RUSHVILLE, Neb. – The Torrington Sharks swim team combined to win 11 events and finish in the top-three 15 other times as individuals and seven times as relays at the Rushville Meet on Saturday.

“Natalie (Davila) and I didn’t know exactly what to expect,” coach Ethan Creagar said of the first meet of the year. “We had ideas with how we have been swimming at practice, but I think we exceeded those expectations.”

Abby Dykes had a standout day in the girls 9-10-year-old division, winning four events. She took the top spot in both the 25-yard butterfly (20.39 seconds) and the 25-yard backstroke (20.85 seconds). Moving up in distance, she won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 37.86 and took first in the 100-yard IM with a time of 1:37.53.

“This was her first year in the 9-10 age ground, but I think she realized she can swim with these kids in the older division,” Creagar said. “When she dives into the pool, everybody from every team kind of watches because she is special for her age group.”

Tyne Stokes was the other Shark to win several events, picking up three top spots in the girls 13-14-year-old division. In the 50-yard freestyle, her time of 29.38 seconds earned her first. She was a master of the freestyle, clocking times of 1:05.63 in the 100 and 2:45.54 in the 200, both of which were first-place efforts.

“Tyne was swimming last year at a really high level,” Creagar said. “To come out this weekend barely off her times (from last year) and to come out swimming that strong, she was very happy with where she was.”

Andy Dykes also stood atop the podium on Saturday, winning the girls 25-yard backstroke with a time of 25.89 seconds. Dykes also finished second in the 25-yard breaststroke (31.64 seconds). In the same division, Evie Reinicke clocked a time of 22.88 seconds in the 25-yard freestyle, earning her first, which she paired with a third-place finish in the 25-yard backstroke with a time of 29.40 seconds. Trinity Martin also competed at the youngest age, snagging second in the 25-yard butterfly with a time of 30.63 seconds.

Madyson Banister took first in the 25-yard breaststroke with a time of 25.43 seconds in the 9-10-year-old age group. Adelyn Harpstreith turned in a third-place finish in the same division in the 25-yard backstroke, turning in a time of 25.26 seconds.

Teryn Stokes had two top-three finishes in the girls 11-12-year-old group, highlighted by a second-place finish in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 33.93 seconds. She also snagged third in the 100-yard freestyle (1:18.76). Makala Walsh was just behind Stokes in the 50-yard event, taking third in 34.46 seconds.

Kristina Hall picked up a second-place finish in the girls 13-14-year-old division with a time of 3:04.49 in the 200-yard freestyle, one place behind fellow teammate Stokes. Natalie Stull rounded out the placers in the division, taking third in the 50-yard breaststroke with a time of 46.38 seconds.

In the oldest age group (15-18-year-old), Shelby Heilbrun won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 32.80 seconds. She also picked up a second-place finish in the 100-yard IM (1:28.99), along with a third in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 43.38 seconds.

Torrington’s boys combined for four top-three finishes, all in the 11-12-year-old division. Elijah Vargas took second in the 50-yard backstroke with a time of 1:03.75. Griffin Wolfe captured second in the 100-yard freestyle (1:40.44), which he paired with a third in the 50-yard backstroke (1:01.52). Nathaniel Stull also had a third-place finish, with his coming in the 50-yard freestyle, where he had a time of 39.28 seconds.

The Sharks return to the water this Saturday, when they compete in Sidney, Neb. starting at 9 a.m.

“A lot of people saw that they can really accomplish great things this year,” Creagar said. “We will keep using the same kind of plans from the first couple of weeks and continue to build on the first weekend.”

For full results, check online at torringtontelegram.com.