C.R. Kennedy swims short-handed

CEDAR RAPIDS - Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls' swimming coach John Ross knew his team would have its hands full with No. 3 Cedar Falls, but the already substantial task became even greater when two of his top swimmers were ruled out because of illness.

With top backstroker Sam Jacobsen and 500-yard freestyle standout Sarah Gannon looking on, the eighth-ranked Cougars were beaten by the Tigers, 104-82, in a Mississippi Valley Conference dual Tuesday night at Kennedy.

'It's an opportunity for some of the younger kids to step in and take the leadership role,” Ross said. 'Swim by example, be excited about the opportunity, don't be scared.”

Sophomore Maddie Bagby took the coach's words to heart, winning the 100 freestyle in a lifetime-best time of 55.85 seconds over Madison Hall of Cedar Falls (56.16) - just three days removed from losing to Hall by more than a full second in the same event.

'I came into it just kind of thinking, ‘Well, I'll just try to keep up with her and see how it goes,'” Bagby said. 'So when I got in, it's really just having a positive attitude and trying not to think too much about, ‘Oh my gosh, she's so much faster than me,' and not let it defeat me before I even swam the race.”

The loss of Gannon was particularly tough on the Cougars. They needed all the help they could get against Cedar Falls senior Brittany Moffatt, the state runner-up in the 500 freestyle the past two seasons. Moffatt won 200 and 500 freestyles and anchored victories in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays as the Tigers (8-0, 7-0 MVC) won 10 of 12 events to retain sole possession of first place in the MVC Valley division.

Senior Courtney Fisher won the diving with a lifetime-best score of 219.50 for Kennedy (6-1, 5-1 MVC).

'I just really focus on doing my dives during practice,” Fisher said. 'Trying to get new dives to increase my scores at meets.”

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com

AT C.R. KENNEDY

Cedar Falls 104, C.R. Kennedy 82

200 medley relay – 1. Cedar Falls (Sammi Hall, Natalie Shimp, Meghan Hackett, Madison Hall), 1:53.89; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Jessica Williams, Brooke Timmerman, Taylor Golden, Kirsten Siebenga), 1:56.93. 200 freestyle – 1. Brittany Moffatt (CF), 2:00.18; 2. Maddie Bagby (CRK), 2:04.68. 200 individual medley – 1. Olivia Clark (CF), 2:17.16; 2. Meghan Hackett (CF), 2:18.23; 3. MacKinzee Macho (CRK), 2:18.88. 50 freestyle – 1. M. Hall (CF), 25.25; 2. Martee Grainger (CF), 25.89; 3. Kirsten Siebenga (CRK), 26.07. Diving – 1. Courtney Fisher (CRK), 219.50; 2. Kelly Olsen (CF), 193.40. 100 butterfly – 1. Hackett (CF), 1:00.50; 2. Kailie Valentine (CF), 1:02.13; 3. Macho (CRK), 1:02.75. 100 freestyle – 1. Bagby (CRK), 55.85; 2. M. Hall (CF), 56.16. 500 freestyle – 1. Moffatt (CF), 5:23.23; 2. Shimp (CF), 5:38.51; 3. Siebenga (CRK), 5:49.31. 200 freestyle relay – 1. Cedar Falls (Clark, Shimp, M. Hall, Moffatt), 1:42.11; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Siebenga, Bagby, Lydia Yang, Brooke Harris), 1:44.02. 100 backstroke – 1. S. Hall (CF), 1:02.86; 2. Grainger, 1:03.56; 3. Williams (CRK), 1:04.51. 100 breaststroke – 1. Clark (CF), 1:11.89; 2. Timmerman (CRK), 1:11.98. 400 freestyle relay – 1. Cedar Falls (Grainger, Hackett, Valentine, Moffatt), 3:46.11; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Yang, Bagby, Darby Manternach, Harris), 3:51.51.