By RYAN WALKER
The Norwell boys’ swim team defeated Snider and Adams Central in the last regular season meet Monday night.
The Knights won by a team score of 104-56 over the Panthers and 105-56.50 over the Jets.
The boys, according to head coach Stephanie Scott were tired and getting ready to go into a taper, a conditioning method to train the body before a big event for better results, and were focusing on technique.
“They’re tired, and we’re getting ready to head in a taper,” Scott said after the meet. “So, they didn’t have all best times — we had close to best times, though. So right now, they’re just working on polishing, whether it’s turns, underwater turns, or just certain technique in their stroke. So really, that’s what they’re focused on tonight.”
Perhaps some of the sluggish times had to do with the knowledge of having an early-morning practice before school the next day.
The boys are now in go time, as they are just 10 days away from sectional preliminaries and 12 away from the finals. The group has been itching to repeat as champions in both the Northeast 8 Conference and in the sectional, which is right there in front of them. The last time the boys repeated as sectional champs was 2003 and 2004 seasons.
Last year, Norwell edged out Delta by a score of 451-426. The Eagles have more returners from last year than the Knights, but that hasn’t stopped the team from being pumped up.
Part of that reason is that a few members of the boys’ team went to Jay County over the weekend to support the girls’ team’s attempt at a repeat of its own, but they fell just short of Delta.
“Oh, they’re super excited,” Scott said. “We had a good handful of them — most of our seniors and a few underclassmen — were at girls’ sectional this weekend. So, they’re fired up.”
Preparation will be similar to the girls last week, tapering but also cleaning up some of the mechanics in strokes, underwater technique, starts, and turns. Scott is hoping to hone their skills in time for the preliminaries.
In terms of qualifying events and individuals for the state championship at the Indiana University Natatorium in Indianapolis, Scott thinks that a few members of the team have a shot at going, and potentially some relay teams. By request, Scott would like to keep the events and the names unreleased.
Last season, Norwell took five members in four events to states. All but one is left from those events after the 2022 senior class.
The sectional preliminary rounds will start at 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 16, at Jay County School school and the finals will start the following Saturday at 9 a.m. for diving and 1 p.m. for the rest of the events.
Individual winners for the boys were:
• Reece Lobsiger, Kale Meredith, Samuel Peterson, and Rodrigo Segovia in the 200-yard medley relay.
• Marin Melcher in the 200-yard freestyle.
• Peterson in the 200-yard IM.
• Mikey Reidenbach III in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Peterson in the 100-yard butterfly.
• Melcher in the 500-yard freestyle.
• Trenton Singleton, Meredith, Melcher, and Reidenbach in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
• Meredith in the 100-yard breaststroke.
• Emerson Graft, Rodrigo Segovia, Lobsiger, and Reidenbach in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
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