The girls' swim season has entered its final month and the best teams have begun to distinguish themselves from the rest of the pack. On Tuesday night at the Marshalltown High School pool, the Bobcats found out they'll need to be a little faster to catch up to the top schools after falling to No. 2 Mason City, 119-61.
"They're fast on paper, and then you look at them in the water, and they're incredible," MHS head coach Angie Nelson said following Tuesday's meet. "They have eight studs and 12 girls that are great behind them. They can throw together a heck of a lineup.
"It was pretty amazing."
The Bobcats were able to win two events Tuesday night - each by Meredith Johnson. The senior took the 50-yard freestyle in a time of 24.80 seconds and the 100 free with a time of 52.33. She edged Mohawk swimmer Courtney Busch by just 64 hundredths of a second in the 100 free.
"That 100 race was pretty awesome. Courtney Busch is rated first in the state [in the 100 freestyle], and Meredith is second. So this was a good confidence booster coming into the end of the season," Nelson said.
Johnson's victory in the 50 free by 26 hundredths of a second came over Mason City's Emma Sougstad, ranked fourth in the state in the event. Johnson is ranked first.
The Mohawks have eight individual top-5 rankings in the latest IGHSAU swim rankings.
MHS' 200 medley relay team, consisting of Sam Beals, Elizabeth Barske, Micaela McCarville and Mackenzie Beals, posted a time of 2:04.96, its best time of the season, but the Bobcats finished 8 seconds behind Mason City's top quartet, which is tops in the state.
"Our medley relay was the fastest its been all season and we only had a couple [personal bests], so that was a big improvement," Nelson commented. "We have to find a way to slide that into the postseason."
The Bobcats had second-place finishes in two other relays. They finished 1 second behind Mason City in the 200 freestyle and 15 seconds slow to the Mohawks in the 400 freestyle. Mason City's 200 freestyle is ranked second in Iowa.
McCarville posted one of the Bobcats' two individual second-place finishes Tuesday night with a time of 5:49.78 in the 500 free. Barske registered the other in the 100 breastroke, finishing in 1:19.34.
McCarville also notched a third place finish in the 200 freestyle. Barske took home fourth in the 100 butterfly.
Amy Stiehl of MHS took home diving honors with a score of 187 Tuesday night.
The Bobcats will next take to the pool Saturday in Johnston for the Johnston Invitational. Diving begins at 9 a.m. with swimming starting at noon.