By RYAN WALKER
Norwell and Bluffton made the road trip to Jay County two weeks ago for the girls’ swimming and diving sectionals. On Thursday night, it was the boys’ turn.
The Knights and Tigers have had trophy-case seasons already, winning the Northeast 8 and Allen County Athletic Conference championships. That success was brought over to the Patriots’ pool on full display.
In the 12 events, Norwell had 11 that qualified for the sectional finals on Saturday, while Bluffton had 10.
To make it to the sectional finals, individual events must place in the top-16 in the preliminaries, and the relays need a top-8 finish.
Norwell head coach Stephanie Scott, who also coached the girls in the same tournament two weeks ago, was happy with what she saw heading into the final stretch.
“It went really good; the kids dropped a lot of time,” she said after the preliminary races. “(We) had some really good swims tonight, and they’re all pumped up for Saturday.”
Scott’s group had five events finish first. Michael Reidenbach III did it in the 50-yard freestyle and the 100-yard freestyle, Sam Peterson in the 100-yard butterfly, and both 200 and 400-yard freestyle relay teams.
Bluffton head coach Justin Upgraft might have been even happier with the results because of how his team swam and broke a tradition.
“(We swam) really well. Traditionally, Thursdays have been a little rough for us,” he said. “Just mentality coming into it, thinking too much. If this happens, then this happens, and worrying about trying to get top-eight top-16 and guys start swimming tight, and then they don’t drop time, and they’re even more disappointed when they see their time, and they don’t make it.”
Practice over the past two weeks has been Upgraft telling his group that it’s a mind game and to continue to do what they have all season — a season where they won their ninth ACAC title in a row. The goal is to go out there because “I mean, there’s no tomorrow, so just go out there and leave it all out in the pool. What happens, happens,” he said.
Norwell’s goal is clear-cut as well — to repeat as sectional champs, but Scott doesn’t want that to get in the way of having a blast.
“To come out, have fun, No. 1. Do their best and see if we can move up even more and drop more time. The biggest thing is to have fun,” she said.
The finals begin at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 18 at Jay County High School.
Events heading to Saturday’s sectional finals and places are:
Norwell:
• Reece Lobsiger, Colten Strunk, Kale Meredith, and Trenton Singleton fifth in the 200-yard medley relay.
• Marin Melcher fifth in the 200-yard freestyle.
• Sam Peterson fourth, Meredith sixth, Singleton 14th in the 200-yard IM.
• Michael Reidenbach first, Emerson Graft third, Rodrigo Segovia fifth in the 50-yard freestyle.
• Peterson first, Lobsiger second, Strunk ninth in the 100-yard butterfly.
• Reidenbach first, Segovia second, Graft third in the 100-yard freestyle.
• Melcher fourth, Ethan Williamson seventh in the 500-yard freestyle.
• Graft, Peterson, Reidenbach, and Segovia first in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
• Lobsiger second, Ryan Steffen 12th in the 100-yard backstroke.
• Meredith fifth, Parker McCartney 10th, Singleton 16th in the 100-yard breaststroke.
• Graft, Segovia, Peterson, and Reidenbach first in the 400-yard freestyle.
Bluffton:
• Noah Brooks, Cole Arnett, Elija Robles, and Max Worth fourth in the 200-yard medley relay.
• Dalton Rodgers sixth, Worth 10th, Ashton Arnett 15th in the 200-yard freestyle.
• Isaac Wheeler second, Logan Shearer 15th in the 200-yard IM.
• A. Arnett 10th, C. Arnett 11th in the 100-yard butterfly.
• Gavin Yergler sixth, Brooks 14th in the 100-yard freestyle.
• Wheeler second, Griffin Linderwell eighth, Ethan Hunt 10th in the 500-yard freestyle.
• Yergler, Worth, Rodgers, and Wheeler fourth in the 200-yard freestyle relay.
• Rodgers third, Brooks sixth, Yergler eighth in the 100-yard backstroke.
• Worth 14th n the 100-yard breaststroke.
• Yergler, Brooks, Rodgers, and Wheeler fourth in the 400-yard freestyle relay.
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