FREMONT – Though the TRAC swimming championships loom this week, the Fremont Ross teams had different concerns in Tuesday night’s duel meet: Figuring out its lineup for sectionals in just a couple week’s time.
Girls coach Tina Moses and boys coach Phil Moran are still debating with themselves about which athletes to use in which events for the postseason and used Tuesday night’s duel meet against Notre Dame and St. John’s, respectively, to begin to scratch out some answers details.
“We’re really starting to begin thinking about sectionals, so I have girls swimming in events that could possibly be sectional events for them and that was more of what tonight was about,” Moses said. “A lot of them swam in off events, like my top two breaststrokers didn’t swim in the breaststroke tonight.”
The tinkering with the who’s and where’s had little impact on the meet’s overall outcome. The girls defeated Notre Dame 131-54 while the boys coasted by St. John’s 132-48.
“I’m swimming kids in certain things to see if they have a shot at being in one of those four spots (at sectionals),” Moran said. “I’ve got more guys than spots. There are going to be some disappointed boys when it comes to the sectional lineup.
“I’m looking for kids who are consistent at this point,” he added. “Do we have kids who aren’t consistent? Why aren’t they consistent? I got to factor all that stuff when I make a decision.”
In addition to his top swimmers, Dylan Weisenauer, Andrew Evans, Tate Williams and William Taylor, Moran said he remains very pleased with the continually improving performances of his first-year athletes.
“I’m thrilled with them, they’re stepping up,” Moran said. “(Guys) like Trey Ickes, who broke a minute in the 100 free. He’s a first-year swimmer so it’s a little unusual. The other guys that are first year guys PR’d tonight. Oliver Ellis is getting better, (Evan) Starkweather is a young guy but he’s getting better. Zach Edmonds had a great swim, he dropped like 12 seconds in his backstroke and another big drop in his 200 IM.”
In the girls’ meet, Moses noted the emergence of first-year swimmer, sophomore McKela Elder whose stamina from the cross country course is proving to be a valuable commodity in the pool as well.
“She’s a distance runner so I thought, ‘Ok, we’ll try the 500 and try some distance,’ and she swam it at several meets in a row and I laid off (her also swimming) the 200 because that’s a lot to swim and she’s a new swimmer so I didn’t want to lay both of those on her,” Moses said. “But I decided tonight was the night we’re going to give it a try and she dropped from a 2:19 to 2:12 in the 200 and then she went 6:06 a week ago in the 500 and she broke 6:00 tonight, which is a milestone for a lot of swimmers. A lot of swimmers do the 500 for years and can’t break six minutes.
“The 500 is one event where postseason, a lot of times, I struggle to fill those four spots with girls I feel have a legitimate shot at making the district meet. That’s not going to be a problem this year.”
Ross will host the TRAC championships this weekend. The league diving competition will be Friday night, starting at 5 p.m. with the swim events taking place beginning at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The Lady Giants will be vying for the championship. While Findlay is the defending champion, Moses said St. Ursula is the team most standing in Ross’ way of a title.
“St. Ursula is the team (to beat), they’re very strong this year,” Moses said. “They probably would say we are.”
As for the boys, with state power St. Francis having dominated Northwest Ohio for decades running, Moran said the Little Giants, like every other team, is battling for second.
“St. Francis is in their own little world. They’re like a professional football team,” Moran said. “If we get second, it’s almost like getting first. That’s just the way it is. We’ve been second, I think, twice since the TRAC’s been formed. Findlay’s been on us the last couple years. It’ll be a good fight between us and Findlay for second.”
Girls results
Fremont Ross 131, Notre Dame 54
First place finishes:
200 medley relay: Fremont Ross (MaKennah Fitzgerald, Lauren Zimmerman, AnneMarie Moses, Rilee Overmyer), 1:56.18
200 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Olivia DeRodes, 2:02.56
50 freestyle: Fremont Ross, MaKennah Fitzgerald, 26.40
100 butterfly: Fremont Ross, Mara Brown, 1:06.88
500 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Rachel Haitonic, 5:53.07
200 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Alexis Prenzlin, AnneMarie Moses, Faith Zimmerman, Olivia DeRodes), 1:45.39
100 backstroke: Fremont Ross, MaKennah Fitzgerald, 1:02.18
100 breaststroke: Fremont Ross, AnneMarie Moses, 1:12.22
400 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (MaKennah Fitzgerald, Mara Brown, Alexis Prenzlin, Olivia DeRodes), 3:59.75
Boys results
Fremont Ross 132, St. John’s 48
First place finishes:
200 medley relay: Fremont Ross (Dylan Weisenauer, Andrew Evans, William Taylor, Tate Williams), 1:41.74
200 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Andrew Evans, 1:51.32
50 freestyle: Fremont Ross, William Taylor, 23.54
1 meter diving: Fremont Ross, Dane Michael, 165.45
100 butterfly: Fremont Ross, William Taylor, 56.40
100 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Dylan Weisenauer, 50.80
500 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Mitchell Mullholand, 5:06.33
200 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Dylan Weisenauer, Tate Williams, William Taylor, Andrew Evans), 1:32.91
100 backstroke: Fremont Ross, Tate Williams, 1:00.11
100 breaststroke: Fremont Ross, Andrew Evans, 59.73
400 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Ethan Taylor, Mitchell Mullholand, Logan Kropp, Case Stevenson), 3:38.26