(by Don Meador, November 14, 2021)
The Allen County-Scottsville swim team have dived into the water for their first swim action of the 21-22 season. At the end of the day last Saturday at the Laker Fall Preview at the Russell County Natatorium, AC-S impressed with a very solid overall third-place performance.
In the 19-team meet, AC-S placed third with both girls and boys swimmers combined with a score of 420.5. Scott High School took top honors (668) with Russell County placing second (579). The Lady Patriots placed third with a score of 250) while the Patriot swimmers were fifth (170.5) when the female and male swimmers were separated.
The Russell County event was unique in that swimmers could participate in unlimited events rather than being limited as is the case in normal meets. Also, the Laker preview was a sprint and relay event only with no individual events beyond 50 yards.
For the Lady Patriot relay swimmers, the 200-y breaststroke relay team was second in the time of 2:47-41. The team includes Allison Davis, Shelby Costello, AnnMarie Shirley, and Sarah Davis. The 200y free relay squad was also second (2:04.91) with Audrey Moore, Emma Brown, Allison Davis, and Sarah Davis in the water. The 200y butterfly relay team of Brown, Shirley, Sarah Davis, and Allison Davis finished third (2; 37.19). The medley relay unit of Moore, Allison Davis, Brown, and Costello placed seventh (2:33.28). The 200-yard backstroke relay team of Brown, Moore, Ella Rickard, and Sarah Davis placed eighth in 2:41.37.
In the 50y butterfly, Allison Davis was 12th (33;12) and Brown was 14th (33.41). In the 50y backstroke, Sarah Davis earned third (32.03) and Brown was ninth (35.40). Costello (39.00), Shirley (46.14), Rickard (52.14), and Aubrey Moore (42.78) also swam the event. Sarah Davis placed second in the 50y breast in the time of (35.06). Allison Davis was 8th (38.41) in the event with Shirley (44.98), Costello (44.95), and Moore (54.25) also taking part.
In the 50y free, Sarah Davis placed 10th (29.16) and Allison Davis was 14th (30.12). Other swimmers in the event were Moore (33.68), Costello (34.38), and Shirley (37.32). In the 100y medley, Sarah Davis finished in second (1:11.11), Allison Davis placed eighth (1:15.58) and Brown was 12th (1:19.20). Shirely also swam the event and posted a time of 1:39.93.
On the boys side, the 200y backstroke relay team Ryan Wolfe, Houston Porter, Kash Taylor, and Aaron Shain placed first in the time of 2:05.07. In the 200 yard breast relay team was sixth in 3:09.74. The team included Leon Wielawski, Skyler Keen, Jacob Shirley, and Porte. The Patriot 200y freestyle team was fifth in 1:47.64. Swimming the event was Taylor, Porter, Wolfe, and Shain. A second team in the same event had a time of 2:49.19 with Alex Stamps, Keen, Shirley, and Wielawski swimming. The 200 medley unit of Porter, Taylor, Wolfe, and Shain was sixth (2:06.90).
Individually, in the 50y fly, Shain placed 13th 29.09 and Wolfe finished in 19th (30.41). Stamps, (35.73) also participated. In the 50y back, Shain was ninth (30.87), Porter was 13th (32.14), Taylor placed 14th (32.20), and Wolfe was 15th (32.50). In the 50y breast, Shain earned ninth (34.65) with Porter (39.67), Wielawski (39.86), Taylor (40.48), Keen (50.10), and Shirley (54.81) also taking part in the event.
In the 50y free, Shain finished in 7th (25:57), Taylor placed 10th (26.09), and Porter was 17th. Additional swimmers in the event were Wolfe (27.99), Stamps (28.66), Wielawski (30.38), Keen (38.85), and Shirley (40.89). In the 100y medley, Wolfe led the way with a 16th (1; 11.86) place while Taylor was 17th (1:12.49). Porter (1:15.63) and Stamps (1:23.13) also swam the event.
AC-S will have approximately a month before returning to the water. The swimmers are scheduled to swim at Monroe County on December 16.