Clearfield swimmers finish in second at District 9 League Meet
Saturday, February 27, 2010
By Josh Mlot Sports Writer
DUBOIS - A day after the divers set the table with runner-up finishes, the Clearfield swimming team followed suit, as both the boys and girls earned second-place spots in the team standings in Friday night's District 9 League Championships.
A traditional district power, Clearfield still put together a solid all-around performance, getting a handful of wins and a bevy of points-earning places as the boys earned 319 points and the girls finished with 262.
St. Marys was the top boys team with 334 points, while host side DuBois topped the girls' chart with 352.
"We didn't have as many champions as we're used to, but we still showed up," Clearfield head coach Jackie Morrison said.
The event acted as a good measuring stick for Clearfield, which now gets ready for regional competition.
"It tells me a lot about what I need to do," Morrison said. "I like this meet where it is ... I think it tells me where we are in the rest process getting ready for the biggest meet - who needs to rest more and who needs to swim a little more. It tells me if we need to tweak things (heading into regionals), so it's a good little benchmark. And for the kids that didn't make regionals, it's a great final meet."
The Lady Bisons grabbed their strong team result despite coming up empty in the winner's circle, including the three relay events. But team depth paid off as the girls gave consistent performances throughout the lineup.
"That does speak to depth," Morrison said. "We definitely could get in there second, third, sixth, eighth. Whatever it took to keep us in the team running.
"Some freshmen who had never touched a pool before ... had an outstanding meet. Without them we wouldn't come home in second place. Those are the kids that help us tremendously, and kind of get lost in the shuffle because they don't have medals around their neck."
The boys, meanwhile, got victories from Kraig Peterson and Jordan Mumma, and the two also took part in a winning 400 medley relay that closed out the evening.
Peterson's top effort came in the 500 free, swimming to a five-second margin of victory with a 5:10.64. He also finished less than two-tenths behind in the 100 back, grabbing second with a 1:02.19 in an event he frequented last year but has focused less on as a senior.
"You really have to be happy for him," Morrison said. "It's been tough this year, but he really stepped up. ... He almost pulled off the double (wins)."
Mumma's moment of glory came in the 200 free, the first individual event of the night. He swam to the finish with a 1:56.13 that was hardly pushed. The junior came up against stiff competition in the 100 free, as St. Marys standout Seth Dippold took the win, but Mumma gave him a run for his money with a 51.06 second-place finish.
"Jordan, we were pretty sure had a good shot at second in the 100," Morrison said. "He gave Dippold a real nice race. If he had hit his third turn I think it would have been even closer. He was closing and he looked pretty good. ... That's respectable against a kid like Seth, and it gives him something to shoot for next year."
The two individual Bison winners teamed up with Alex Fisher and Connor Shirey in the 400 free relay, closing out the evening with a 3:35.44 victory that was never in doubt. The same quartet was runner-up in the 200 medley relay earlier in the competition.
Fisher did his part to boost the team point total, finishing second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 breast behind the St. Marys duo of Michael Proudfit and Andrew Cotter.
Connor Shirey was also an individual runner-up for Clearfield, nabbing second in the 50 free, behind Dippold. Caleb Baas followed Peterson in the 100 back, rounding out the top three in the event.
For the Lady Bisons, consistency was the name of the game. The relay teams didn't match some of their recent success, but still managed a second in the 200 free relay (Juliana Mellgard, Ashley Durandetta, Morgen Turner, Brandie Centi) and a third in the 200 medley relay (Clairisse Peterson, Mellgard, Kaylee Bowser, Centi).
"This may be our first District 9 meet where my girls did not win a relay," Morrison said. "So they've got something to work for in the future. They know it."
The top individual performers for the girls were Bowser and Centi, with the former putting up a strong 100 fly performance (1:12.62) for second, and landing a distant third in the 500 free behind dominating winner, DuBois' Lizz Platt.
Centi also had two top-three efforts, but found herself disappointed as she was just over a tenth of a second out of first in the 50 free (26.83) behind Brookville's Jamie Hays.
"Brandie walked away a little dejected after the 50 free," Morrison said. "I think she likes to own that event. We chatted about it and I said, ‘Well, you've got 10 seconds to sob about it, and then I want you to get really mad. And next week (at regionals) you need to show up and doing something about it.'"
After being edged in her best event, the senior used a finishing surge to vault herself as many as three spots in the final strokes of the 100 free, barely edging teammate Mellgard for third.
"However she snuck in there from sixth to third," Morrison said, "what a great finishing kick, whatever she did. I don't know how she did that. That's the never-give-up-attitude, and it says a lot about her."
Mellgard swam to a third-place result in the 100 breast, touching the wall in 1:18.54.
Clearfield continues postseason action March 5-6 at the Region 6-9 Championships at Penn State's McCoy Natatorium.
NOTES: Lady Bisons Laura Lumadue and Candise Day both finished with the top time in Heat 1 of the 500 free, as the teammates earned a dead heat with a 6:39.08. That came with just a razor thin margin of .02 over the next best time in the heat. ... The St. Marys boys set two pool records: the 200 medley relay and Proudfit's 100 breast.
Boys
Team Standings
1. St. Marys, SM, 334; 2. Clearfield, C, 319; 3. DuBois, D, 200; 4. Brookville, BK, 188; 5. Bradford, BD, 132.
200 MR: 1. St. Marys, 1:43.26; 2. Clearfield; 3. Bradford. 200 Free: 1. Mumma, C, 1:56.13; 2. Moore, SM; 3. Urbassik, D. 200 IM: 1. Proudfit, SM, 2:07.92; 2. Fisher, C; 3. Hale, BK. 50 Free: 1. Dippold, SM, 22.06; 2. Shirey, C; 3. Ransel, BK. 100 Fly: 1. Cotter, SM, 55.95; 2. Bright, D; 3. Schwab, BD. 100 Free: 1. Dippold, SM, 49.80; 2. Mumma, C; 3. Ransel, BK. 500 Free: 1. Peterson, C, 5:10.64; 2. Schwab, BD; 3. Moore, SM. 200 FR: 1. St. Marys, 1:33.73; 2. Bradford; 3. DuBois. 100 Back: 1. Hollenbeck, BD, 1:01.92; 2. Peterson, C; 3. Baas, C. 100 Breast: 1. Proudift, SM, 1:01.31; 2. Cotter, SM; 3. Fisher, C. 400 FR: 1. Clearfield (Shirey, Peterson, Fisher, Mumma) 3:35.44; 2. DuBois; 3. St. Marys.
Girls
Team Standings
1. DuBois, D, 352; 2. Clearfield, C, 262; 3. St. Marys, SM, 220; 4. Brookville, BK, 195; 5. Bradford, BD, 179.
200 MR: 1. DuBois, 2:02.13; 2. Bradford; 3. Clearfield. 200 Free: 1. Corcoran, D, 2:03.49; 2. Platt, D; Frownfelter, BD. 200 IM: 1. Lingle, D, 2:29.87; 2. Andrulonis, D; 3. Felix, D. 50 Free: 1. Hays, BK, 26.71; 2. Centi, C; 3. Ferragine, SM. 100 Fly: 1. Lingle, D, 1:07.13; 2. Bowser, C; 3. Rupprecht, SM. 100 Free: 1. Corcoran, D, 57.23; 2. Kahle, BD; 3. Centi, C. 500 Free: 1. Platt, D, 5:37.23; 2. Buerk, SM; 3. Bowser, C. 200 FR: 1. DuBois, 1:46.89; 2. Clearfield; 3. St. Marys. 100 Back: 1. Kahle, BD, 1:04.33; 2. Felix, D; 3. Orr, SM. 100 Breast: 1. Frownfelter, BD, 1:13.98; 2. Stebich, SM; 3. Mellgard, C. 400 FR: 1. DuBois, 3:55.01; 2. Bradford; 3. St. Marys.
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