Local swimmers shine at state tournament

Eleven area girls competed at the OHSAA state swimming tournament Feb. 24-28 at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. Alessandra Gerber, Grace Hostetler, Anna Pittman, Emma Nickles, Roz Teague, Maddison Kraft and Zoe Kavocs all earned finals appearances with strong finishes.

“We are so proud of how our program was represented at the state,” said Orrville Area Conglomerate coach Tammy Lyons. “This is the biggest number of swimmers we have taken during my time as a coach. We had tremendous support from each of the school communities for all of our swimmers.”

“We were disappointed that we didn’t get the boys there, but the boys side was so upgraded this year with faster times than normal,” said Wooster coach Chris Matthew. “We are rebuilding and have deep and talented classes coming up for both boys and girls. The girls swam really well at the state meet. We had a lot of fun, and I am really proud of them.”

In Division I, Wooster junior Gerber shone brightest in her final swim in the 100 breaststroke as she cut through the waters for a new personal-best 1:04.31. That earned her an 11th-place finish in the finals. More importantly, it earned her All-Ohio to top off a week that saw her finish 25th in the 100 butterfly with a swim of 58.89 and 21st in the 200 medley relay.

“Congrats to Alessandra on an amazing state championship to finish the season,” said Matthew. “To be 11th at the state meet is pretty awesome. She broke Madison Whitman’s school record (1:04.9, 2016). I reached out to Whitman, and she was so proud of her, too. It made it more special. It was just a great swim, and I am so happy for her.”

Joining Gerber on the 200 medley relay with top-shelf split-time swims were Ellie Hansen, Olivia Kelly and Piper Udell.

“In our district, you have to swim like crazy to make it out,” said Matthew. “You have to put all your eggs in the basket to get out. At state, they all swam so well, and it was a great finish. They are all great kids on our relay. Udell is our only senior, and she is such a great kid, one of the hardest workers, had great results and she will be missed.”

Matthew added with one final thought on the run to state for her swimmers.

“It’s the pinnacle of any season to get to state," she said. "It’s what you work for each year, and it inspires kids to get back to work for the next year. What these young ladies did, it was a great way to finish the season.”

Hostetler, a Dalton sophomore, and Pittman, a Waynedale senior, led the way in Division II, putting together some great swims to get to the finals in individual events. Hostetler advanced to the finals in both the 200 freestyle and 100 freestyle, where she shone bright. She posted her best swim of the week in the 100 free with a time of 53.82 to take 11th place and added a 16th-place finish in the 200 free with a swim of 1:58.89.

“Hostetler accomplished everything she set out to do this season,” said Lyons. “She is already talking about the things she is going to work on for even greater success next season, and she exhibits great leadership for the team.”

Pittman excelled by shaving a hundredth of a second off her prelim time with a swim of 24.91 in the 50 freestyle finals. That earned her a 15th-place finish. She also earned a 26th-place finish in the 100 free with a swim of 55.27 in the prelims.

“She has qualified for finals for three seasons in a row, and that’s very impressive,” said Lyons. “This experience enabled her to lead a group of first-time state qualifiers with confidence and positive energy. Pittman should be very proud of her high school swimming career. I know we are.”

Orrville freshman Maddison Kraft capped a stellar start to her prep swimming career by getting to state in the 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke. Fellow freshman and teammate Kavocs earned a state bid in the 50 freestyle.

Kraft finished 24th in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:01.74 and was 27th in the 100 free with a time of 55.30, and Kavocs finished 25th with a time of 25.42.

“I have been coaching them since they were six or seven years old; we’ve been patiently waiting for them to become high school swimmers,” Lyons said. “They have all had standout freshman seasons. They adjusted to the intensity of high school practices, and they started dropping time and haven’t looked back. They are fierce competitors, and their run to and at state exceeded our expectations. They are also fun to watch.”

Earning a trip to the finals in the 200 freestyle relay were Orrville’s Nickles, Teague, Kraft and Kavocs with a prelim swim time of 1:42.53. In the finals, they finished 13th with a time of 1:42.57.

Wrapping up the event for the Red Riders was the 400 free relay team of Teague, Kraft, Kavocs and Caelea Cochran, which finished 21st with a time of 3:50.80.

“Nickles did a great job leading our 200 free relay, and Cochran dropped time all season to earn a spot on the 400 relay,” said Lyons. “This group of girls worked hard all season to make this trip to state possible, and they all had great split times. Most importantly for this OAC group, we had a lot of fun.”