By Brock Sisney (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
CARTHAGE — The Carthage Lady Tiger swim team parlayed several second-place individual finishes and two relay titles into winning their home invitational Friday night inside the Fair Acres YMCA.
Carthage finished with 278 points and was the only school in the eight-team field above 200. Monett placed second with 182.5 and the Lady Cubs were followed in the standings by Lebanon (167), Lamar (160), Nevada (144.5), Joplin (137), Hillcrest (71), and Marshfield (60).
“We won our home invitational, which is one of our team goals this year,” Carthage head coach Braden McBride said. “We didn’t swim our best times. I tried to explain to the girls that our main goal is the last two meets of the year, championship season, so they had a really hard workout this week.
“In turn, we didn’t have any individual champions, but we won the medley relay with almost a state-qualifying time, so that’s exciting, and our 400 relay, those are our best relays and they won. Nobody won (an individual title), because each of these teams has great swimmers. Our girls were tired today, but I’m proud of the effort they gave and it paid off at the end.”
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Madison Riley, Aubree Santillan, Nadya Housh, and Hope Fultz comprised the 200-yard medley relay and they posted a time of 2:05.42. Riley, Fultz, Housh, and Cassidy Smith won the 400 in 4:12.08.
The Lady Tigers finished second in seven events: Fultz in the 200 free in 2:22.69, Housh in the 200 individual medley in 2:31.28, Riley in the 100 fly in 1:03.36, Smith in the 100 free in 59.74, Housh in the 500 free in 6:14.19, Riley in the 100 back in 1:07.29, and Smith, Santillan, Karsen Dininger, and Ava Lacey in the 200 free relay in 1:53.73.
Postseason competition nears for every winter sport in Missouri.
“I believe that we have six girls with a state consideration time,” McBride said. “One young woman has a state-qualifying time, Madison Riley, and she’s seeded top six right now in the fly. Sure, everybody’s going to get faster. We just have to get fast at the right time.
“We have conference (Central Ozark) in two weeks in Webb City. Carl Junction is probably looking to repeat. They are loaded all the way. It will be a fun meet.”
Eventually, all lanes lead to the state meet Feb. 18 through Feb. 20 in St. Peters. Of course, COVID-19 hangs over everything.
“In years past, they let the top 32 go to state,” McBride said. “This year, they’re only letting the top 24, so that makes it more challenging to get to go. We’re always worried about somebody getting quarantined or sick at the wrong time on a relay and how that affects us. We’ve dealt with that a little bit over the season and it’s always something that you hope the girls take care of themselves and their bodies, and hope for the best.”
Lamar’s Kaitlyn Davis won the 200 medley in 2:29.61 and the 100 free in 59.34. Davis’ teammate Meghan Watson took first in the 100 fly in 1:02.79 and the 100 back in 1:06.02.
Monett’s Ava Fritts won top prize in the 200 free in 2:16.05 and the 4×200 team of Gwen Lesue, Fritts, Claire Nation, and Faith Drewianka won first in 1:51.07. Lesue tied for first with Nevada’s Abbi Baldwin in the 50 free in 28.58.
Hillcrest’s Emily Lesue won the 500 free in 6:04.05 and Marshfield’s Maggie Groenke won the 100 breast in 1:16.88.
