meet records in the South and North sectionals, respectively.
Kinney dazzled the crowd, and her coach Matt Zinders, with meet-record times in the 50-yard freestyle (23.35) and the 100 freestyle (50.95). She also joined sophomore Haley Loughner, freshman Victoria Addis and junior Elizabeth Graeff to set a new standard in the 200 medley relay (1:51.09).
Heller set meet records in the North sectional in the 200 freestyle (1:52.60) and the 100 freestyle (52.63).
“She is a very good swimmer,” Walsh coach Wally Lutkus said of Heller. “She is involved in seven school records at this point, the 200 free, 100 free, 50 free, 100 back and 100 fly, and two relays [200 medley relay and 200 free relay]. She just missed out on the [U.S. Olympic] trials last summer. She is just a very hard worker.”
Heller and senior Danielle Margheret both contributed on the Warriors’ 200 medley relay that posted a meet-record time of 1:51.15. Senior Lauren Tullis and sophomore Alyssa Heller also swam legs on the unit. Margheret also won the 100 breast stroke in 1:07.07.
The top two in each event automatically advance to next week’s district meet at Cleveland State’s Busbey Natatorium.
Coach Matt Davis led Hudson to its sixth North sectional title in the past seven seasons with 482 points. Walsh finished second with 228 points.
Hudson had three individual champs — junior Jillian Saccogna (50 freestyle, 24.75), senior Connie Gan (100 butterfly, 58.52) and junior Paige Kelly (500 freestyle, 5:09.03).
“This is the first step through a process that we want to take over the next couple of weeks,” Davis said. “Our kids were excited to come in here and swim, and make it to next week. Most of the kids were not rested and most of the kids were not wearing fast suits. They fed off the emotion of the meet. They were able to swim well and put themselves in a good position for next week.”
Hudson also won two relays. Seniors Laura Murphy and Emily Arther joined Saccogna and Kelly to win the 200 freestyle relay in 1:41.30. The 400 freestyle relay unit of Gan, Arther, sophomore Stephanie Boyd and Kelly clocked 3:40.29.
“Our girls team has been very close knit, excited all season long and a hard-working group,” Davis said. “Now, they are starting to see the benefit of that. This has been one of the greatest teams that I have coached.”
Firestone senior Katie Miller continued her prep for the state meet by winning two North sectional titles, the 200 individual medley in 2:03.69 and the 100 backstroke in a meet-record 56.48.
Jackson scored 358 points to place first in its sectional. The Polar Bears’ 200 freestyle relay of Graeff, Loughner, freshman Kaitlyn Daiger and Kinney won in 1:39.15.
Green junior Kennedy Herbert won the 100 breast stroke in a South sectional meet record time of 1:05.79. Herbert also won the 200 individual medley in 2:11.44.
Copley sophomore Madison Myers won two events in the South sectional, the 200 freestyle in 1:54.58 and 100 backstroke in 58.09. Canton McKinley senior Marissa Buckley won the 500 freestyle in 5:26.25.
Wooster, which was second in the South with 332 points, won the 400 freestyle relay in 3:43.71 with a unit of freshman Madison Whitman, sophomore Sydney Wenger, junior Gabrielle Sibilia and freshman Jessica Bonezzi.
Michael Beaven can be reached at 330-996-3829 or mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com. Read the high school blog at http://www.ohio.com/preps. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MBeavenABJ and on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/sports.abj.
