MVC Swim Championships (video updates)

Things are off to a fast start at the MVC swim championships hosted by Cedar Rapids Jefferson today.

Right out the gates Cedar Falls rewrote an MVC and pool record in the 200 medley relay. The Tigers team of Kelsey Abbas, Montana Clasby, Abbie Anderson and Aftin Phyfe raced to a winning time of 1:51.46. The mark eclipsed the program's conference record set in 2005 and Cedar Rapids Kennedy's record time at Jefferson in 2010. Both of the previous marks were 1:52.69.

Iowa City West, a top contender to Cedar Falls, won the next two events. Kathleen Bowman trailed by a second to Brittany Moffatt of Cedar Falls midway through the 200 free. Bowman stormed back to win it with a time 2:00.83, edging Moffatt by .20 seconds.

West teammate Lilian Zhu led the entire heat of the 200 IM and pulled away during the final 50 yards, which is the freestyle stroke, to win in 2:11.61, She was more than two seconds better than the rest of the field.

Dubuque Senior's Molly Lembezeder then set a pool and conference record in the 50 free. She dashed to a winning time of 24.43. It broke Cedar Rapids Prairie swimmer Erin Carew's 20-year pool record by .05 seconds. The old MVC mark was 24.46 set by West's Katie Galligan in 1997.

Watch Lembezeder's record-setting swim here. She is in Lane 4 (third from the left).

Even though there were no records set in the 100 butterfly the finish was just as exciting, if not more so. West's Tereysa Lehnertz closed in impressive fashion, clipping Phyfe of Cedar Falls for the conference crown. Lehnertz trailed with 25 yards remaining, but turned it on, touching the wall in 1:00.09, which was .19 seconds ahead of Phyfe.

West has three individual champions through five events with Cedar Falls and Senior winning one each.

Nobody seems to want to be out-done here today. The 100 free had an even closer finish. Abbas of Cedar Falls claimed the title, recording a time of 54.01, as she raced Lembezeder and Zhu down to the wire. Lembezeder ended up second with 54.16 and Zhu was third at 54.21. All three were more than 1.7 faster than anyone else in the final heat.

Team scores through seven events, including Thursday diving competition won by Linn-Mar's Sam Wagner.

1. Cedar Falls 253, 2. Iowa City West 216.5, 3. C.R. Kennedy 160.5, 4. Linn-Mar 145, 5. (tie) Dubuque Senior and Waterloo West 93, 7. C.R. Washington 65, 8. Dubuque Wahlert 58, 9. Dubuque Hempstead 48, 10. C.R. Jefferson 47, 11. Iowa City High 31, Waterloo East NS. (Remember, C.R. Xavier has no team and C.R. Prairie swims with Jefferson)

For those of you that don't have the event orders memorized. We are in the middle of the 500 free. The fifth of six heats just started. I believe there is a break that follows as well. The top swimmers take more than five minutes to complete the 500 free, so this event drags on when you have multiple heats that last 6-7 minutes each. Just pointing out the lapse in updates. 

 Cedar Rapids Washington's Jackie Hughes entered the conference meet with a seed time in the 500 free that was 1.4 seconds better than the field. She won by just about the same margin. Hughes outlasted the field, winning in 5:18.70. She topped runner-up Clare Slagel of Dubuque Hempstead by 1.38 seconds. Moffatt of Cedar Falls was third with 5:24.54.

Watch the last 50 yards of Hughes' 500 free race.

Linn-Mar claimed the 200 free relay title. The Lions' trailed Cedar Falls .03 seconds to start the anchor leg and senior Alex Dunn brought it home for the Lions, recording a time of 1:41.98. Cedar Falls was second with 1:42.64 and Kennedy was third with 1:43.20.

Team scores through eight events (including diving but not 200 free relay)

1. Cedar Falls 288, 2. I.C. West 256.5, 3. C.R. Kennedy 182.5, 4. Linn-Mar 145, 5. Dubuque Senior 104, 6. Waterloo West 94, 7. C.R. Washington 85, 8. Dubuque Hempstead 70, 9. Dubuque Wahlert 62, 10. C.R. Jefferson 47, 11. Iowa City High 31.

We'll start the final three events - 100 back, 100 breaststroke and 400 free relay - in two minutes.

Abbas causes another set of records with her performance in the 100 back. In a two-person competition, Abbas and Hempstead's Clare Slagel distanced themselves from the field with Abbas breaking her own MVC record from a year ago, finishing in 58.63. Her old mark was 58.86. Her time also set a Jefferson pool record of 59.31 that was set in 2000 by Whitney Wodstrchill. Slagel posted an impressive time of 59.31. 

 Linn-Mar's Emilie Berg wins the 100 breaststroke in 1:08.18. West's Savannah Butler was second with 1:10.02. Watch video of Berg's winning performance.

Top five team scores heading into the last event (400 free relay):

1. Cedar Falls 398.5, 2. Iowa City West 331.5, 3. C.R. Kennedy 260.5, 4. Linn-Mar 232, 5. Dubuque Senior 140.

Not sure how things are after fifth place, but those top four places should be locked in with Cedar Falls winning its fourth straight conference team title.

With Cedar Falls and West both in the Valley division, Kennedy's third-place showing gives the Cougars their sixth straight divisional title. Kennedy is the last team to win the overall MVC team title (2007) besides Cedar Falls.

 In the 400 free relay, West won with a time of 3:43.00. Cedar Falls was second with 3:45.27. Senior was third at 3:48.70. Kennedy was fourth 3:48.96 and Linn-Mar fifth with 3:54.86.

That concludes action. A story will be posted later tonight.

Cedar Falls: Elizabeth Kosmicki, Sarah Welter

C.R. Jefferson: Erin Kibby, Megan Kibby

C.R. Kennedy: Lexi Scharmer, Kelsi Carney

C.R. Prairie (Via co-op with Jefferson): Laine Hill, Sarah Mathers

C.R. Washington: Alexandra McFarland, Lauren Johnson

C.R. Xavier (Via co-op with Washington): Molly Snow, McKenzie Asplund

Dubuque Hempstead: Clare Slagel, Sara Kloft

Dubuque Senior: Erin Hunt, Autumn Roepsch

Dubuque Wahlert: Emily Domeyer, Betsy Osterberger

Iowa City High: Jindalae Suh, Randi Pitzen

Iowa City West: Kathleen Bowman, Maria Gannon

Linn-Mar: Alex Dunn, Sam Wagner

Waterloo East: Mikayla Riley

Waterloo West: Kristine Day, McKenzie Trelka