Bulldog girls swim season ends at regional

Bulldog girls swim season ends at regional

Courier sports staff Ottumwa Courier

OTTUMWA — It was a resurgent season for the Ottumwa girls swimming program. After earning three meet wins this fall, the Bulldogs hoped to overcome a tough regional field at Johnston on Saturday and extend their season one more week.

Ottumwa’s had their hopes of swimming at next week’s state meet dashed by great efforts at Johnston and at the seven other regional sites around the state. The Bulldogs finished in a tie for seventh place at the nine-team regional meet on Saturday, joining Perry with 91 points.

Dowling Catholic and the host Dragons were the top two squads as each topped 400 points. The Maroons took the team regional title with 483 points, edging Johnston by 31.

Only two area competitors will be a part of the State Swimming and Diving Meet, which takes place on Friday and Saturday at the Marshalltown YMCA. Fairfield will have a regional qualifier competing each day as junior Jaci Bell will compete in Friday’s 5 p.m. state diving event.

Bell was the 32nd of 40 qualifiers last Thursday at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, scoring 320.45 points. On Saturday, sophomore Baylee Bowman joined her Trojan teammate by qualifying 17th in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:02.43.

The Bulldogs had three top-ten finishes in relay races at the regional meet in Johnston. Both Ottumwa’s 200 medley (2:08.52) and free relay (1:56.97) teams finished sixth while the Bulldogs’ 400 freestyle relay foursome finished seventh in a time of 4:29.99.

“Our finishes in the relays were the highlight of the meet,” Ottumwa head girls swimming coach Stephanie Carroll said. “It definitely speaks to our increased depth.”

Freshman Carolina Carlson came was within 10 seconds of qualifying in two events, finishing just under four seconds out of the 50-yard freestyle in time of 29.44 seconds and 9.24 seconds out of the 100-yard freestyle. Junior Danielle Noe was the closest Bulldog to making it to state, finishing with a time of 28.27 seconds in the 50 freestyle to finish 2.82 seconds out to statewide cutoff time.

“As a team, we had a successful end to a successful season,” Carroll said. “We had swimmers step up all year and compete in events they don’t always compete in. Saturday was no exception.”

Regional Swimming Meet

10/29/11

At Johnston

Team Scores: 1. Dowling Catholic 483, 2. Johnston 452, 3. Ankeny 338, 4. Des Moines Hoover 207, 5. Lewis Central 206, 6. Boone 155, T7. Ottumwa 91, T7. Perry 91, 9. Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln 70.

EVENT RESULTS (State qualifying cut-off time)

200 Yard Medley Relay (1:56.82) — 1. Dowling Catholic (Emily Tuazon, Hannah Aldridge, Michaela Kinter, McKenna Lynch) 1:52.17; 6. Ottumwa (Maranda Rupalo, Maren Melvold, Marissa Rupalo, Danielle Noe) 2:08.52.

200 Yard Freestyle (2:01.94) — 1. Lynch (DOWL) 1:54.64; 20. Jill Ardueser (OTT) 2:32.21; 22. Amber Johnson (OTT) 2:36.74; 23. Bethany Knox (OTT) 2:52.47.

200 Yard IM (2:19.61) — 1. Tuazon (DOWL) 2:15.63; 12. Melvold (OTT) 2:34.55; 19. Megan Black (OTT) 2:52.30; 20. Noe (OTT) 2:55.74.

50 Yard Freestyle (25.45) — 1. Alex Flatness (ANK) 24.89; 18. Noe 28.27; 21. Caroline Carlson (OTT) 29.44. 

100 Yard Butterfly (1:02) — 1. Carmen Vajgrt (JNS) 1:01.24; 14. Mara. Rupalo (OTT) 1:12.59; 16. Mari. Rupalo (OTT) 1:13.42; 20. Shayla Wolver (OTT) 1:23.33.

100 Yard Freestyle (55.56) — 1. Flatness (ANK) 53.07; 17. Car. Carlson (OTT) 1:04.8; 21. Claire Carlson (OTT) 1:07.77; 24 Whitney Dostal (OTT) 1:10.99.

500 Yard Freestyle (5:28.57) — 1. Lynch (DOWL) 5:07.25; 20. Kenzie McCoy (OTT) 6:55.49; 21. Ardueser (OTT) 7:03.69; 25. Katie Zingg (OTT) 7:47.14.

200 Yard Freestyle Relay (1:44.42) — 1. Ankeny (Catherine DeFino, Mallory Smith, Brittney Buckner, Flatness) 1:39.75; 6. Ottumwa (Noe, Amber Johnson, Black, Ca. Carlson) 1:56.97.

100 Yard Backstroke (1:03.67) — 1. Victoria Trost (JNS) 59.76; 17. Mari. Rupalo (OTT) 1:14.34; 18. Cl. Carlson (OTT) 1:15.01.

100 Yard Breaststroke (1:11.71) —  1. Aldridge (DOWL) 1:09.65; 13. Melvold (OTT) 1:20.28; 15. Black (OTT) 1:22.14; 19. McCoy (OTT) 1:27.04.

400 Yard Freestyle Relay (3:49.89) — 1. Dowling Catholic (Tuazon, Kayla Heille, Anna Bump, Lynch) 3:38.83; 7. Ottumwa (Ca. Carlson, Black, Mari. Rupalo, Melvold) 4:29.99.

AREA STATE QUALIFIERS

Diving – 32. Jaci Bell (Fairfield) 320.45.

100 Backstroke — 17. Baylee Bowman (Fairfield) 1:02.43.