Jacob Seberger

AMES — The Marshalltown boys’ swimming squad scored fourth place out of 10 teams at the Iowa Alliance Conference meet on Saturday at Ames High School.

The host Little Cyclones won the team title with 309 points, well ahead of the rest of the field, despite only winning two of 11 events.

Marshalltown’s top finish on the day was third-place finishes from its freestyle relays and junior Jacob Seberger in the 100-yard breaststroke. Seberger scored the bronze with a season-best time of 1 minute, 5.58 seconds, trailing only a pair of Ames swimmers. Fellow Bobcats Parker Christen (1:08.84) and Elliot Kodis (1:15.49) helped make it one of Marshalltown’s most lucrative events by scoring points for their sixth- and 11th-place finishes.

The 200 freestyle relay team of Seberger, Christen, Eli Randall and Kade Randall came away with third place after a season-best time of 1:35.65, finishing behind Des Moines Lincoln (1:33.58) and Ames (1:34.99). A second Bobcat quartet of Joe Greazel, Kodis, Maverick Gibson and Thomas Stanley also scored points for 12th place (1:49.48).

The Bobcats closed the meet with third place in the 400 freestyle relay, as Eli Randall, Jack Nelson, Greazel and Kade Randall came away with a season-best time of 3:38.11. Des Moines Lincoln (3:26.56) and Ames (3:30.36) touched up ahead of MHS in the finale as well.

“We had a ton of great swims with many season- and lifetime-bests,” said MHS head coah Ray Dulaney. “I was pleased how our relays raced and am encouraged for districts.”

The Bobcats opened the day with a season-best clocking in the 200 medley relay, as Aaron Hunter, Christen, Seberger and Nelson took fifth in 1:50.52.

Kade Randall scored fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:14.52), with Eli Randall (11th, 2:22.16) and Greazel (12th, 2:22.74) also scoring points for the team. Greazel’s time was his best of the season, too.

Seberger took fifth in the 50 freestyle (23.91), Kade Randall took eighth in the 100 freestyle with a season-best 53.43, and Eli Randall claimed eighth in the 100 butterfly (1:02.41). Stanley scored ninth in the 500 freestyle with a season-best 5:34.67. Hunter tacked on a point for 12th in the 100 backstroke.

Des Moines Lincoln scored 218 points for second in the final team standings, followed by Des Moines Roosevelt (214) and the Bobcats (143). Mason City (141) was just back of MHS, followed by Ottumwa (111), Des Moines Hoover (51), Fort Dodge (46), Des Moines East (42) and Des Moines North (10).

“Going into this meet, we knew it was going to be a tight meet in the final standings with a few teams,” said Dulaney. “With pool issues that caused us to swim at the Y(MCA) this week and no school on Friday, the boys could have had reasons to make excuses on their performance and they adapted and showed the mental toughness we have talked about.”

The Bobcats close the regular season with a home dual against Indianola on Tuesday, and the state-qualifying meet sends MHS back to Ames on Feb. 7.

Iowa Alliance Conference meet

Team Standings — 1. Ames 309, 2. Des Moines Lincoln 218, 3. Des Moines Roosevelt 214, 4. Marshalltown 143, 5. Mason City 141, 6. Ottumwa 111, 7. Des Moines Hoover 51, 8. Fort Dodge 46, 9. Des Moines East 42, 10. Des Moines North 27.

EVENT RESULTS

(Champion plus MHS placewinners only)

200 MEDLEY RELAY — 1. OTT (Zimmeht, Miller, Shewry, Kelly) 1:45.15; 5. MHS (Hunter, Christen, Seberger, Nelson) 1:50.52.

200 FREESTYLE — 1. Owen Van Der Linden, AMES, 1:53.74; 10. Thomas Stanley, MHS, 2:04.54.

200 INDIVIDUAL MEDLEY — 1. Elliott Zimmeht, OTT, 2:02.22; 4. Kade Randall, MHS, 2:14.52; 11. Eli Randall, MHS, 2:22.16; 12. Joe Greazel, MHS, 2:22.74.

50 FREESTYLE — 1. Zayd Hanafi, MC, 22.30; 5. Jacob Seberger, MHS, 23.91.

100 BUTTERFLY — 1. Thomas Israel, DMR, 58.46; 8. E. Randall, MHS, 1:02.41.

100 FREESTYLE — 1. Jonathan Miller, OTT, 47.68; 8. K. Randall, MHS, 53.43.

500 FREESTYLE — 1. Zimmeht, OTT, 5:02.29; 9. Stanley, MHS, 5:34.67.

200 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. DML (Kraft, Bennett, Moyer, Plourde) 1:33.58; 3. MHS (Seberger, Christen, E. Randall, K. Randall) 1:35.65; 12. MHS (Greazel, Kodis, Gibson, Stanley) 1:49.48.

100 BACKSTROKE — 1. Miller, OTT, 53.56; 12. Aaron Hunter, MHS, 1:07.63.

100 BREASTSTROKE — 1. Davis Cowan, AMES, 1:03.69; 3. Seberger, MHS, 1:05.58; 6. Parker Christen, MHS, 1:08.84; 11. Elliot Kodis, MHS, 1:15.49.

400 FREESTYLE RELAY — 1. DML (Plourde, Bennett, Hughes, Kraft) 3:26.56; 3. MHS (E. Randall, Nelson, Greazel, K. Randall) 3:38.11.