by Mike Stirling
“Divide and conquer” was the theme of the day for the Tri-Valley swim team this past Saturday as the majority of the squad traveled to participate in the Teays Valley Viking Invitational while a handful of swimmers went north to test their skills in the 2020 Northeast Classic Prelims/Finals in Canton, Ohio.
Scottie swimmers who traveled to Teays Valley performed well but did miss the added strength of those who went to Canton. Of the eight high schools participating, Tri-Valley Boys and Girls combined to finish in 6th place overall.
Opening events saw the girls team of Macey Felumlee, Kayley Harper, Emma Meadows and Jade White drop nearly nine seconds in the 200 Yard Medley Relay while the boys team of Mason McDaniel, Cyrus Dittmar, Nathan Sauerbrey and Blaine Cox dropped nine seconds and finished 4th in the Boys 200 Yard Medley Relay.
Alex Dale led the girls in the 200 Free to touch in 4th place followed by teammate Felumlee. On the boys side, McDaniel and Cox chalked up 6th and 9th place respectively in this same 200 Free.
Next on the docket were the Girls and Boys Individual Medley races. For the girls, Allie Norman and Jade White dove in for Scotties while Nathan Sauerbrey swam for the Dawgs. All three recorded new individual times.
A total of eight swimmers competed in the 50 Yard Free. Lady Scotties Mazie Mallett, Katie Davis, Riannon Shaw, Emma Meadows and Jade White represented the girls team and Cyrus Dittmar, Schawn McDonald and Gabe Lentz swam for the boys squad. Mallett, Davis, Meadows, Dittmar and McDonald all established new times in the 50 Free.
Freshman Emma Lewis, swimming her first 100 Butterfly finished in 8th place followed by Katie Davis in 9th place. Mason McDaniel was the lone swimmer for the boys as he finished in 8th place.
Mazie Mallett, Allie Norman and Macey Felumlee were the Scotty entrants in the Girls 100 Yard Free where they finished in 4th, 8th and 10th respectively. Nathan Sauerbrey finished 8th for the boys in the 100 Free followed by Bret Mohler, Schawn McDonald and Tracy Beale. All three girls recorded new personal times as did Mohler, McDonald and Beale.
Tri-Valley entered three swimmers in the 500 Free (2 girls and 1 boy). All three, Kayley Harper, Rhiannon Shaw and Cyrus Dittmar recorded new personal best times in the 500.
Scottie relay teams were next up. A girls squad consisting of Allie Norman, Rhiannon Shaw, Katie Davis and Alex Dale finished 6th in the Girls 200 Free Relay and the boys team of Gabe Lentz, Schawn McDonald, Tracy Beale and Bret Mohler finished 7th in there heat of the 200 Free Relay.
Dale and Meadows were the Tri-Valley representatives in the 100 Backstroke where they finished 5th and 9th respectively. Teammates Lentz and Mohler swam the boys 100 Backstroke. Noteworthy is the fact that all four of the Scotty backstrokers established new personal times.
Also establishing new personal best times were Emma Lewis, Kayley Harper, Blaine Cox and Tracy Beale swimming the Girls and Boys 100 Breaststroke. All four dropped time in this event.
To cap the meet, Tri-Valley sent Mallett, Norman, Lewis and Dale to the blocks in the Girls 400 Yard Free Relay where they captured 5th place. On the boys side, McDaniel, Sauerbrey, Cox and Dittmar represented the Dawgs and finished 5th in the Boys 400 Yard Free Relay.
