Good health, good result for Kennedy swimmers

MARION - On a day full of season-best times and even a state record, the Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls' swimming team flashed its substantial potential when competing with a healthy roster.

Kennedy recorded five wins and finished no worse than third in 10 of 11 swimming events Saturday at Linn-Mar Aquatic Center and held off host Linn-Mar, 485-430, for its second-straight regional championship.

'They talk about swimming being an individual sport,” Kennedy Coach John Ross said. 'To me, it's a classic team sport. It's still participating as a group. Making it a common goal, a common journey. Today was a great example of what some healthy kids can really do.”

Ross has been forced to juggle his lineup much of the past month as walking pneumonia riddled his team. With the roster now fully intact, the day got off to a rousing start in the 200 medley relay. Junior Kirsten Siebenga anchored a season-best finish of 1:49.72 to edge Linn-Mar by 45 hundredths of a second. Siebenga later started a 200 free relay victory (1:38.25) and won the 50 freestyle in 24.36 seconds, both school records.

'I've been looking at that school record for a while,” Siebenga said of the 50 free. 'So it felt so good to finally get it today. Everybody had such an awesome meet.”

Senior Sam Jacobsen became a four-time state qualifier in the 100 backstroke with a victory in 58.85 seconds, another Kennedy school record. Jacobsen also swam the opening backstroke portion of the medley relay victory and anchored the 200 free relay. Sophomore Brooke Timmerman won the 100 breaststroke in a season-best 1:08.76.

Super sophomores Kelsey Drake and Jenn Jenks provided their own share of fireworks for runner-up Linn-Mar. Jenks won the 100- and 200-yard freestyles with season-best times. Drake wowed the overflow crowd and surprised even herself with a regional record of 2:04.51 in the 200 individual medley and a state record of 54.51 seconds in the 100 butterfly.

'I was so excited,” Drake said. 'I didn't have really any expectations coming into the meet because I'm not fully tapered. I'm not really tapered at all. ... I just went out for it and it was really fast and I was really excited and I couldn't believe it.”

She broke the record of 54.57 set in 2007 by Alexa Mehesan of West Des Moines Valley.

Freshman Emily Nelson showed the results of a full taper by shaving a whopping 17 seconds off her season-best time in a 500 free victory (5:17.51) for third-place Cedar Rapids Washington (307).

'When I got out there I felt really good, really strong, really fast,” Nelson said. 'I'm just happy with the outcome.”

Decorah placed fifth with 202 points, and Cedar Rapids Jefferson was eighth with 98. Tipton rounded out the 10-team field with 46 points.

The top 24 regional times across the state in each event qualify for this week's state meet in Marshalltown.

AT LINN-MAR AQUATIC CENTER

Teams – 1. Cedar Rapids Kennedy 485, 2. Linn-Mar 430, 3. Cedar Rapids Washington 307, 4. Dubuque Senior 264, 5. Decorah 202, 6. Dubuque Wahlert, 164, 7. Dubuque Hempstead 133, 8. Cedar Rapids Jefferson 98, 9. Keokuk 53, 10. Tipton 46.

Diving – 1. Mikaela Lengwin (LM), 457.50; 2. Alyssa Deuso (LM), 438.10; 3. Georgia Sanderson (LM), 408.80. 200 medley relay – 1. C.R. Kennedy (Sam Jacobsen, Brooke Timmerman, Taylor Golden, Kirsten Siebenga), 1:49.72; 2. Linn-Mar (Lizzie Adams, Paige Broghammer, Kelsey Drake, Hailey Harms), 1:50.17; 3. C.R. Washington (Kaitlyn Nemickas, Caitlin Sievers, Lauren Havertape, Logan Eckhardt), 1:53.27. 200 free – 1. Jenn Jenks (LM), 1:53.46; 2. Maddie Bagby (CRK), 1:56.56; 3. Jenna Willer (DS), 1:56.64. 200 individual medley – 1. Drake (LM), 2:04.51-y; 2. Megan Schill (DH), 2:12.92; 3. MacKinzee Macho (CRK), 2:15.44. 50 free – 1. Siebenga (CRK), 24.36; 2. Darby Manternach (CRK), 24.72; 3. Havertape (CRW), 24.82. 100 butterfly – 1. Drake (LM), 54.51-x; 2. Schill (DH), 1:00.83; 3. Macho (CRK), 1:01.05. 100 free – 1. J. Jenks (LM), 52.04; 2. Willer (DS), 53.34; 3. Bagby (CRK), 53.49. 500 free – 1. Emily Nelson (CRW), 5:17.51; 2. Stephanie Jenks (LM), 5:19.49; 3. Katie Hagensick (DEC), 5:25.59. 200 free relay – 1. C.R. Kennedy (Siebenga, Bagby, Lydia Yang, Jacobsen), 1:38.25; 2. Linn-Mar (J. Jenks, S. Jenks, Broghammer, Kelly Wingerson), 1:40.71; 3. Dubuque Wahlert (Sean Kalb, Carlie Noel, Katie Anderson, Lauren Cody), 1:42.35. 100 backstroke – 1. Jacobsen (CRK), 58.85; 2. Jessica Williams (CRK), 1:00.85; 3. Adams (LM), 1:01.92. 100 breaststroke – 1. Timmerman (CRK), 1:08.76; 2. Eckhardt (CRW), 1:09.07; 3. Broghammer (LM), 1:10.56. 400 free relay – 1. Linn-Mar (Adams, S. Jenks, J. Jenks, Drake), 3:35.17; 2. C.R. Kennedy (Manternach, Bagby, Jacobsen, Yang), 3:37.25; 3. Dubuque Senior (Willer, Frances Inzenhofer, Carolyn Davis, Grace Tsui), 3:45.51.

x-state record

y-regional record

AREA SWIMMING AND DIVING STATE QUALIFIERS

Diving – Jacintha Thomas (I.C. West), 539.85; Alex Aaberg (I.C. West), 464.45; Mikaela Lengwin (Linn-Mar), 457.50; Alyssa Deuso (Linn-Mar), 438.10; Georgia Sanderson (Linn-Mar), 408.80; Carolyn Simon (C.R. Kennedy), 376.55; Jayden Lovell (C.R. Kennedy), 362.90; Courtney Fisher (C.R. Kennedy), 358.55; Amara Taylor (C.R. Washington), 345.05.

200 medley relay – C.R. Kennedy (1:49.72), Linn-Mar (1:50.17), C.R. Washington (1:53.27), I.C. West (1:54.85), Decorah (1:57.53).

200 free – Jenn Jenks (Linn-Mar), 1:53.46; Maddie Bagby (C.R. Kennedy), 1:56.56.

200 individual medley – Kelsey Drake (Linn-Mar), 2:04.51; Erica Hsu (I.C. West), 2:10.44; Sarah Ritchie (I.C. West), 2:13.99; MacKinzee Macho (C.R. Kennedy), 2:15.44; Brooke Timmerman (C.R. Kennedy), 2:15.72.

50 free – Kirsten Siebenga (C.R. Kennedy), 24.36; Darby Manternach (C.R. Kennedy), 24.72; Lauren Havertape (C.R. Washington), 24.82; Lizzie Adams (Linn-Mar), 24.86; Katelyn Yee (Decorah), 25.07.

100 butterfly – Drake (Linn-Mar), 54.51; Macho (C.R. Kennedy), 1:01.05; Havertape (C.R. Washington), 1:01.62.

100 free – J. Jenks (Linn-Mar), 52.04; Bagby (C.R. Kennedy), 53.49; Siebenga (C.R. Kennedy), 55.07.

500 free – E. Hsu (I.C. West), 5:06.61; Emily Nelson (C.R. Washington), 5:17.51; Stephanie Jenks (Linn-Mar), 5:19.49; Katie Hagensick (Decorah), 5:25.59; Sarah Gannon (C.R. Kennedy), 5:25.98.

200 free relay – C.R. Kennedy 1:38.25, Linn-Mar 1:40.71, I.C. West 1:43.42.

100 backstroke – Sam Jacobsen (C.R. Kennedy), 58.85; Jessica Williams (C.R. Kennedy), 1:00.85; Adams (Linn-Mar), 1:01.92; Kaitlyn Nemickas (C.R. Washington), 1:01.96; Tessa McRoberts (Williamsburg), 1:02.05.

100 breaststroke – Timmerman (C.R. Kennedy), 1:08.76; Logan Eckhardt (C.R. Washington), 1:09.07; Paige Broghammer (Linn-Mar), 1:10.88.

400 free relay – Linn-Mar 3:35.17, C.R. Kennedy 3:37.25, I.C. West 3:42.49.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com