The Dresden Dorados took on the Pataskala Porpoises on Thursday, June 6 at the Dresden Swim Center. The boys/men earned an impressive 200 points in combined events over the Porpoises’ 131 for the day. The total tallied points for the girls/women came to 188 edging Pataskala out by twelve points. Altogether, the Dorados dominated the waters earning a great starting number for the new season with a total combined score of 395. The Porpoises finished with a score of 307.
The Dorados are led by Coach Christi Holmes who formed the team in 2021 and has been coaching the Tri-Valley Swim Team for the past eight years. The team is comprised of 103 swimmers in total, 66 are returning and 37 just joined the summer swim team this year. “It’s actually a terrific MIX…57 are 11 or under and 46 are 12 or older. We have 19 in the 8U age group, 24 in the 9-10 age group, 23 in the 11-12 age group, 19 in the 13-14 age group, and 18 in the 15-18 age group,” said Holmes.
The weather has posed a bit of a challenge for the swim team this year with rain and chilly temps making the conditions undesirable, to say the least. The Dorados’ first outing had to be rescheduled to the following evening due to storms on Wednesday. “The weather! Ugh. We swam in some very cold conditions tonight (June 10)! It was 57 degrees at the end of practice, which was cold for both swimmers and coaches! We practiced in rain last Wednesday and had to move due to the stormy forecast. (It made more sense to take a chance with practice rather than the meet.) It was also cold during our first night of practice! We can’t wait for more sunshine and warm breezes,” explained Coach Holmes.
Although the Dorados are competitive in the pool, the main goal for the team is to have fun and improve as a swimmer. Coach Holmes elaborated on the team’s goals for the season, “Our #1 goal every year is to HAVE FUN. We also want the kids to learn all four competitive strokes, swim faster (personal bests), and make new friends. Our other annual goal is to win the TCAL small team division title.” Their score of 299 last season seated them in second place in Division 2 in the Tri-County Aquatic League Championship.
All of those chilly practices paid off as the first meet for the season versus the Porpoises also marked the first 2024 “W” for the Dorados. There were 72 events held at the Dresden Swim Center for the first meet and out of those the team had over 90 top-three placements. Here is the breakdown of those events (only first, second, and third places are mentioned in this article due to space restrictions, many other Dorados swimmers placed during these events. Please visit dresdendorados.swimtopia.com for the full results). Events are grouped by age brackets and broken into girls and boys for everyone 14 and under and women and men for everyone over 15.
In the Girls 9-10 100 yard medley relay the Dorados took top placement clocking in at 2:27.78 with a team of Olivia Williams, Alauna Emmert, Candace Louise Shipp, and Ella Morrison. The next age bracket for ages 11-12 saw second and third-place finishes for the Girls 200 Yard Medley Relay. The teams consisted of Ashlynn Lewellen, Nora Breece, Rylinn Martin, and Resse Espenlaub who collectively earned a time of 2:49.60, and Hilary Stirling, Kate Cunningham, Reganne Wheeler, and Addie Martin with a time of 3:21.00. For the Girls 13-14 200 Yard Medley Relay the team of Stella Fuhriman, Lydia Collet, Kylie Martin, and Camryn Cunningham took second place with a time of 2:26.43. The Dorados took first and second in the Womens 15-18 200 Yard Medley Relay. A first-place time of 2:22.19 was the collaborative effort of swimmers Britany Hammond, Dani Stewart, Lucy Baylor, and Sarah Gardinsky. The team of Lexie Hatton, Addy Miller, Jacie Aronhalt, and Bree Cosgrove came in second with their time of 3:00.35. In the Girls 9-10 100 Yard Freestyle Relay the team of Alauna Emmert, Madison Dougherty, Kenzie Gregory, and Ruby McCoy swam away with a first-place finish earning a time of 1:43.36. The squad of Candace Louise Shipp, Ella Morrison, Olivia Williams, and Emery Stewart came in second with their time of 2:06.47. Girls 8 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle Relay teammates Hensley Kaiser, Regan Stanbery, Olivia Thornton, and Harper Landerman clocked in at 1:47.23 beating out two Porpoises teams. In the Girls 11-12 200 Yard Freestyle Relay a pair of Dorados teams took the first two spots in a five-team showdown. Reese Espenlaub, Kate Cunningham, Hilary Stirling, and Rylinn Martin landed a time of 2:41.39 followed by Nora Breece, Sydney Hollingsworth, Addie Martin, and Ashlynn Lewellen who earned a time of 2:51.97. The Girls 13-14 200 Yard Freestyle Relay team of Stella Fuhriman, Camryn Cunningham, Kylie Martin, and Lydia Collet put up a second-place time of 2:13.26. For the Women 15-18 200 Yard Freestyle Relay Dani Stewart, Britany Hammond, Lucy Baylor, and Sarah Gardinsky teamed up for a collective time of 2:04.51. Second place in the same event went to the foursome of Addy Miller, Bree Cosgrove, Allison Scurlock, and Jacie Aronhalt wrapping up the relay events for the gals.
In boy’s relay action, the Dorados picked up a first-place finish in the 11-12 200 Yard Medley Relay with a time of 2:38.24. The team consisted of Kamden Buckner, Bryan Jiang, Creed Fuhriman, and Ben Smith. The Boys 13-14 200 Yard Medley Relay the Dorados came in first beating the Porpoises by under 4 seconds with a time of 2:23.37. Brantley Spragg, Coen Fuhriman, Tanner Mohler, and Avery Stewart made up the team. Brody Tuttle, Tyler Mohler, Garrett Stirling, and Dallin Stirling took first in the Mens 15-18 200 Yard Medley Relay capturing a time of 2:01.28 and breaking the previous record time of 2:03.22 set in 2023 by the team of Gabe Lentz, Tyler Mohler, Tillman Hawk, and Casen Hirtle. Third place in the same event clocked in at 2:40.78 with the lineup of William Morrison, Jaxson Hammond, Kollin Buckner, and Ammon Martin. The Boys 9-10 100 Yard Freestyle Relay saw first and second-place times for the Dorados. The team of Wade Jones, Ben Bradford, Matt Smith, and Kendrick Kimble grabbed a time of 1:33.01 and the third-place grouping of Slate McDonald, Wrett Stotts, Slade Snyder, and Wyatt Stotts earned a time of 2:33.06. Isaac Watson, Finn Snyder, Warren Stover, and Uryjah Wilden teamed up for the first-place finish for the Boys 8 and Under 100 Yard Freestyle Relay clocking in at 2:23.71. The Boys 11-12 200 Yard Freestyle Relay second place finish went to the squad consisting of Bryan Jiang, Ben Smith, Kamden Buckner, and Creed Fuhriman. It was a tight race, the Porpoises just slipped ahead by about three seconds. Tanner Mohler, Brantley Spragg, Avery Stewart, and Coen Fuhriman made up the first-place team in the Boys 13-14 200 Yard Freestyle Relay collectively earning a time of 2:03.84. For the final relay of the meet, Men 15-18 200 Yard Relay swimmers Dallin Stirling, Kollin Buckner, Garrett Stirling, and Tyler Mohler splashed in with a time of 1:45.15 outswimming the Porpoises for first place. In the same event, the Dorados added a third-place finish with a time of 2:25.94 with the team of Jaxson Hammond, Jonathan Braddock, William Morrison, and Brody Tuttle.
The Mixed 10 and Under 100 Yard Relay team of Maddy Hensel, Isaac Watson, Spencer Tellez, and Hensley Kaiser took first place with their time of 3:05.59.
In individual events, Reese Espenlaub (1:45.30) and Nora Breece (1:50.66) rocked second and third place respectively in the Girls 11-12 100 Yard Individual Medley. Six swimmers competed in this event. For the Girls 13-14 100 Yard Individual Medley Lydia Collet (1:21.53) earned a second-place finish out of five others who swam in the event. Dani Stewart (1:16.00) and Sarah Gardinsky (1:17.22) came in second and third in the Womens 15-18 100 Yard Individual Medley. In the Girls 6 and Under 25 Yard Freestyle Lillian Cottell (34.90) earned second place. Dorados’ swimmers Olivia Thornton (21.63) and Hensley Kalser grabbed first and second in the Girls 7-8 25 Yard Freestyle. Ruby McCoy (18.52) took first in the very popular Girls 9-10 25 Yard Freestyle which saw 12 swimmers collectively at the starting block. The top three positions were filled by Dorados’ athletes Sarah Gardinsky (30.19), Dani Stewart (30.69), and Lucy Baylor (32.97) in the 15-18 50 Yard Freestyle. Stella Fuhriman (29.43) and Lydia Collet (29.77) earned second and third versus a string of 14 other swimmers in the Girls 13-14 50 Yard Freestyle. In the Girls 9-10 50 Yard Freestyle, Olivia Williams put up a third-place time of 53.93. Womens 15-18 100 Yard Freestyle competitor Britany Hammond (1:09.67) came in second. Lillian Cottrell (36.31) swam into the first-place position in the Girls 6 and Under 25 Yard Backstroke. Out of 13 competitors, Olivia Thornton (25.51) earned a second-place finish in the Girls 7-8 25 Yard Backstroke. Ruby McCoy (21.16) took first in the same event but for the 9-10 age bracket. In the Girls 11-12 50 Yard Backstroke Ashlynn Lewellen (48.92) placed third among 13 other swimmers. In the 13-14 age range for the same event, Stella Fuhriman (34.14) grabbed top placement out of 11 competitors. The top two finishers in the Womens 15-18 100 Yard Backstroke were Sarah Gardinsky (1:17.40) and Britany Hammond (1:20.47). Madison Dougherty (28.23) took second in the Girls 9-10 25 Yard Breaststroke. Nora Breece (47.04) clutched third in the Girls 11-12 50 Yard Breaststroke, just beating out a Pataskala swimmer by less than a hair. Stella Fuhriman (43.21) locked her third-place win position in the Girls 13-14 50 Yard Breaststroke. Dani Stewart and Kylie Martin earned first and third in the Womens 15-18 100 Yard Breastroke. Ruby McCoy (21.92) landed a first-place finish in the Girls 9-10 25 Yard Butterfly. In a similar event, the Girls 11-12 50 Yard Butterfly, teammates Rylinn Martin (39.35) and Reganne Wheeler (49.32) took second and third. In the Girls 13-14 50 Yard Butterfly, Lydia Collet (33.14) and Riley Espenlaub (47.53) earned second and third rounding out the individual events for the ladies.
Bryan Jiang (1:19.86) earned second place in the Boys 11-12 100 Yard Individual Medley. Tyler Mohler beat his record by 17 milliseconds in the Mens 15-18 100 Yard Individual Medley making the new record 1:02:36. Kollin Buckner (1:10.21) and Garrett Stirling (1:11.97) came in second and third in the same event. Wrett Stotts (48.24) earned first place in the Boys 6 and Under 25 Yard Freestyle. Boys 7-8 25 Yard Freestyle saw two Dorados athletes in the top two positions. Isaac Watson (25.28) took first and Warren Stover (30.25) followed in second. Boys 9-10 25 Yard Freestyle first and second place finishers were Kendrick Kimble (18.36) and Jax Martin (20.51). In the Mens 15-18 50 Yard Freestyle Dallin Stirling (25.76) and Kollin Buckner (26.23) earned second and third places. Creed Fuhriman (30.56) edged out the long list of competitors for the first-place position in the Boys 11-12 50 Yard Freestyle. The Boys 13-14 50 Yard Freestyle saw two Dorados top two finishers in Tanner Mohler (24.83) and Coen Fuhriman (25.64). Mohler broke Hansel Holmes’ record by just over two-tenths of a second. Wade Jones (40.42) took second in the Boys 9-10 50 Yard Freestyle. Tyler Mohler broke a second record, his own from last year, with a time of 51.77 in the Mens 15-18 100 Yard Freestyle. His previous record was 53.41. Isaac Watson (30.84) and Finn Snyder (41.12) placed first and third in the Boys 7-8 25 Yard Backstroke and Wade Jones (22.55) and Kendrick Kimble (26.42) took second and third in the Boys 9-10 25 Yard Backstroke. Kamden Buckner (45.48) grabbed first in the Boys 11-12 50 Yard Backstroke. In the Boys 13-14 50 Yard Backstroke, Tanner Mohler (29.29) rose to the top earning a first-place finish. Dallin Stirling (1:15.14) and Jaxson Hammond (1:21.55) earned the top two places in the Mens 15-18 100 Yard Backstroke. The Boys 9-10 25 Yard Breastroke was won by Kendrick Kimble (29.44). Second and third places were filled by Bryan Jiang (41.38) and Creed Fuhriman (41.66) in the Boys 11-12 50 Yard Breastroke. A record-breaking time of 32.83 by Coen Fuhriman snagged the top place in the Boys 13-14 50 Yard Breastroke. The previous record holder was AJ Lawler who set a record of 33.34 in 2022. Tyler Mohler came close to closing in on his record set last year in the Mens 15-18 100 Yard Breaststroke but came up short with a time of 1:09.47 earning him a first-place finish. In the Boys Butterfly, Wade Jones (23.07) and Matt Smith (28.42) recorded second and third places. Bryan Jiang (36.97) and Creed Fuhriman (38.18) earned first and second in the Boys 11-12 50 Yard Butterfly. Tanner Mohler (28.11) and Coen Fuhriman came in first and second in the Boys 13-14 50 Yard Butterfly. To cap the individual events for the guys, Garrett Stirling (28.59) and Kollin Buckner (29.85) earned second and third in the Mens 15-18 50 Yard Butterfly.
“It was really fun to start off with a WIN!, Coach Holmes exclaimed. We had LOTS of excellent swims and lots of smiles! Our new swimmers looked really, really good in their first meet and many of our veterans posted time drops already. We even had five new team records set by some of our older boys – Tanner Mohler 13-14 50 free, Coen Fuhriman 13-14 50 breast, Brody Tuttle, Tyler Mohler, Garrett Stirling, Dallin Stirling 15-18 200 medley relay, and Tyler Mohler 15-18 100 IM and 100 free,” stated Holmes. “Our Dorado parents were incredibly supportive and the meet ran very smoothly thanks to their efforts. The Dorado coaching staff was quite proud of our team and it was just really nice to be back in the water in our wonderful Dresden pool!”
The Dorados will hit the pool again Wednesday evening, June 12 (just after the Buzz deadline), and again on June 19 and 26, all three meets are to be held at the Dresden Swim Center. The following two meets on July 3, and 10 will be held away at their respective venues. You can check out the full schedule, meet details, team information, and more by visiting dresdendorados.swimtopia.com.
