Kennedy's strong team effort earns third at MVC

Cedar Rapids Kennedy's girls swim team was present a challenge and they rose up to meet it. Coaches urged the Cougars to extend their streak of five straight division best finishes in the Mississippi Valley Conference Super Meet Saturday at Cedar Falls.By placing third, behind champion Cedar Falls and runner-up Iowa City West, Kennedy was the highest placing MVC Mississippi  Division team, 34 points ahead of Linn-Mar."It was a great day for the young ladies,"  Kennedy Coach John Ross said. "It was an exciting day."The day was ranks near the tops of most memorable in Ross' 14 years coaching at Kennedy, which includes the last seven as the head coach. The team, parents and fans cheered the team on throughout the day and maintained their energy for all 12 events."It was a fun day," Ross said. "One of the more enjoyable days for me in my coaching career."The Cougars' top performance came from junior Lexi Scharmer, who was second in the 100 butterfly. Scharmer touched the wall in 1:02.62. All three Kennedy relays finish third and all but four individual performances during the day scored points, supporting the idea that it was a team effort."As cliche as it may seem it really was team depth," Ross said. "Almost everyone scored points every time they went out."The Cougars will compete in a regional meet at Cedar Rapids Jefferson against the J-Hawks, Cedar Rapids Prairie-Williamsburg, Cedar Rapids Washington, Cedar Rapids Xavier, Clinton, Iowa City West, Linn-Mar and Tipton. Diving will be held Thursday, Oct. 28 with swimming events Saturday, Oct. 30. Swimming event champions and top four divers earn automatic berths to the state meets Nov. 5-6 at the Horne Henry Aquatics Center at the Marshalltown YMCA.