MANTA RAYS HS STATE MEET REPORT
Alisabeth Marsteller
Zoe Thatcher
Zoe Thatcher
John Galvin, Steve Russo
Mason Manta Rays send strong contingent to High School State Swim Meet
The Mason Manta Rays were represented by 17 swimmers this past weekend at the Ohio High School State Swim Meet in Canton, Ohio. Ken Heis is Head Coach of the Manta Rays, based at Mason Community Center with a team of 330 athletes aged 6-18. Here is a recap of the swimmers, including their schools and results. All schools are in Division 1 except as noted.
Girls
Sarah Austin – 500 freestyle – 5th Place; 200 IM – 9th Place; The Seven Hills School (Division 2)
Autumn Carter –500 freestyle - 13th Place; Mason High School
Casey Frazier –200 IM - 22nd Place; 200 free relay - 17th Place; Lakota West High School
Jessika Hall – 200 IM – 14th Place; 100 butterfly – 17th Place; Lakota East High School
Breanne Keenan - 200 IM – 16th Place; 400 free relay; 8th Place; 200 free relay – 8th Place; Mason High School
Alisabeth Marsteller - 100 back – 13th Place; 200 IM – 5th Place; 200 free relay – 5th place; 400 free relay – 2nd Place; Ursuline Academy
Maureen Sullivan – 100 back – 20th Place; 200 free relay – 8th Place; 200 medley relay – 10th Place; Mason High School
Zoe Thatcher – 200 freestyle – 2nd Place; 500 freestyle – 1st Place; 200 free relay – 8th place; 400 free relay - 8th Place; Mason High School
Julia Volpenhein – 50 freestyle – 22nd Place; 100 freestyle - 24th Place; 200 medley relay – 10th place; 400 free relay – 8th place, Mason High School
Gabrielle Young – 100 breaststroke – 24th Place; 200 free relay – 5th place; Ursuline Academy
Boys
Billy Barren – 200 medley relay – 19th Place; Lakota East High School
Mpoki Mwalupindi - 200 Free Relay - 11th Place Mason High School
Nick Gess - 400 Free Relay - 9th Place, Team Record, Mason High School
Eric Chen – 100 freestyle – 20th Place; 200 free relay – 11th Place; 400 free relay – 9th Place; Mason High School
John Galvin – 100 freestyle – 17th Place; 200 freestyle – 13th Place; 200 free relay – 1st Place; 400 frees relay – 3rd Place; St. Xavier High School
Justin Kolwyck – 200 IM – 17th Place; 500 freestyle - 17th Place; 200 free relay – 11th Place; 400 free relay – 9th Place; Mason High School
Brad Lebling – 50 freestyle – 5th Place; 100 freestyle – 6th Place; 200 free relay – 11th Place; 400 free relay – 9th Place; Mason High School
Bryan McNamara – 500 freestyle – 9th Place; 200 freestyle – 14th Place; Lakota West High School
Steve Russo – 100 breaststroke – 11th Place, St. Xavier High School
For further information on the Mason Manta Rays, please contact Ken Heis at 513-229-8555. The Manta Rays practice at the Mason Community Center in Mason.
THE CINCINNATI ENQUIRER
CANTON – Ursuline Academy won four individual or relay team events en route to its second straight Division I state runner-up finish Saturday night at C.T. Branin Natatorium.
Upper Arlington won its second straight title with 300.5 points, in front of the Lions 233. Turpin was third (140) and Mason was seventh (109). St. Ursula was 10th and Sycamore was 11th.
“I think it’s awesome,” said Ursuline sophomore Emily Slabe, who was voted the meet’s top swimmer. “We were so proud of each other. We were rooting for each other the whole time.”
Slabe, junior Bridget Blood, senior Corinne Jenkins and sophomore Temarie Tomley cruised to a second straight championship in the 200 medley relay event and set a state meet record for a second straight day. They finished in 1:42.51, nearly three seconds ahead of second-place Upper Arlington (1:45.15).
Ursuline had set the previous record of 1:42.98 in the preliminary round Friday.
“This was by far the fastest we’ve gone all season,” Jenkins said. “It felt great. And the energy is great because we’ve got all the girls behind us and that helps so much.”
Jenkins was the only senior on the team and ended her relay career as a two-time state champion and record holder.
“It was awesome,” Jenkins said. “Those girls last year and this year have been like my family. I love them. It’s been a great experience to be a part of that team and it’s a lot of fun as a senior to go out on such a high note.”
Blood won the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:01.58 and the 100 breaststroke in 1:02.59 for her first two individual titles.
“I’ve never won a state title before and I really wanted to go out and get it this year,” Blood said. “I couldn’t believe it. I had to look at the scoreboard five times. I worked really hard this year and I’m glad it paid off.”
Slabe successfully defended her title in the 100 backstroke with a time of 54.23. and was third in the 100 butterfly with a time of 55.80.
"I was just going in really confident. Last year I was all nerves because I was this little freshman. This year I was really confident. I knew I had girls that were gunning for me, but I stayed confident and I swam my own race.”
Mason sophomore Zoe Thatcher won her first state championship, winning the 500 freestyle in 4:50.96.
“It was really exciting,” Thatcher said. “My 500 felt really good. I felt strong and fast. I didn’t get too tired and I took it out well I think.”
Thatcher led a trio of Cincinnati-area swimmers that finished at the top of the standings in the 500. Thatcher was followed by Turpin sophomore Shaylynn Spelman at 4:54.09 and St. Ursula junior Kaitlyn Ferrara at 4:55.58.
“You get used to competing with them and you get to see how they race their race,” Thatcher said. “It helped a lot to be able to race those people a lot.”
Tomley was third in the 50 freestyle (23.60) and in the 100 freestyle (51.49) for Ursuline and sophomore Alisabeth Marsteller was fifth in the 200 individual medley (2:04.60).
Tomley, junior Gabrielle Young, senior Kate Pawlukiewicz and Marsteller finished fifth in the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.51). Junior Abby Wu, Slabe, Marsteller and Blood finished second in the 400 freestyle relay (3:27.80)
Thatcher was also second in the 200 freestyle with a time of 1:49.56 and was on the 200 freestyle relay team that finished eighth (1:38.51) and the 400 freestyle relay team that finished eighth (3:35.06).
CANTON– St. Xavier senior Andrew Brower made a promise with friends on the Bombers swim team as a freshman that they would raise a team state championship banner in each of the four years they would compete.
Brower, the son of head coach Jim Brower, and a host of Bombers made good on that promise Saturday night, winning the school’s fourth straight and 33rd overall state swimming title with 297.5 points. That easily bested second-place Upper Arlington’s 198 points. Moeller finished eighth with 99 points and Sycamore was ninth with 95.
“After the loss in 2008, (senior John) Galvin and I said, all four years we’re here, we’re not losing,” Andrew Brower said. “This is like the gravy year. The other years were 10 points, 10 points, eight points. This is just a relief. We did it. This is the end of the line for a lot of us. That banner in our natatorium is going to look good.”
The Bombers’ team of Galvin, junior Jack Hendricks, senior Bradford Johnson and junior Grant Johnson won the 200 freestyle relay in 1:24.75 for the Bombers’ lone relay or individual win. They won none last year on their way to a state title.
The St. Xavier 200 medley relay team of seniors Gray Dennis, Andrew Brower, Bradford Johnson and junior Ian Wooley placed third with a time of 1:33.10. Galvin, Hendricks, senior Teddy Kerr and Grant Johnson placed third in the 400 freestyle relay (3:06.77).
John Galvin also placed 13th in the 200 free. Junior Steve Russo placed 11th in the 100 breaststroke.
Mason: Senior Brad Lebling took fifth place in the 50 freestyle (21.35) and sixth place in the 100 freestyle (46.70).
Lakota West: Junior Bryan McNamara took ninth place in the 500 freestyle and 14th in the 200 freestyle.
