Kennedy back in the state’s top 10

MARSHALLTOWN - On Saturday, the Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls' swimming team officially stamped themselves as a top-10 team in the state of Iowa.

The Cougars scored points in 10 of 11 events and placed ninth overall at the state championships at the Marshalltown YMCA, their first top-10 finish since 2010.

'They're putting the work in in the offseason,” Kennedy Coach John Ross said. 'That makes a big difference. Very coachable. … It's quite a group of young ladies and I couldn't be more proud of their effort.”

Ames was the runaway winner in the team standings with 355 points, its fifth state championship in six years. The Little Cyclones set state records in both the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:29.15) and Sophie Sorenson's blistering 54.61-second performance in the 100-yard backstroke.

Defending state champion Pleasant Valley scored 197.5 points to place second.

Sarah Schemmel of Muscatine (50-yard freestyle, 100 free), Johnston's Lexi Horner (200-yard individual medley, 100-yard breaststroke) and Allyssa Fluit of Southeast Polk (200-yard freestyle, 500 free) all won two individual events. Fluit is now a three-time state champion in both events.

Two Cougars reached the podium in individual events, led by junior Maddie Bagby. Saturday was the first time her taper schedule had been specifically geared towards the state meet.

'The biggest component was definitely a positive attitude,” Bagby said. 'Keeping an open mind.”

Bagby's dedication yielded exemplary results yet again as she broke her own school record in the 100 free for the second time in two weeks. Bagby touched the wall in 53.05 seconds, just three hundredths of a second from third place and enough to secure a spot on the all-state second team.

'She's one of the kids that's blessed with natural balance and feel in the water,” Ross said. 'Ultimately it's just, when you start to believe that you belong with elite kids and start racing, that's when it seems to open up more opportunities.”

Jessica Williams reached the podium twice for Kennedy, as the junior placed fifth in the 100 backstroke in 58.54 seconds and also led off a sixth-place 200-yard medley relay finish in 1:48.56 along with Mackinzee Macho, Taylor Golden and Kirsten Siebenga.

Macho tallied a pair of individual top-10 finishes in the 200 IM and the 100 breaststroke, while Siebenga captained her final Cougar relay to a seventh-place finish in the 200 free relay.

'It's definitely bittersweet,” said Siebenga, who will sign a letter of intent to swim for Division II Minnesota State-Mankato on Thursday. 'On that last relay, knowing it was my last 50 (yards), it was weird to finish it and know I'm done being a Cougar. They're in such good hands. All of the girls are so awesome and I know that they have amazing things in store for them.”

Cedar Rapids Washington finished 15th overall thanks to top-10 performances from sophomores Lauren Havertape (100-yard butterfly) and Jenny Hughes (500 free).

Iowa City West's Erica Hsu closed her stellar prep career with a runner-up 200 IM finish in 2:07.33, then placed fifth in the 500 free in 5:05.30 as the Women of Troy finished 17th overall.

'There were so many good girls today,” said Hsu, who is still considering Boston College and New York University as possible college swimming destinations. 'They are so fast and so well. I can't be happier with how I placed today. I couldn't expect more than that, so I'm really happy.”

Senior Meghan Hackett finished third in the 100 butterfly and assisted Olivia Clark, Sammi Hall and Madison Hall on a runner-up 200 free relay finish for seventh-place Cedar Falls. Cedar Falls Coach Dick Marcussen - winner of nine girls' state championships and an Iowa High School Swim Coaches Association Hall of Fame member - announced before the season that he is retiring after 47 years of coaching the Tigers.

GIRLS' SWIMMING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Marshalltown YMCA

Teams - 1. Ames 355, 2. Pleasant Valley 197.5, 3. Johnston 188, 4. Waukee 185, 5. Ankeny 155, 6. West Des Moines Valley 148, 7. Cedar Falls 143, 8. Southeast Polk 139, 9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 128, 10. Bettendorf 80.5, 11. Lewis Central 68, 12. Newton 57, t13. Storm Lake 55, t13. Muscatine 55, t15. Spencer 46, t15. Cedar Rapids Washington 16, 17. Iowa City West 35, t18. Marshalltown 31, t18. Fairfield 31, 20. West Des Moines Dowling 26.5, 21. Atlantic 26, 22. Dubuque Senior 25, t23. Dubuque Wahlert 21, t23. Fort Dodge 21, 25. Iowa City High 16, 26. Des Moines Lincoln 14, 27. Boone 9, t28. Dubuque Hempstead 5, t28. Des Moines East 28, 30. Grinnell 4.5, 31. Vinton-Shellsburg 4, 32. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 3, 33. Mason City 2,

Diving (Friday) - 1. Claire Park (PV), 517.95; 10. Andrea Adam (ICH), 409.85; 15. Madison Schoppe (CF), 392.45; 16. Jayden Lovell (CRK), 383.70; 17. Amara Taylor (CRW), 276.15; 18. Brooklyn Corey (Linn-Mar), 275.95; 22. Skylar Meyers (CRJ), 170.85; 25. Maih Clasby (CF), 166.95; 28. Katie Culver (LM), 149.15.

200 medley relay - 1. Ames (Jazlyn Horras, Molly Winer, Grace Snyder, Amy Feddersen), 1:45.65; 3. Cedar Falls (Sammi Hall, Olivia Clark, Meghan Hackett, Madison Hall), 1:46.90; 6. C.R. Kennedy (Jessica Williams, Mackinzee Macho, Taylor Golden, Kirsten Siebenga), 1:48.56; 8. C.R. Washington (Kaitlyn Nemickas, Caitlin Sievers, Lauren Havertape, Logan Eckhardt), 1:50.22; 14. Iowa City High (Alayna McCafferty, Laura Lorenger, Alix Sharp, Devan O'Rourke), 1:53.06; 15. Iowa City West (Erica Hsu, Rachel Ding, Elaina Martz, Alleyna Thomas), 1:53.13; 23. C.R. Jefferson (Jaylee Chung, Mika McChesney, Josie Thompson, Taylor Langel), 1:55.34; 24. Decorah (Madelyn Jermier, Kelsey Maher, Katelyn Yee, Amelia Folkedahl), 1:55.86.

200 free - 1. Allyssa Fluit (SEP), 1:47.53; 16. Kassidy Lovig (CRK), 1:57.74; 17. Maddie Bagby (CRK), 1:57.95.

200 IM - 1. Lexi Horner (John), 2:05.04; 2. E. Hsu (ICW), 2:07.33; 7. Macho (CRK), 2:10.74; 14. Sharp (ICH), 2:14.11; 18. Alison Hsu (ICW), 2:16.46; 19. Emily Nelson (CRW), 2:16.51; 22. Paige Broghammer (LM), 2:17.22; 23. Taylor Golden (CRK), 2:17.25; 25. Ellie Shimp (CF), 2:21.82.

50 free - 1. Sarah Schemmel (Musc), 23.24; 13. M. Hall (CF), 24.81; 15. Havertape (CRW), 24.88; t16. Siebenga (CRK), 24.89; t16. Darby Manternach (CRK), 24.89; 23. McChesney (CRJ), 25.48.

100 butterfly - 1. Samantha Hedrick (Newton), 55.01; 3. Hackett (CF), 56.89; 9. Havertape (CRW), 58.80; 14. Thompson (CRJ), 1:00.38; 17. Williams (CRK), 1:00.55; 20. Kailie Valentine (CF), 1:00.86; 24. Arabella Shepard (V-SU), 1:02.72.

100 free - 1. Schemmel (Musc), 50.51; 4. Bagby (CRK), 53.05; 16. Manternach (CRK), 54.47; 22. Jermier (Dec), 55.00.

500 free - 1. Fluit (SEP), 4:54.78; 5. E. Hsu (ICW), 5:05.30; 9. Jenny Hughes (CRW), 5:10.26; 11. Lovig (CRK), 5:16.37; 12. Grace Considine (CF), 5:16.81; 18. Sarah Gannon (CRK), 5:21.19; 19. Nelson (CRW), 5:21.34; 20. Thomas (ICW), 5:22.14.

200 free relay - 1. Ames (Sophie Sorenson, Sarah Bell, Olivia Jenks, Feddersen), 1:35.57; 2. Cedar Falls (Clark, Hackett, S. Hall, M. Hall), 1:37.27; 7. C.R. Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Lovig, Siebenga), 1:38.18; 19. Decorah (Jermier, Katie Hagensick, A. Folkedahl, Yee), 1:41.74; 21. Iowa City West (Martz, Ariel Roghair, A. Hsu, Thomas), 1:42.69; 23. C.R. Washington (Eckhardt, Nemickas, Nelson, Hughes), 1:42.94.

100 backstroke - Sorenson (Ames), 54.61; 5. Williams (CRK), 58.54; 6. S. Hall (CF), 58.82; 13. Shepard (V-SU), 1:00.22; 20. Mccafferty (ICH), 1:01.55.

100 breaststroke - 1. Horner (John), 1:05.04; 9. Macho (CRK), 1:07.95; 10. Clark (CF), 1:08.96; 14. Eckhardt (CRW), 1:08.84; 16. Sievers (CRW), 1:09.40; 17. Lorenger (ICH), 1:09.42; 18. Hughes (CRW), 1:09.71.

400 free relay - 1. Ames (Snyder, Jenks, Morgan Rosser, Sorenson), 3:29.15; 4. Cedar Falls (Hackett, S. Hall, M. Hall, Clark), 3:34.59; 9. C.R. Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Lovig, Lydia Yang), 3:37.43; 18. Iowa City West (E. Hsu, Martz, Roghair, A. Hsu), 3:43.18; 21. Decorah (Yee, Hagensick, A. Folkedahl, Jermier), 3:46.07.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com