Linn-Mar’s Kelsey Drake collects another 100 butterfly state title

MARSHALLTOWN - In her final high school swimming meet, Kelsey Drake set out to change it up and have fun.

With it came a third state title.

Drake won the state championship in the 100-yard butterfly for the second time in three years and helped the Lions get into the top 15 as the girls' swimming state championships concluded Saturday at the Marshalltown YMCA.

'I would have liked to go faster,” Drake said. 'But to able to win and go out there in front of this kind of atmosphere and perform like that, it's amazing.”

Drake's time of 55.13 seconds was 16 hundredths of a second from tying the nine-year-old state meet record, and 65 hundredths from her own Iowa best established at last week's state-qualifying regional.

Drake won state titles in the butterfly and the 200-yard individual medley as a sophomore, then sat out her junior year to prepare for the Olympic Swim Trials. Rather than have another go at the 200 IM, Drake decided to compete in the 100 breaststroke. She placed second in 1:04.23 to two-time state champion Lexi Horner of Johnston.

'I wanted to focus on my fly and hopefully have a better swim than that just because the 200 IM is super painful,” Drake said. 'It always kind of tears me down for the fly. That was a big decision and also I'm going to be swimming the IM for probably four more years and I just wanted to switch it up and have fun my last year in high school.”

It is only fitting that Drake closed her high school career with two butterfly crowns. On Wednesday she is expected to sign a letter of intent to swim at Iowa, where the butterfly stroke was invented in the 1930s. Drake verbally committed to the Hawkeyes over Missouri, Louisville and North Carolina State.

'The biggest factor was the team,” Drake said. 'They're just so much fun to be around. They just felt so welcoming. That just felt like home.”

Ames set or tied three state records, won four of 12 events and was the runaway winner in the team race for the sixth time in seven years with 341 points. Horner added a 200 IM title for second-place Johnston (197 points).

The top three swimmers in the 100 free each broke the existing state record, led by Lewis Central senior MyKenzie Leehy with 50.29. Leehy also won the 200 free.

While Cedar Rapids Kennedy had its sights set on reaching the top five as a team, it did claim its second top-10 finish in a row with 92 points and edged all Mississippi Valley Conference schools for 10th place.

'It was a good day today,” Kennedy Coach John Ross said. 'Effort was amazing. Some of the girls didn't quite get what they wanted, but it's still a great team effort.”

Two Cougars reached the awards podium. Jayden Lovell was fifth in Friday's diving competition, while fellow senior Jessica Williams collected her second career top-six backstroke finish with a time of 58.36.

'We try to always improve ourselves and be top 10 as a team because it is such a big accomplishment,” Williams said. 'There are so many good teams here. So many strong individuals that create good teams.”

Cedar Rapids Washington just missed the podium with a seventh-place finish in the 200 medley relay and placed 17th overall with 52 points.

Iowa City High used Andrea Adam's runner-up diving performance to finish 23rd as a team.

GIRLS' SWIMMING STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS

At Marshalltown

Teams -

1. Ames 341, 2. Johnston 197, 3. Bettendorf 189, 4. Waukee 170, 5. Muscatine 131, 6. Ankeny 119, 7. West Des Moines Dowling 106, 8. West Des Moines Valley 103, 9. Lewis Central 98, 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 92, 11. Dubuque Wahlert 91, 12. Fort Dodge 86, 13. Pleasant Valley 85, 14. Cedar Falls 82, 15. Linn-Mar 66, 16. Southeast Polk 60, 17. Cedar Rapids Washington 52, 18. Atlantic 36, 19. Dubuque Senior 34, 20. Des Moine East 26, 21. Fairfield 23, 22. Spencer 21, 23. Iowa City High 19, 24. Marshalltown 18, 25. Des Moines Lincoln 15, t26. Decorah 14, t26. Newton 14, 28. Iowa City West 12, 29. Davenport Central 11, 30. Boone 7, 31. Des Moines Hoover 4, 32. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 3.

Friday

Diving -

1. Claire Park (PV), 495.85; 2. Andrea Adam (ICH), 468.35; 5. Jayden Lovell (CRK), 421.30; 7. Brooklyn Corey (LM), 400.90; 10. Katie Culver (LM), 393.85; 14. Skylar Meyers (CRJ), 381.00; 19. Anna Penning (CRJ), 265.90; 24. Amara Taylor (CRW), 167.95; 25. Lauren Fasnacht (LM), 165.90.

Saturday

200 medley relay -

1. Ames (Jazlyn Horras, Molly Winer, Grace Snyder, Sophie Sorenson), 1:43.78*; 6. C.R. Washington (Ellie Bryant, Caitlin Sievers, Lauren Havertape, Alanna Adkins), 1:49.09; 11. C.R. Kennedy (Jessica Williams, Raquel Green, Mackinzee Macho, Darby Manternach), 1:49.65; 17. Linn-Mar (Emma Behrens, Shannon Kelley, Kelsey Drake, Katie Dennis), 1:51.91; 18. C.R. Jefferson (Jacy Werning, Mika McChesney, Josie Thompson, Jaylee Chung), 1:52.68; 21. Iowa City High (Carly Weigel, Laura Lorenger, Devan O'Rourke, Trinity Sadecky), 1:53.69; 22. Decorah (Mason Hermeier, Kelsey Maher, Katie Hagensick, Amelia Folkedahl), 1:54.24.

200 freestyle -

1. MyKenzie Leehy (LC), 1:49.94; 15. Maddie Bagby (CRK), 1:56.26; 16. Jenny Hughes (CRW), 1:56.35; 18. Weigel (ICH), 1:57.21; 24. Kassidy Lovig (CRK), 1:58.20; 25. Alleyna Thomas (ICW), 1:59.21.

200 individual medley -

1. Lexi Horner (Johnst), 2:02.31; Lily Ernst (ICW), 2:13.02; 12. Melanie Housenga (ICW), 2:13.41; 13. Jill Hughes (CRW), 2:13.85.

50 freestyle -

1. Sarah Schemmel (Musc), 23.11; 12. Darby Manternach (CRK), 24.59; 15. Emma Bachelder (Dec), 24.75; 16. Havertape (CRW), 24.76.

100 butterfly -

1. Kelsey Drake (LM), 55.13; 10. Lauren Havertape (CRW), 59.29; 13. Williams (CRK), 59.59, 14. Macho (CRK), 59.70; 16. Ernst (ICW), 59.86; 21. Thompson (CRJ), 1:00.63.

100 freestyle -

1. Leehy (LC), 50.29*; 10. Bagby (CRK), 53.34; 19. Madelyn Jermier (Dec), 54.65.

500 freestyle -

1. Berit Quass (Dowl), 4:58.50; 9. Jenny Hughes (CRW), 5:11.78; 11. Jill Hughes (CRW), 5:12.87; 15. Sadecky (ICH), 5:17.32; 18. Lovig (CRK), 5:18.68; 21. Housenga (ICW), 5:19.53; 22. Sarah Gannon (CRK), 5:19.93; 23. Thomas (ICW), 5:21.04.

200 freestyle relay -

1. Ames (Amy Feddersen, Winer, Sabrinna Hegelheimer, Grace Snyder), 1:34.88; 9. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Kassidy Lovig, Mackinzee Macho), 1:38.35; 14. Decorah (Hagensick, Jermier, Folkedahl, Bachelder), 1:40.06; 18. Iowa City West (Elaina Martz, Ernst, Thomas, Housenga), 1:41.10; 19. C.R. Jefferson (Chung, McChesney, Langel, Thompson), 23. C.R. Washington (Adkins, Ji. Hughes, Delaney Thoma, Je. Hughes), 1:43.50,

100 backstroke -

1. Sorenson (Ames), 54.61*; 6. Jessica Williams (CRK), 58.36; 18. Weigel (ICH), 1:01.24; 23. Bryant (CRW), 1:02.12.

100 breaststroke -

1. Horner (Johns), 1:03.75); 2. Drake (LM), 1:04.23; ; 17. Bachelder (Dec), 1:08.12; 24. Sievers (CRW), 1:09.52.

400 freestyle relay -

1. Ames (Sorenson, Olivia Jenks, Morgan Rosser, Feddersen), 3:28.74*; 10. Cedar Rapids Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Lovig, Williams), 3:36.95; 14. Decorah (Hagensick, Jermier, Folkedahl, Bachelder), 3:40.17; ; 18. Iowa City West (Housenga, Ernst, Martz, Thomas), 3:41.69; 19. C.R. Jefferson (Chung, Thompson, Langel, McChesney), 3:42.10; 23. C.R. Washington (Havertape, Ellie Braksiek, Ji. Hughes, Je. Hughes), 3:46.58).

*-state record

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com