MARIETTA – The Walton girls did not need any individual or relay wins to claim their eighth straight title Saturday in the Cobb County championships at Mountain View Aquatic Center.
The Raiders, who scored 1,024 points, used their depth to place many swimmers high in the top two heats going into the finals. Lassiter, which had more success both individually and in the relays, settled for runner-up with 951 points.
Pope (808) was third, followed by Harrison (795) and Wheeler (571).
Walton also took advantage of Lassiter not having any divers place in the top 14. Cameron Hilker and Madeline Deak racked up the diving points for the Raiders by finishing fourth and fifth, respectively, with Chloe Currin 11th.
Walton also collected points in the 50-yard freestyle with Lily Osborn second (23.86 seconds), Greer Lovett fourth (24.93) and Ariel fifth (25.03). Osborn also finished second in the 100 freestyle.
Walton's 200 freestyle relay of Osborn, Lovett, Ninomiya and Maia Alston nearly beat Lassiter, but the group came up short by less than a second at 1:37.93. Walton's 400 freestyle relay team of Ninomiya, Alston, Osborn and Maria Pineda-Serrano were fourth in 3:38.06.
“It's going to sound like the same every year, but our divers made such a huge difference,” Walton coach Ty Vernon said. “They brought in about 80-something points. And our sprinters on the girls side were able to help our freestyle relays do really well and in the 50 and 100 freestyles.”
Meanwhile, Lassiter looked as if it would dominate the meet on paper, but the Trojans did have as much depth in the top three heats as their east Cobb rival.
Lassiter won both of its freestyle relays.
Maggie O'Shaughnessy, Ashlyn Loftin, Allison Gale and Rose Jones outswam Walton down the stretch to to win the 200 freestyle (1:37.13). Jones, O'Shaughnessy, Kate Bradley and Finnly Jollands had a little easier time winning the 400 freestyle, beating Harrison by more than 5 seconds in 3:28.41.
Individually, Jollands clocked in at 23.48 to win her third straight county title in the 50 freestyle, while also claiming the 100 backstroke in 54.82. Bradley clinched her second straight title in the 100 butterfly (55.19), as well as winning the 500 freestyle (4:59.34).
After finishing fourth in the 200 freestyle, Jones bounced back to win the 100 freestyle (52.19).
“I know that diving is the only (thing) we've missed in the past few years,” Lassiter coach Brittany Hughes said, “but they left it all in the pool, and they came away with some great swims.”
Harrison's 200 medley relay of Reagan Burton, Addie Rice, Evelyn Jezerinac and Anjoli Mohanty edged Lassiter in the freestyle leg to win in 1:45.03.
The Hoyas also saw Jezerinac win the 100 breaststroke (1:01.98), while Burton came from behind to win the 200 IM (2:07.75).
Wheeler's Renee Hawkins won the 200 freestyle (1:52.41) as the fifth seed.
Remember the human. Show other commenters the
respect they deserve as human beings. If you wouldn't say it in
a crowded room full of people you don't know, don't say it
here. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar,
lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Remember the human. Show other commenters the respect they deserve as human beings. If you wouldn't say it in a crowded room full of people you don't know, don't say it here. Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexually-oriented language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.