Local Sports

Bobcats swim to Alliance title

FORT DODGE -- For the first time in five years, the Iowa Alliance Conference girls swimming title belongs to the Bobcats.

The Marshalltown girls' swimming and diving squad claimed its first Alliance meet title, overcoming a 23-point deficit to start the day and win with 305 points on Thursday at Fort Dodge Senior High School.

Marshalltown won six of the 11 swimming events and coupled Thursday's success with Tuesday's triumph in the diving competition for senior Harlie Thatcher. Despite Thatcher's victory, the Bobcats trailed Des Moines Lincoln 36-13 going into Thursday's swimming portion.

In the end, it was a race between the only two teams in the conference to field varsity divers, and Marshalltown claimed it convincingly.

The Bobcats prevailed in all three relays and got a pair of individual golds from Leia Hernandez, who was first to the wall in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events. Adele Beek claimed the 100 breaststroke moments before a Marshalltown victory in the 400 freestyle relay secured the team title.

Hernandez swam a season-best time of 25.12 seconds to win the 50, clocked 55.92 to lead a 1-2 Bobcat finish with teammate Drea Ceren (57.95) in the 100, and she was part of both freestyle relay victories as well.

Beek scored a season-best time of 1:09.05 to win the 100 breaststroke, and she was on two winning relays as well.

To open the meet, Marshalltown's combination of Emma Case, Beek, Zoey Pals and Addison Elmore took first place in the 200 medley relay with total time of 1:58.08. The Bobcats' second relay squad of Lydia Beek, Silvia Mullen, Alex Lasack and Thatcher scored ninth in 2:14.96.

Ceren scored second in the 200 freestyle in a season-best 2:08.48, and Frankie Long cut three seconds from her season-low to take ninth place in 2:24.32.

Adele Beek and Case went 2-3 behind Des Moines North's Haylie Weinheimer in the 200 individual medley, with Beek charting a season-best time of 2:25.74.

Hernandez followed with a win in the 50 freestyle and got scoring depth with Elmore placing fourth. Case claimed third in the 100 butterfly, with Pals picking up 10th-place points as well.

Hernandez and Ceren went 1-2 atop the 100 freestyle podium, and Elmore trailed only Weinheimer in the 500 freestyle. Elmore swam a season-best by eight seconds, clocking in at 5:50.01.

Marshalltown's 200 freestyle relay squad of Adele Beek, Pals, Hernandez and Ceren went three seconds lower than at any previous point this season, scoring first place with a time of 1:44.64, and the quartet of Long, Lydia Beek, Thatcher and Mullen made off with seventh place in 1:57.64.

Lasack and Long went 9-10 in the 100 backstroke to pick up a combined seven team points for MHS, while Adele and Lydia Beek followed with a 1-11 result in the 100 breaststroke.

The Marshalltown contingent of Elmore, Case, Ceren and Hernandez clobbered its season-best time to win the 400 freestyle, clocking in at 3:51.64, and pivotal sixth-place points from Pals, Long, Lasack and Lydia Beek helped bring the conference title home for the Bobcats.

Ottumwa's Piper Gevock won the 200 freestyle and the 100 butterfly, and Mason City's Rylee Driscoll captured the 100 backstroke.

Behind Marshalltown (305) and Lincoln (292) in the eight-team race were Des Moines North (211), Des Moines Roosevelt (189), Mason City (146), Fort Dodge (110), Ottumwa (65) and Des Moines East (39).

Thatcher takes to the state-qualifying diving meet on Thursday, Nov. 5, at Summit Middle School in Johnston, and the Bobcats host the regional swim meet on Saturday, Nov. 7, at the Marshalltown YMCA-YWCA.