Bobcats adjust on the fly for sweep

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown’s Kade Randall, top, distances himself from Indianola’s Ryan Torrence during the 100-yard freestyle race during Tuesday’s double dual inside the Linda Bloom Natatorium at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA. Randall won the race with a season-best time of 53.42 seconds, and the Bobcats beat both Indianola and Bishop Garrigan.

T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE - Marshalltown junior Parker Christen cuts through the water on his way to a win in the 100-yard breaststroke during Tuesday’s double dual against Indianola and Bishop Garrigan at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA. Christen won the race in a time of 1 minute, 9.41 seconds.

The last dress rehearsal before districts had a necessary but welcome change of scenery.

The Marshalltown boys’ swimming squad hosted Indianola and Bishop Garrigan of Algona for a season-ending double dual on Tuesday night at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA, relocating due to issues with the Marshalltown High School pool.

A drop in water temperature has forced the Bobcats out of their home venue, but a site with more than 20 years of state meet experience made itself available across town.

MHS made itself at home at the Y, beating both opponents in the Bobcats’ last event before the Feb. 7 district meet at Ames.

Marshalltown topped Indianola, 59-35, and Bishop Garrigan, 76-18, to close out the regular season in style.

“The age of our pool means things are not always on the shelf, so we have to be adaptable,” said MHS head coach Ray Dulaney. “For the Y to be our backup, they’ve been awesome. Shelley Lechnir, the aquatics director, has been quite accommodating, and to that point, we could have a meet here on a day’s notice.”

Marshalltown dealt with the adversity and finished the meet with victories in seven of 11 events and two dual meet wins.

Even though the meet is an odd fit for the team’s training schedule with the postseason on the horizon, the Bobcats still posted three season-best times along the way.

“The swing from conference to today’s meet is always kind of awkward,” Dulaney said. “We hyped up the fast pool, and we definitely had some fast times — some times that are going to be good seed times for districts.”

Bobcat junior Jacob Seberger set his season-best mark at 23.35 seconds in winning the 50-yard freestyle, and teammate Jack Nelson lowered his best time to 24.80 in finishing third.

MHS senior Kade Randall squeaked out a new season-best time to win the 100 freestyle, lowering his 53.43 to 53.42.

Seberger, Randall and Parker Christen each played a part of three event victories for the Bobcats. Christen captured an individual title in winning the 100 breaststroke (1:09.41), and teammate Elliot Kodis came in second (1:14.37) in the same event.

The Bobcats claimed all three relays. The quartet of Aaron Hunter, Christen, Seberger and Nelson combined on a time of 1:52.42 to win the 200 medley relay to start the meet; Seberger, Christen, Eli Randall and Kade Randall captured the 200 freestyle relay (1:37.27); and Eli Randall, Nelson, Joe Greazel and Kade Randall closed the night with a victory in the 400 freestyle relay in 3:41.05.

Thomas Stanley steamed to the front of the 500 freestyle and won going away, finishing in 5:37.11 to hold off Hunter (5:59.38) in second.

“We’ve lost a little pool time, but they’ve made the most of it,” Dulaney said of his squad. “We’ve been adaptable as we could be.

“I wanted them to compete, to see what we could do, swim fast and just keep working on the little things in those events we needed to. Forever cleaning up little things and I think we did well on that.”

Marshalltown 59, Indianola 35

Marshalltown 76, Bishop Garrigan 18

Indianola 67, Bishop Garrigan 27

EVENT RESULTS

(Champion plus MHS placewinners only)

200 MEDLEY RELAY — 1. MHS (Hunter, Christen, Seberger, Nelson) 1:52.42.

200 FREESTYLE — 1. Ryan Torrence, IND, 2:00.90; 2. Thomas Stanley, MHS, 2:05.33; 4. Parker Christen, MHS, 2:13.11.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 1. Alaka’i Moore, IND, 2:12.97; 2. Kade Randall, MHS, 2:13.77; 3. Joe Greazel, MHS, 2:23.27.

50 FREESTYLE — 1. Jacob Seberger, MHS, 23.35; 3. Jack Nelson, MHS, 24.80.

100 BUTTERFLY — 1. Matt Besch, BG, 1:00.33; 2. Eli Randall, MHS, 1:02.82; 4. Zepplin McCulley, MHS, 1:04.87.

100 FREESTYLE — 1. K. Randall, MHS, 53.42; 3. Greazel, MHS, 56.67.

500 FREESTYLE — 1. Stanley, MHS, 5:37.11; 2. Aaron Hunter, MHS, 5:59.38.

200 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (Seberger, Christen, E. Randall, K. Randall) 1:37.27.

100 BACKSTROKE — 1. Moore, IND, 1:01.36; 2. Hunter, MHS, 1:07.81; 4. McCulley, MHS, 1:11.86.

100 BREASTSTROKE — 1. Christen, MHS, 1:09.41; 2. Elliot Kodis, MHS, 1:14.37.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. MHS (E. Randall, Nelson, Greazel, K. Randall) 3:41.05; 3. MHS (Stanley, Seberger, McCulley, Hunter) 3:54.81.

: T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE – Marshalltown’s Kade Randall, top, distances himself from Indianola’s Ryan Torrence during the 100-yard freestyle race during Tuesday’s double dual inside the Linda Bloom Natatorium at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA. Randall won the race with a season-best time of 53.42 seconds, and the Bobcats beat both Indianola and Bishop Garrigan.

: T-R PHOTO BY ROSS THEDE – Marshalltown junior Parker Christen cuts through the water on his way to a win in the 100-yard breaststroke during Tuesday’s double dual against Indianola and Bishop Garrigan at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA. Christen won the race in a time of 1 minute, 9.41 seconds.