An epic meet

“This was definitely our best meet of the year. We had lots of time cuts and personal bests. We proved we are one of the top contenders in the league. The medal meet was a great opportunity for the kids to showcase their talents and I’m excited to see where the team goes next year.”

Coach Baxter Greenwald

By Robert Galbreath

rgalbreath@torringtontelegram.com

HEMINGFORD  – The race for gold in the 200-freestyle relay between the Torrington Sharks and Sidney, Nebraska, came down to the wire in the 15-18-year-old bracket at the season-culminating medal meet in Hemingford on July 6.

The Sharks relay team stepped up to the starting blocks. The whistle blew and Teryn Stokes dove in for the Sharks’ first leg, establishing an aggressive pace for the team. McKay Gurney and Tiffany Krueger maintained the team’s tempo at the front of the pack for the second and third legs.

Griffin Wolfe leapt from the starting blocks for the final leg, battling to stay ahead of Sidney. Wolfe reached the finish line as the clock registered 1 minute, 52.71 seconds. Sidney pulled in at 1:53.71 and Stokes, Gurney, Krueger and Wolfe captured gold in the relay.

“The 15-18 (year-old) 200-freestyle relay was a highlight at the meet,” coach Baxter Greenwald said. “This was the closest relay of the day and everyone was on their toes. This was a standout group of upperclassmen.”

The Sharks’ victory in the 200-freestyle relay topped off an epic day for Torrington at the medal meet it hosted on Saturday (the event took place in Hemingford due to technical issues at the Torrington pool).

The victorious Sharks returned with their bag overflowing with hardware. In individual events, Torrington snagged 24 gold medals, along with 16 silvers and 15 bronzes. Torrington athletes set nine meet records and 41 Sharks posted at least one personal record.

Relays collected one gold, five silvers and four bronzes.

“This was definitely our best meet of the year,” Greenwald said. “We had lots of time cuts and personal bests. We proved we are one of the top contenders in the league. The medal meet was a great opportunity for the kids to showcase their talents and I’m excited to see where the team goes next year.”

Meet records and golds

The eight-and-under (8U) 100-freestyle relay team pulled into second place and broke the medal meet record in the process. Huck Walter, Alexis Martin, Hazel Parker and Marshall Patrick clocked in at 1:28.22. The previous record stood at 1:28.78.

Marshall Patrick broke four meet records in Hemingford for the boys’ 8U classification. Patrick struck gold in the 50-freestyle, timing in with a record-breaking time of 45.80 seconds. The previous record stood at 46.52 seconds.

Clocking the 100-freestyle in at 1:42.43, Patrick struck gold and shattered the existing record of 1:54.81. 

In the 100-meter individual medley (IM), Patrick garnered gold at 2:09.40, finishing more than two seconds ahead of the meet record of 2:12.19. 

Patrick rounded out the day with a gold medal in the 200-freestyle, timing in with a record-breaking time of 3:59.38. The previous record was 4:15.87.

Atana Walter broke four meet records in the girls’ 11-12-year-old division. Walter clinched gold in the 200-IM, posting a meet record of 3:01.61. The original record stood at 3:06.41.

Timing the 100-freestyle in at 1:09.85, Walter broke the previous record of 1:12.39 to secure gold. 

In the 200-freestyle, Walter scooped up another gold medal with a record-breaking time of 2:39.60. The previous record was 2:41.58.

Shaving 0.28 seconds from the record in the 50-meter breaststroke (40.49 seconds), Walter captured first place at 40.21 seconds.

Mason Patrick set a new meet record in the boys’ 50-backstroke for the 11-12 division, snapping up gold with a time of 43.94 seconds. The old record stood at 44.15 seconds.

Mason Patrick also won the 100-freestyle, posting a time of 1:20.21 before going on to bag gold in the 200-freestyle at 3:03.51.

Lexi Wilkie collected two gold medals at the meet in the girls’ 11-12 bracket. Wilkie opened the meet with a victory in the 100-IM, finishing with a time of 1:29.30 before winning the 400-freestyle at 6:14.58.

Wilkie also broke the meet record in the 50-meter backstroke, beating the previous record of 40.73 seconds with a time of 39.79 seconds to place second.

Nathaniel Stull struck gold in three events in the boys’ 15-18 age bracket. Stull opened the meet with a victory in the 50-meter butterfly at 28.31 seconds. 

Posting a time of 33.27 seconds in the 50-backstroke, Stull garnered gold in that event before going on to win the 50-freestyle at 25.86 seconds.

In the boys’ 9-10-year-old division, Cooper Walter earned gold in both the 25-meter breaststroke, timing in at 23.95 seconds and the 100-IM, reaching the finish line in 1:55.48.

Huck Walter snagged first place in two events in the boys’ 8U class, winning the 25-meter backstroke at 26.14 seconds and securing gold in the 25-breaststroke at 28.43 seconds.

Timing in the boys’ 50-meter backstroke (13-14) in at 40.32 seconds, Merrill Gurney struck gold.

Trinity Martin garnered first place in the girls’ 200-IM in the 13-14 age bracket, timing in at 3:16.88.

Griffin Wolfe pulled into first place in the boys’ 15-18-year-old 100-freestyle, finishing in 1:06.10.

Additional relay results

• 100 free, 9-10: Kelsey Otten, Amelia Patrick, Taelyn Stokes and Cooper Walter third at 1:17.70; Claire Cottrell, Isla Edmunds, Zaelynn Hand and Slate Vaughan sixth at 1:27.45 and Peyton Bullington, Gavin Harrison, Garrett Otten and Sarah Snarr ninth at 1:48.46.

• 100 medley, 8U: Caylee Mann, Alexis Martin, Marshall Patrick and H. Walter second at 1:43.42.

• 100 medley, 9-10: I. Edmunds, A. Patrick, T. Stokes and C. Walter second at 1:26.49; C. Cottrell, K. Otten, Ella Parker and S. Vaughan fifth at 1:43.98 and Z. Hand, G. Harrison, G. Otten and S. Snarr 10th at 2:07.88.

• 200 free, 11-12: Lexi Wilkie, Tayce Martinez, Emily Milner and Mason Patrick third at 2:35.12 and Makenzee Bugher, Jaylynn Grant, Holland Gurney and Addison Mann 10th at 3:00.92.

• 200 free, 13-14: Atana Walter, Isabel Mann, Trinity Martin and Ariana Posten second at 2:13.90 and Harmony Woehlecke, Merrill Gurney, Payton Matthews and Sophie Sinner sixth at 2:57.11.

• 200 free, 15-18: Laney Walter, Madyson Banister, Beau Martinez and Catie Reimer sixth at 2:14.90.

• 200 medley, 11-12: A. Mann, T. Martinez, E. Milner and Mason Patrick third at 3:05.64 and H. Woehlecke, M. Bugher, J. Grant and Deklin Harrison eighth at 3:32.54.

• 200 medley, 13-14: L. Wilkie, I. Mann, T. Martin and A. Posten third at 2:39.75.

• 200 medley, 15-18: L. Walter, Griffin Wolfe, Teryn Stokes and Nathaniel Stull second at 2:12.57 and M. Banister, McKay Gurney, Tiffany Krueger and B. Martinez fifth at 2:21.04.

Additional individual results

Girls 8U

• 25-backstroke: Caylee Mann sixth at 29.36 seconds, Hazel Parker eighth at 32.42 and Peyton Bullington 11th at 34.31.

• 25-breaststroke: Alexis Martin second at 26.87 seconds and C. Mann fifth at 32.29.

• 25-butterfly: A. Martin fourth at 36.64 seconds.

• 25-free: H. Parker fifth at 21.91 seconds, C. Mann 11th at 25.88 and P. Bullington 16th at 30.45.

• 50-free: A. Martin second at 47.45 seconds, H. Parker eighth at 51.10 and P. Bullington 11th at 1:04.52.

• 100-IM: A. Martin second at 2:17.31.

Girls 9-10

• 25-backstroke: Taelyn Stokes second at 22.14 seconds, Sarah Snarr fifth at 23.37, Claire Cottrell sixth at 23.95, Isla Edmunds seventh at 24.24 and Zaelynn Hand ninth at 27.13 and Amelia Patrick 10th at 28.38.

• 25-breaststroke: T. Stokes third at 25.04, Kelsey Otten fourth at 27.06 seconds, Ella Parker seventh at 27.55, I. Edmunds eighth at 28.49 and S. Snarr ninth at 28.90.

• 25-butterfly: K. Otten sixth at 29.07 seconds and Z. Hand seventh at 30.91.

• 25-free: C. Cottrell seventh at 21.68 seconds, S. Snarr eighth at 21.92, E. Parker 11th at 23.25 and Z. Hand 12th at 24.25.

• 50-free: T. Stokes fourth at 37.80 seconds, C. Cottrell fifth at 47.18 seconds, K. Otten sixth at 47.74, I. Edmunds seventh at 48.43 and E. Parker 10th at 51.52.

• 100-free: A. Patrick fifth at 1:40.03.

• 100-IM: K. Otten fourth at 2:03.99.

• 200-free: A. Patrick second at 3:44.32.

Girls 11-12

• 50-backstroke: Addison Mann eighth at 46.51 seconds and Makenzee Bugher ninth at 48.11.

• 50-breaststroke: M. Bugher fifth at 52.75 seconds and Harmony Woehlecke seventh at 1:01.58.

• 50-butterfly: Emily Milner fourth at 48.02 seconds, Tayce Martinez fifth at 49.19 and Abriana Rosenlof seventh at 54.15.

• 50-free: T. Martinez sixth at 39.66 seconds, A. Mann seventh at 39.86, E. Milner 10th at 41.72 Jaylynn Grant 11th at 42.54, A. Rosenlof 14th at 43.48 and H. Woehlecke 18th at 46.02.

• 100-free: J. Grant 10th at 1:40.81.

• 100-IM: E. Milner fourth at 1:41.89.

• 200-free: J. Grant third at 3:31.25 and A. Mann fourth at 3:32.28.

• 200-IM: E. Milner second at 3:42.05.

Girls 13-14

• 50-backstroke: Ariana Posten fourth at 41.76 seconds, Sophie Sinner ninth at 52.75 and Payton Matthews 10th at 52.89.

• 50-breaststroke: Trinity Martin second at 42.79 seconds, Isabel Mann seventh at 52.08, P. Matthews ninth at 59.13, S. Sinner 10th at 1:02.27 and Camilla Harrison 11th at 1:03.67.

• 50-butterfly: T. Martin second at 37.98.

• 50-free: T. Martin second at 32.12 seconds, A. Posten fifth at 34.58, I. Mann seventh at 36.50, S. Sinner 11th at 40.49, P. Matthews 13th at 43.71 and C. Harrison 15th at 48.71.

• 100-free: I. Mann third at 1:20.48.

• 100-IM: A. Posten third at 1:32.00.

• 400-free: C. Harrison fourth at 8:24.21.

Girls 15-18

• 50-backstroke: Catie Reimers fourth at 47.28 seconds.

• 50-breaststroke: Teryn Stokes second at 39.39 seconds, Madyson Banister fifth at 40.71 and Laney Walter sixth at 43.43 seconds.

• 50-butterfly: L. Walter third at 34.47 seconds and T. Stokes fourth at 34.62 seconds.

• 50-free: T. Stokes second at 29.68 seconds, Tiffany Krueger fourth at 29.96, M. Banister fifth at 32.15 and C. Reimers ninth at 40.71.

• 100-free: T. Krueger second at 1:09.46 and M. Banister third at 1:13.53.

• 100-IM: L. Walter fourth at 1:23.66.

• 200-free: T. Krueger second at 2:40.04 and L. Walter fourth at 2:52.43.

Boys 8U

• 25-backstroke: Michael Snarr third at 28.79 seconds.

• 25-free: Huck Walter fourth at 25.09 seconds and M. Snarr fifth at 28.41.

Boys 9-10

• 25-backstroke: Cooper Walter second at 23.42 seconds, Slate Vaughan sixth at 28.63, Deaglan Smith seventh at 30.85 and Gavin Harrison eighth at 37.78.

• 25-breaststroke: Garrett Otten fourth at 30.53 seconds and G. Harrison ninth at 50.98.

• 25-free: D. Smith seventh at 21.97 seconds, G. Otten eighth at 22.62 and S. Vaughan ninth at 22.93.

• 50-free: C. Walter third at 41.28 seconds, D. Smith fifth at 48.08, G. Otten eighth at 49.72 and G. Harrison 12th at 1:24.12.

Boys 11-12

• 50-backstroke: Decklin Harrison sixth at 58.70 seconds and Holland Gurney seventh at 1:04.80.

• 50-breaststroke: H. Gurney eighth at 57.00 seconds and Myles Matthews 13th at 1:26.62.

• 50-free: Mason Patrick fourth at 36.71 seconds and M. Matthews 15th at 57.40.

• 100-free: M. Matthews 11th at 2:11.15.

• 100-IM: H. Gurney seventh at 2:20.06 and D. Harrison eighth at 2:24.20.

Boys 13-14

• 50-breaststroke: Merrill Gurney third at 52.21 seconds.

• 100-IM: M. Gurney third at 1:47.18.

Boys 15-18

• 50-backstroke: Griffin Wolfe fifth at 40.89 seconds.

• 50-breaststroke: McKay Gurney fourth at 37.98 seconds.

• 50-butterfly: Beau Martinez fourth at 35.56 seconds.

• 50-free: G. Wolfe second at 26.18 seconds and B. Martinez fifth at 29.14.

• 100-IM: M. Gurney third at 1:19.74.

• 200-IM: M. Gurney third at 3:10.36.