Local swimmers join together as team in Orrville

When swimmers from Central Christian, Dalton, Orrville, Smithville and Waynedale high schools take to the pool for February postseason meets, they will wear the colors of their respective schools.

No matter what their uniform might look like, however, they all represent the Orrville Area Conglomerate.

Under the direction of coach Tammy Lyons, the OAC is made up of swimmers from six area school districts — Chippewa being the other — and has seen its group expand, both in numbers and competitively, in recent seasons.

And as she watches this “team” grow, all Lyons can do is smile.

“Each new season I am amazed by how the team comes together as one big swim family,” she said. “Many of the swimmers have been swimming together on the (Orrville) YMCA swim team since they were 7 or 8 years old, so those friendships will be lifelong.

“However, when they reach high school age, OHSAA requires that you compete for the school district you attend or live in, and the swimmers often find themselves without enough swimmers to field a four-person relay, let alone a seven-person team.”

This is where the OAC comes into play, giving these swimmers a home to train and prepare for competition with the hopes of expanding the sport at their respective school.

While Orrville has had its own team for a number of years, one Lyons has guided for the previous two seasons, other area schools have started to have a handful of swimmers join the movement.

A year after it sent a total of nine swimmers to the district meet, the OAC is already off to another fast start this winter as Smithville has enough to field boys relays this season, with Dalton boys and girls getting closer to that goal.

Combine that with the previously established Red Riders program that has a girls team poised to advance a host of swimmers this postseason and a boys squad that has already scored more team points than in previous years, the mix of swimmers from across the county has shown it can compete.

It’s something that has helped bring more individuals into the mix each year.

“Many of the swimmers have started recruiting other athletes from their schools to be part of the swim team. This is where the magic begins,” Lyons said. “All of the veteran swimmers take all the new kids in, regardless of what school they attend, and make them part of the team. They spend time explaining and demonstrating the culture and traditions of the team. They take time out of their own practice time to demonstrate and teach technique, and they cheer everyone on at meets.”

Orrville juniors Aleah Daugherty (200-yard individual medley, 500 freestyle) and Brenna Martin (100 butterfly, 500 free) are returning district qualifiers for the team, along with Waynedale senior Clara Sundberg (100 breaststroke), sophomore Anna Pittman (50 and 100 free), Dalton junior Noah Michaels (200 IM and 100 breaststroke) and Smithville junior Trei Durstine (50 and 100 free).

At one of its biggest meets of the season at SPIRE Institute in December, the OAC came away with a host of wins as Pittman took first in the 50 and 100 free and Michaels won the 100 breaststroke. Daugherty was runner-up in the 500 free, and Orrville senior Sawyer Zimmer placed third in the 100 fly.

The Orrville girls 200 free relay team of Daugherty, Martin, Kinsely Martin and Addison Troyer also took third.

Lyons also noted the progress of underclassmen in Orrville sophomores Caelea Cochran and Luke Hofstetter, Smithville freshman Reis Dustine, and Orrville freshman Martin as swimmers who could join that district-bound group this season.

“As a coach I enjoy watching these kids from different schools across the county become teammates, build new friendships and help each other improve as athletes,” Lyons said. “Swimming is an individual team sport, so the athletes are accustomed to racing each other and fully understand how that intersquad competition makes everyone better.”