Cougar relay team among state’s best

CEDAR RAPIDS - For anyone who has attended a girls' swimming meet at Cedar Rapids Kennedy, they are no doubt familiar with a particular chant.

'Cou-gar Re-lays! Cou-gar Re-lays!”

Kennedy Coach John Ross has long placed a premium on his three relay teams (200-yard medley, 200 freestyle, 400 freestyle) as valued point-scorers in postseason play.

'I think it definitely starts with the team effort,” Kennedy senior captain Kirsten Siebenga said. 'We all want to win so bad, and when you're connected – I consider them all my sisters … When you're that close with someone, there's a common goal that you just want to win.”

While the Kennedy 200 free relay team of Darby Manternach, Maddie Bagby, Kassidy Lovig and Siebenga were a mere four hundredths of a second shy of defeating second-ranked Johnston Saturday at the Cougar Invitational, their time of 1:41.07 ranks them fourth in the state.

In the overall team standings, Kennedy placed third with 450.50 points. Defending state champion Pleasant Valley edged Johnston, 553-546, for the title. Sixth-ranked Kennedy has now faced seven of the state's top 14 teams over the past two weekends.

'I think what we really realized was, we're really strong as a team,” Manternach said. 'We're really deep.”

Individually, Manternach recorded season-best times with a pair of runner-up finishes – 25.53 second in the 50-yard free style, 55.78 in the 100 free.

'This year, compared to last year, I feel like I am in a lot better shape because we're worked so incredibly hard,” Manternach said. 'You can't swim here and not be serious about it. You let the team down if you're not serious about it.”

Any thoughts that defending state champion Pleasant Valley sustained too many graduation and transfer losses to contend this year can officially be dispelled. The Spartans collected wins in five of nine individual events – three combined from freshmen Libby Staver and Christy Bishop – and established season-best times across the board.

Senior Erica Hsu had another exceptional day for Iowa City West, which finished fourth with 225 points. Hsu won the 200-yard individual medley in 2:13.35 over Kennedy sophomore Mackinzee Macho, then earned a season-best time of 5:13.26 in the 500-yard freestyle (runner-up to Staver).

'She's matured so much over the three years I've known her,” West Coach Byron Butler said. 'Before those races, I know that she knows what she needs to do. … When we start getting to the end of the year, I just anticipate nothing but great things out of her because she's such a mature, intelligent athlete.”

Decorah finished fifth with 223 points.

COUGAR INVITATIONAL

At C.R. Kennedy

Teams -

1. Pleasant Valley 553, 2. Johnston 546, 3. C.R. Kennedy 450.5, 4. Iowa City West 225, 5. Decorah 223, 6. Iowa City High 181.5, 7. C.R. Jefferson 108.

Diving -

1. Claire Park (PV), 478.85; 2. Jayden Lovell (CRK), 393.20; 3. Andrea Adam (ICH), 372.70.

200 medley relay -

1. Johnston (Angela Cary, Lexie Winnett, Lexi Horner, Abby Foutch), 1:52.20; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Jessica Williams, Raquel Green, Taylor Golden, Kirsten Siebenga), 1:52.37; 3. Pleasant Valley (Danielle Nauman, Christy Bishop, Ali Staver, Perapa Chotiprasidhi), 1:54.83.

200 freestyle -

1. Libby Staver (PV), 1:57.71; 2. Horner (Johnston); 3. Kassidy Lovig (CRK), 1:59.65.

200 individual medley -

1. Erica Hsu (ICW), 2:13.35; 2. Mackinzee Macho (CRK), 2:14.34; 3. Bishop (PV), 2:14.57.

50 freestyle -

1. Winnett (Johnston), 24.98; 2. Darby Manternach (CRK), 25.53; 3. Jenna Krahn (Johnston).

100 butterfly -

1. Horner (Johnston), 58.57; 2. A. Staver, 59.88; 3. Williams (CRK), 1:02.48.

100 freestyle -

1. Olivia White (Johnston), 55.60; 2. Manternach (CRK), 55.78; 3. Maggie Burke (PV), 56.32.

500 freestyle -

1. L. Staver (PV), 5:12.76; 2. E. Hsu (ICW), 5:13.26; 3. Kendall Hostetler (Johnston), 5:29.16.

200 free relay -

1. Johnston (Krahn, White, Foutch, Winnett), 1:41.03; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Lovig, Siebenga), 1:41.07; 3. I.C. West (Alleyna Thomas, Alison Hsu, Elaina Martz, E. Hsu), 1:43.21.

100 backstroke -

1. A. Staver (PV), 1:00.69; 2. Williams (CRK), 1:01.07; 3. Cary (Johnston), 1:01.96.

100 breaststroke -

1. Bishop (PV), 1:09.46; 2. Winnett (Johnston), 1:09.84; 3. Macho (CRK), 1:10.60.

400 free relay -

1. Pleasant Valley (L. Staver, Burke, A. Staver, Bishop), 3:40.20; 2. Johnston (White, Hostetler, Myers, Horner), 3:42.00; 3. C.R. Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Lovig, Williams), 3:46.45.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com