FREMONT – Hosting a Clay swim program just trying to get its feet wet, winning Thursday’s duel meet wasn’t a priority for the Ross swim teams so much as it was an inevitability. So taking advantage of a non-stressful meet, the Swimming Giants used the opportunity to put younger, less experienced swimmers into varsity-level events and see what they can do.
So while Ross boys and girls teams each picked up a the duel win, coaches Tina Moses and Phil Moran got to have some fun with their lineups.
“It was a training exercise for a lot of our girls,” said Moses, whose girls team won by a score of 152-20. “It was nice because a lot of the girls who typically swim JV events got to swim varsity events, did some scoring, got some PRs. It was nice they got an opportunity.”
Moses only used her top swimmers in just an event or two each, clearing the way for a number of girls to try their hand in new events.
Hannah Snell
Izzy Held
“Hannah Snell, one of my girls who typically swims JV events, swam in the varsity heat of the 200 IM and it was her first 200 IM, ever,” Moses said. “It’s a tough race and she did really well. She finished like a champ. That was nice.”
Snell finished the 200 IM in 3:25.09.
“Izzy Held is a brand new swimmer and she swam the 500, another tough race, she did really well as well,” Moses said. “Izzy knows she took it a little too fast and she realizes that, now she’s excited to swim next time. And to be excited to swim a race like the 500, I’m very impressed by that.”
Moses also mixed up her relays, stacking them as even as possible with each leg of the race performed by a swimmer from a different grade.
Faith Zimmerman, Alexis Prenzlin, Rilee Overmyer and Lindsay Weickert won the 200 medley; Shelby Level, Rachel Haitonic, Victoria Miller and AnneMarie Moses won the 200 freestyle; and Rachel Haitonic, Hayley Wilson, Sarah Sweeney and Ellie Stover won the 400.
“I like to play with relays when I get the chance. I’ve never done this before it was fun, I think the girls enjoyed it,” Moses said. “I tried to make them as even as possible, every relay A through E. It was kind fun.”
Moran did the same with the boys relays, spreading the talent around to promote competition from within.
“We definitely did stuff different,” Moran said. “We tried to look at it from the standpoint of ‘What can we do to push ourselves?’ The last relay they beat us, but we won 2, 3, 4, 5 with our relays and loaded them up so they would be competitive with each other.
“It was a chance for my kids to swim against each other for some bragging rights.”
Dylan Weisenauer, Drew Edmonds, Ethan Taylor, Braedyn Price combined to win the 200 medley while Noah Egbert, Case Stevenson, Logan Kropp and Andrew Evans won the 200 freestyle.
Like Moses, Moran was pleased to see his less-experienced swimmers perform when given the opportunity.
Trey Ickes
Oliver Ellis
“Trey Ickes, like usual, has been pretty spot on, like every meet. I’m pretty proud of what he’s been doing,” Moran said
“Oliver Ellis broke 30 for the first time in his 50 free, that was nice to see,” he added. “I had a bunch of guys (Braedyn Price, Drew Edmonds, Zach McNutt and Trenton Ward) swim the 500 for the first time. They’ve never done that before and they did some decent times.”
Thursday’s meet was the swim teams’ last chance for fun for a couple weeks. Friday marks the beginning of the programs’ two-week ‘Hell Week,’ demanding 2-a-day training sessions which will push their athletes to their limits over the holiday break from school.
“We have no meets during the two weeks over Christmas break and we hit them hard with yardage and really tough training,” Moses said. “So at the end of the season, when we taper, their bodies are ready to bounce back and perform.”
Said Moran: “They’re going to fall asleep while they’re eating, which I’ve had numerous reports of over the years. Kids falling asleep with a noodle hanging out of their mouth with their eyes closed at the table. They’re going to be exhausted.
“I’m not too worried about our kids getting in trouble over break, they’re going to go home and sleep.”
Girls results
Fremont Ross 152, Oregon Clay 20
First place finishes:
200 medley relay: Fremont Ross (Faith Zimmerman, Alexis Prenzlin, Rilee Overmyer, Lindsay Weickert), 2:03.82
200 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Olivia DeRodes, 2:05.13
200 IM: Fremont Ross, AnneMarie Moses, 2:20.07
50 freestyle: Fremont Ross, MaKennah Fitzgerald, 26.46
1 meter diving: Fremont Ross, Mara Brown, 162.80
100 butterfly: Fremont Ross, Faith Zimmerman, 1:13.20
100 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Alexis Prenzlin, 59.06
500 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Ellie Stover, 5:52.29
200 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Shelby Level, Rachel Haitonic, Victoria Miller, AnneMarie Moses), 1:52.11
100 backstroke: Fremont Ross, Mara Brown, 1:10.12
100 breaststroke: Fremont Ross, Shelby Level, 1:17.58
400 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Rachel Haitonic, Hayley Wilson, Sarah Sweeney, Ellie Stover), 4:25.51
Boys results
Fremont Ross 109, Oregon Clay 66
First place finishes:
200 medley relay: Fremont Ross (Dylan Weisenauer, Drew Edmonds, Ethan Taylor, Braedyn Price), 1:49.27
200 IM: Fremont Ross, William Taylor, 2:11.41
50 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Andrew Evans, 22.59
1 meter diving: Fremont Ross, Dane Michael, 138.55
100 butterfly: Fremont Ross, Tate Williams, 1:00.45
100 freestyle: Fremont Ross, Andrew Evans, 49.53
200 freestyle relay: Fremont Ross (Noah Egbert, Case Stevenson, Logan Kropp, Andrew Evans), 1:38.75
100 breaststroke: Fremont Ross, Austin Kramer, 1:09.51