High school swimming: Avon girls make history as first Lorain County district champions

BOWLING GREEN — Avon's girls swim team found itself in uncharted waters Saturday but the Eagles couldn't have felt more comfortable. After finishing second at last year's Northwest District Division I meet, Avon wanted it all this time around and went out and got it, making some history in the process. The Eagles became Lorain County's first district swim champions by holding off defending champ Toledo St. Ursula, 289-269, at Bowling Green State University. "Winning the team title is so special," Avon's Alex Downing said. "We worked for this last year. We knew we wanted to be district champs. Every single day, even through bad days, we worked through this because we wanted to be district champs. It's so amazing to be able to do that with this team." There was success in the boys meet, as well, as Avon Lake senior Joe Swain broke the county and meet records in winning the 200 IM and is headed back to state in two or possibly three events. He also broke his own county record in the 100 back. Although depth was a key for the Eagles, their frontline strength led by Downing, a junior, and seniors Mallory Mackay and Bridget Kurtzweil, was the real difference. Downing defended her titles in the 100 fly (55.14) and 100 back (55.34), breaking her 100 fly meet record of 55.65 set last year. Last season, St. Ursula topped Avon 281.5-231. This time around, the Eagles were ramped up and better prepared. "We faced them at the Northwest Classic (in December)," Downing said of St. Ursula. "We knew that they weren't suited up (not tapered) at that final, but we knew that they would come back at districts. They always do well at districts. Personally, I was right on my best times so I was very happy with that. I definitely have some things to fix. Some of my turns and underwater swims weren't the best, but fixing those things will help me out and give me stronger times (for state)." After struggling at the district meet last year — taking fourth in the 200 free and 10th in the 500 free — Mackay had a stellar day, winning the 500 free (5:10.30) and taking second in the 200 free (154.39). "The last three years have been kind of tough," Mackay said. "I just wanted to put the past behind me. It's very rewarding for it to end the way I wanted it. The team title is a goal that we've had for a while. We've really been striving and working towards our goals. We knew we had a good chance of getting a district title. It's very rewarding. Honestly, I got chills. To finally hear it announced, it was cool. Second was good last year, but we knew we could do better. Next weekend (state), we're going to put everything we have into the pool." Kurtzweil also qualified to state in both of her individual events, taking third in both the 200 IM (2:09.79) and the 100 back (57.94). "This definitely has been a goal of ours for a few years," Kurtzweil said. "To actually achieve it is huge. To finally hear those words announced that we had won was so fun. We definitely knew that winning was possible. We just had to swim and get it done. We knew what we had to do. Knowing what we have to work on and fix for next week is really going to help us to do better at state." Avon's 200 medley relay also earned an automatic state berth (top two), advancing for the third year in a row. Kurtzweil teamed with freshman Sierra Kobak, senior Rayna Swope and junior Eva Molenaar to take second behind Toledo St, Ursula, 1:46.72 to 1:49.33. Kobak earned the Eagles' other automatic state berth with a third in the 100 breast (1:07.82). The Eagles are hoping to advance to state at-large in other events, particularly their other two relays. A total of 20 at-large berths are available statewide per event. Avon's 400 free relay took third (3:37.15) and its 200 free relay was fourth (1:38.88). Mackay, Molenaar, Swope and Downing were members of the 400 free relay. Mackay, Kurtzweil, Violet Siftar and Downing made up the 200 free relay. "We had a season goal to win this thing," Avon coach Adam Crabtree said. "St. Ursula put up a heck of a fight. Every time they made it close, we extended it back out again. I'm just very happy that we came out on top. I knew coming in St. Ursula and Rocky River are both very good teams. St. Ursula swims a similar lineup to what we do and takes advantage of the stroke and takes advantage of the 200 IM. We couldn't really make a gap on them until the end of the meet. I'm very proud of the girls. We stepped up and did what we had to do today." For the second straight year, Crabtree was recognized as the Northwest Division I District Coach of the Year. "When I got hired three years ago I thought within three years that we could be very relevant at the district level," he said. "To get sixth my first year was surprising, to second last year and then winning it this year it's absolutely awesome. I'm so proud of the girls and so proud of the work that they've put in the last three years to get to get to this level." Swain turned in a 1:49.00 in the 200 IM, breaking the 2000 county record of 1:49.99 set by Avon Lake's Brad Bartel. He also broke the 2018 meet record of 1:50.72 set by Tyler Hong of St. Ignatius. Swain later finished second in the 100 back to Toledo St. Francis senior Scotty Buff, who won in a meet-record 47.32. Swain had a 49.34, breaking his county mark of 50.00 set a week ago at the Cleveland State sectional. "The 200 IM was a PR," Swain said. "I was focused on that school record for a long time. It felt good to finally break it. "I had a couple of rough spots in the 100 back. It wasn't the greatest. I slipped off my start. My right foot went all the way down to the touch pad. I'll fix that up at state. That was my No. 3 or 4 best 100 back. It was a solid time, but I expected faster. We'll deal with it. I'm hoping that one or both our relays (200 medley and 200 free relays) make it (at-large). The Shoremen's 200 medley relay appears to have the best shot for an at-large berth based on its quality time. Swain, along with Tyler Grabowski, Logan King and Nick Haven, clocked a school-record 1:38.29 in taking fifth. The 200 free relay of Swain, Quinn Kroneker, Nathan Buck and Nick Haven was fourth (1:29.08). The Avon Lake boys haven't advanced a relay to state since 1999. Midview junior Grace Henely earned the first state berth in school history with a district title in the 100 breast. Henely clocked 1:06.45 to hold off St. Ursula senior Sophie Paskiet and Kobak (1:07.82). Henely was only third at the CSU sectional behind Kobak and Medina's Morgan Vogel. The Midview swim program is a first-year program. "This feels very good. It's exciting," Henely said. "I'm happy that I was able to compete at the high school level this year. I was very nervous beforehand. I just had to trust my coaches. I'm very excited, just happy." Senior Sierra Dorobek earned the Amherst girls' first state berth in swimming (diving not included) since 2007. Dorobek earned an automatic state berth with a third in the 50 free (24.24). She later added a fourth in the 100 (53.28). Both of her performances were in personal-record time. "It was just crazy," Dorobek said. "This whole week I've just been preparing myself. Fifteen years of my life have been dedicated to this sport. My mindset was perfect going in. I told myself, 'I'm going to do it. I'm going to make it.' I didn't want to leave it up to chance with the hope of an at-large berth. I wanted to get top three and secure my spot. The whole buildup this week has helped me to get this point. I'm very proud of how I did it." Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Girls Team scores: 1. Avon, 289; 2. Toledo St. Ursula, 269; 3. Rocky River, 239; 4. Whitehouse Anthony Wayne, 194; 5. Strongsville, 157.5; 6. Medina, 138. Other local teams: 11. Amherst, 70; 20. Midview, 24; 21. Avon Lake, 20; 30. North Ridgeville, 2. Out of 31 teams that scored. Top 3 finishers for individual events, top 2 finishers for relays earn automatic berths to the state meet, Feb. 24-25 200 medley relay: 1. St. Ursula, 1:46.72; 2. Avon (Bridget Kurtzweil, Sierra Kobak, Rayna Swope, Eva Molenaar,), 1:49.33; 20. North Ridgeville (Kellie Riley, Arden Dlugosz, Stephanie Trimbitas, Ally Poltrone), 2:03.27; 23. Amherst (AJ Sliman, Grace Grove, Claire Petrillo, Lizzie Sonntag), 2:06.70 200 free: 1. Natalie Sanders (Perrysburg), 1:53.35; 2. Mallory Mackay (Avon), 1:54.39; 12. Grove, 2:01.48; 21. Sara Lipowski (Avon), 2:05.71; 26. Ella Nock (Avon), 2:09.76; 32. Jane Rini (Avon), 2:11.62 200 IM: 1. Taylor Devorace (Rocky River), 2:09.71; 2. Haley Gano (Perrysburg), 2:09.76; 3. Kurtzweil, 2:09.79; 5. Molenaar, 2:12.03. 6. Kobak, 2:12.58; 11. Violet Siftar (Avon), 2:16.81; 16. Reagan Henely (Midview), 2:19.69; 26. Trimbitas, 2:25.84 50 free: 1. Gianna Miller (Rocky River), 23.64; 2. Allie Barasch (Anthony Wayne), 23.82; 3. Sierra Dorobek (Amherst), 24.24; 25. Ashley Porr (Avon), 25.89 100 fly: 1. Alex Downing (Avon), 55.14 (MEET RECORD, old record 55.65 set in 2022 by Downing); 2. Mia Buff (St. Ursula), 5.34; 12. Swope, 1:01.75; 24. Petrillo, 1:05.58; 32. Abbie Hill (Avon Lake), 1:10.46 100 free: 1. Miller, 51.20; 2. Barasch, 51.57; 3. Sanders, 52.92; 4. Dorobek, 53.28; 12. Molenaar, 55.03; 30. Ava Baranski (Avon), 58.21 500 free: 1. Mackay, 5:10.30; 2. Claire Kemmere (Findlay), 5:12.40; 8. Grove, 5:23.51; 14. Reagan Henely (Midview), 5:33.34;24. Ella Nock (Avon), 5:39.45; 28. Lipowski, 5:42.38; 24. Claire Mackay (Avon), 5:45.21 200 free relay: 1. Rocky River, 1:37.91; 2. St. Ursula, 1:38.01; 3. Anthony Wayne, 1:38.70; 4. Avon (Mallory Mackay, Kurtzweil, Siftar, Downing), 1:38.88; 13. Amherst (Dorobek, Petrillo, Sophie Millard, Sliman), 1:44.75; 16. North Ridgeville (Trimbitas, Ava Steinbrunner, Kellie Riley, Ally Poltrone), 1:46.75 100 back: 1. Downing, 55.34; 2. Buff, 56.84; 3. Kurtzweil, 57.94; 9. Swope, 59.96; 12. Sliman, 1:02.10; 23. Allison McDaniel (Avon Lake), 1:03.79 100 breast: 1. Grace Henely (Midview), 1:06.45; 2. Sophie Pakiet (St. Ursula), 1:06.63; 3. Kobak, 1:07.82; 14. Porr, 1:12.55; 18. Siftar, 1:13.01; 20. Claire Mackay, 1:14.07; 29. Trimbitas, 1:16.83 400 free relay: 1. Rocky River, 3:32.94; 2. Anthony Wayne, 3:36.07; 3. Avon (Mallory Mackay, Molenaar, Swope, Downing), 3:37.15; 12. Amherst (Dorobek, Sliman, Petrillo, Grove), 3:51.79 Boys Team scores: 1. Toledo St. Francis DeSales, 419; 2. St. Ignatius, 306.5; T3. Strongsville and Medina, 209; 5. Perrysburg, 191; 6. Brunswick, 128; 7. Avon Lake, 118.5; 15. Avon, 49; T16. Amherst and North Ridgeville, 30. Out of 25 teams that scored. Top 3 finishers for individual events, top 2 finishers for relays earn automatic berths to the state meet, Feb. 24-25 200 medley relay: 1. St. Francis, 1:32.29 (MEET RECORD, old record 1:33.17 set in 2013 by St. Francis); 2. St. Ignatius, 1:33.85; 5. Avon Lake (Joe Swain, Tyler Grabowski, Logan King, Nick Haven), 1:38.29; 14. Avon (Brandon Porr, Tommy Lipowski, Gavin Bello, Omar Lashin), 1:47.60; 21. North Ridgeville (Ian Knapp, Ethan Bonus, Owen Guscott, Alex Ciuta), 1:54.97; 23. Amherst (Colin Reitzel, Chris Smith, Mason Kinser, Cole Mayer), 1:55.92; 200 free: 1. Maximus Buff (St. Francis), 1:41.81; 2. Brayden Morford (Medina), 1:42.05; 28. Porr, 1:56.01 200 IM: 1. Swain, 1:49.00 (MEET RECORD, old record 1:50.72 set in 2018 by St. Ignatius' Tyler Hong); 30. Bello, 2:15.95; 31. Bilge Bayarbadrakh (Avon Lake), 2:16.82 50 free: 1. Joshua Toothman (St. Ignatius), 20.73; 2. Jackson Stump (Olmsted Falls), 21.59; 8. Andrew Margolin (North Ridgeville), 22.32; 14. Haven, 22.92; 19. Quinn Kroneker (Avon Lake), 23.41; T23. Reitzel, 23.63, Grabowski, 23.53; 26. Nathan Buck (Avon Lake), 23.80 100 fly: 1. Scott Buff (St. Francis), 45.86 (MEET RECORD, old record 46.70 set in 2022 by Scotty Buff); 2. Owen Hancock (Brunswick), 50.53 11. Margolin, 55.11; 23. Bello, 59.09; 24. King, 59.12 100 free: 1. Toothman, 46.25; 2. Tyler Williams (St. Ignatius), 47.05; 15. Kroneker (Avon Lake), 51.45; 21. Dakota Bedient (Avon Lake), 52.41; 23. Sean Flanigan (Avon), 53.00; 28. Buck, 54.54 500 free: 1. Nathan Herbert (Highland), 4:41.27; 2. Kellen Morford (Medina), 4:50.43; 17. Porr, 5:12.51; 25. Stephen Watt (North Ridgeville), 5:20.88; 28. Kinser, 5:23.08 200 free relay: 1. Medina, 1:26.78; 2. St. Ignatius, 1:26.85; 4. Avon Lake (Swain, Kroneker, Buck, Nick Haven), 1:29.08; 9. Amherst (Ethan Homolya, Jaden Orlandi, Mayer, Smith), 1:34.75; 11. North Ridgeville (Margolin, Andrew Young, Alex Ciuta, Stephen Watt), 1:36.57; 19. Avon (Flanigan, Lipowski, Alex Rini, Max Haase), 1:40.25 100 back: 1. Scotty Buff (St. Francis), 47.32 (MEET RECORD, old record 47.88 set in 2022 by Scotty Buff); 2. Swain, 49.34; 13. Reitzel, 58.68; 17. Bedient, 59.71; 24. Yost Smith (Avon Lake), 1:01.57; 30. Andrew Young (North Ridgeville), 1:04.29 100 breast: 1. Nick Begany (Strongsville), 56.87; 2. Jude Banks (St. Ignatius), 57.35; 22. Grabowski, 1:05.18; 24. Lipowski, 1:06.12; 30. Smith, 1:09.73 400 free relay: 1. St. Francis, 3:06.84; 2. St. Ignatius, 3:08.97; 12. Avon (Flanigan, Bello, Porr, Rini), 3:34.09; 13. Amherst (Homolya, Orlandi, Kinser, Reitzel), 3:34.52; 15. Avon Lake (King, Bedient, Buck, Kroneker), 3:35.67; 16. North Ridgeville (Margolin, Young, Knapp, Watt), 3:35.93