Marion Center Swimmers Top Tyrone in Close Meet

Both meets came down to the final relay.

 In one of the most exciting meets of the season, the girls were tied with Marion Center and the Tyrone boys were one point behind after the first half. With just two events left, girls were still tied. It was clear that it was all going to come down to the last event, the 400 free relay.

To win, the Tyrone girls needed first and second in the relay, but ending up with second and third. The boys needed a first and second to tie with the Marion boys, but ended with first and third.

Both teams lost by only four points. The boy’s score was 86-82, while the girl’s had a 87-83 score.

“We swam extremely well,” said Coach Tom Getz. “We swam races and were competitive.”

Click below to download a .pdf of the complete meet results:

Tyrone vs. Marion Center 1-13-16

Girls: Tyrone- 83, Marion Center- 87

Allison Hosko, Gwen Dougherty, Emily Beam and Abby Luensmann scored two second places for the team in the 400 free relay and the 200 medley relay. Other relays of the night took two thirds and second.

I think the team did really good. We tried our best and that’s what matters.

— Olivia Thomas

“I think the team did really good,” said Bellwood freshman Olivia Thomas. “We tried our best and that’s what matters.”

Luensmann scored a double win for the girls in the 50 and 100 free. She was the only girl who placed first individually.

“I was excited,” Luensmann said about her first places. “Last year, I never got first, so it’s a big change.”

Seven girls improved in their individual times. Emma Hoover, Hannah Gampe, and Kayla Bilger all worked off time in the 200 free. Both Gampe and Madison Branstetter had their personal best times in the 500 free. Gampe dropped six seconds and Branstetter dropped 13 seconds.

Hosko improved by four seconds in her 200 IM time. Saige McElwain dropped six seconds in the 100 butterfly. Branstetter worked off four seconds and Thomas swam off three seconds in the 100 backstroke.

“Continuing to improve is important,” said Getz about the improvement of swimmers.

Boys: Tyrone- 82, Marion Center- 86

The boys relay of Collin Rhoades, Ben McConnell, Blake Slobodnik and Austin Quinn earned two first in the 400 free relay and the 200 medley relay.

“I think we did good,” Rhoades said. “We swam our best.”

Three double winners from the boys were Rhoades, Slobodnik and McConnell. Rhoades scored in the 100 butterfly and the 100 backstroke. Slobodnik placed in the 200 and 500 free. McConnell won the 200 IM and the 100 breast.

In the 50 free, Quinn tied for first with a shared time of 26.77, dropping a full second from his last meet.

The little things are getting better. Kids are swimming different events. We’re starting to get on the right track.

— Coach Tom Getz

“[I was] surprised,” Quinn said. “I caught him after the first 25. [ I ] worked harder when I saw how close I was to him.”

Freshman Carter Maceno improved in his 500 free time by three seconds. Sophomore Bryce Bauer worked off a second in his 100 free time.

“The little things are getting better,” Getz said about the team improving times,“kids are swimming different events. We’re starting to get on the right track.”