Jacobsen leads Kennedy to second place at Cougar Invitational

CEDAR RAPIDS - As one of the few seniors on a young, talented Cedar Rapids Kennedy girls' swimming team, Sam Jacobsen is embracing her leadership role.

A distinguished four-year competitor and a 10-event state qualifier, Jacobsen posted a season-best time of 1:02.36 for runner-up in the 100 backstroke along with top-3 finishes in two relays as Kennedy placed second at the Cougar Invitational Saturday at Kennedy High School.

'You're doing it not for yourself, but for your teammates,” Jacobsen said of Kennedy's relay success. 'I think that's why it really gets our blood flowing. It makes us want to go out there and win because it's not just for you. It's for your team, and you don't want to let your team down.”

By exemplifying such selflessness, Jacobsen made herself an easy choice for Kennedy Coach John Ross when electing his team captains.

'Each year what we try to do is develop positive role models,” Ross said. 'Sam, you couldn't ask for a better leader.”

Jacobsen has been relied upon to help mentor underclassmen such as Jessica Williams and MacKinzee Macho, which each notched third-place individual event finishes as host Kennedy piled up 551.5 points.

'I love having them on the team, it's so fun,” Jacobsen said. 'It's awesome to see them improve.”

Kennedy was well short of Pleasant Valley, which broke four meet records and won 11 of 12 events for 714 points. Defending 200 individual medley state champion and Arkansas commit Sydney Angell tallied four wins for the Spartans.

'PV's very talented,” Ross said. 'A deep team.”

Kennedy junior Kirsten Siebenga placed third in the 50 free, while Brooke Timmerman teamed with Jacobsen for runner-up in the 200 medley relay and third in 200 free relay. The sophomore closed her day by placing second in the 100 breaststroke in 1:12.50.

'I was happy with it,” Timmerman said. 'I'm in adequate position for dropping time later in the season. I'm excited to see where I go with that.”

Jacintha Thomas won the diving portion of the event with a Kennedy pool record score of 508.65 for third-place Iowa City West. Teammate Erica Hsu placed second in the 500 free and third in the 200 IM as the Women of Troy tallied 398.5 points.

'The water didn't feel too good,” Hsu said. 'But it came out pretty well, so that's good.”

Decorah finished fourth with 239 points, followed by Iowa City High (156). There was no rematch of last year's state 100 breaststroke final between Angell and defending state champion Lizzie Brown of City High, as first-year City High girls' swimming coach Zane Hugo confirmed Brown has left the Little Hawks to focus exclusively on club swimming with the Iowa City Eels.

Cedar Rapids Jefferson (128) and Williamsburg (43) rounded out the field.

COUGAR INVITATIONAL

At C.R. Kennedy

Teams – 1. Pleasant Valley 714, 2. Kennedy 551.5, 3. I.C. West 398.5, 4. Decorah 239, 5. Iowa City High 156, 6. C.R. Jefferson 128, 7. Williamsburg 43.

Diving – 1. Jacintha Thomas (ICW), 508.65, 2. Claire Park (PV), 465.55, 3. Alex Aaberg (ICW), 423.80; 200 medley relay – 1. Pleasant Valley (Ali Staver, Sydney Angell, Nicole Oppel, Grace Stori), 1:51.00, 2. C.R. Kennedy (Sam Jacobsen, Brooke Timmerman, Taylor Golden, Kirsten Siebenga), 1:55.40, 3. Kennedy (Kennedy Smith, MacKinzee Macho, Lydia Yang, Brooke Harris), 1:59.81; 200 free – 1. Evan Hundley (PV), 1:57.47; 2. Kaitlyn Housenga (PV), 1:58.53, 3. Maggie Burke (PV), 1:59.80; 200 individual medley – 1. Angell (PV), 2:09.91, 2. Oppel (PV), 2:12.48, 3. Erica Hsu (ICW), 2:13.67; 50 free – 1. Ashton Ehrecke (PV), 25.19, 2. Stori (PV), 25.56, 3. Siebenga (CRK), 25.84; 100 butterfly – 1. Ali Staver (PV), 58.97, 2. Oppel (PV), 59.74, 3. Macho (CRK), 1.04.35; 100 free – 1. Hundley (PV), 54.91, 2. Stori (PV), 55.46, 3. Ehrecke (PV), 55.66; 500 free – 1. K. Housenga (PV), 5:12.54; 2. E. Hsu (ICW), 5:19.83, 3. Burke (PV), 5:20.02; 200 free relay – 1. Pleasant Valley (Ehrecke, Angell, Hundley, Stori), 1:39.53, 2. Pleasant Valley (Oppel, K. Housenga, Melanie Housenga, Burke), 1:44.26, 3. C.R. Kennedy (Brooke Harris, Jacobsen, Timmerman, Maddie Bagby), 1:44.55; 100 backstroke – 1. Staver (PV), 1:01.01, 2. Jacobsen (CRK), 1:02.36; 3. Jessica Williams (CRK), 1:04.45; 100 breaststroke – 1. Angell (PV), 1:06.66, 2. Timmerman (CRK), 1:12.50; 3. Emily Bruinsma (PV), 1:13.87; 400 free relay – 1. Pleasant Valley (Hundley, K. Housenga, Ehrecke, Staver), 3:41.76, 2. Pleasant Valley (M. Housenga, Burke, Kate Peer, Rachael Woods), 3:53.59, 3. I.C. West (Alison Hsu), Elaina Martz, Alleyna Thomas, Sarah Ritchie), 3:57.90.

l Comments: douglas.miles@thegazette.com