DANE FUELLING
WZBD.com
In the medley relay, Bluffton’s team (pictured above and below) of Noah Brooks, Elija Robles, Dalton Rodgers and James Isaac Wheeler finished with a time of 1:46.18, a tick slower than their time that beat out Delta in the sectional final. Three of the other 31 teams were disqualified for early take-offs.
Norwell’s Rylan Heyerly was the local representative in the 200 Free and he finished in 29th place with a time of 1:50.10. Heyerly’s best time this season came in the sectional final when he won at Jay County with a 1:48.26.
In the individual medley, Delta’s Zach Baty cut two more seconds off his winning time from the local sectional to take 21st place overall in the state.
Baty also swam in the 500 and had a great performance, taking 24th place with a 4:50.04.
Harrison (WL)’s Matthew Klinge won another state title in the 50 with a time under 20 seconds, breaking the mark with a 19.81 in the prelims and then winning the title by .8 seconds with a 19.45. Klinge was just .07 seconds behind the state record, held by Drew Kibler, the Olympian and NCAA champion from Carmel.
Oliver Moring from Muncie Burris was the winner at Jay County in the 50 and he took 31st place with a 22.60.
Klinge also won the butterfly in the final individual swim of his career with a time of 47.67. He swam the opening leg of the 200 Free Relay for Harrison and his team finished runner-up to Carmel, who swept the relays at the State Finals on their way to a record-breaking tenth straight team title.
Bluffton’s James Isaac Wheeler was 31st in that same event, finishing in 55.44, lower than his sectional-winning time.
Heyerly, the freshman from Norwell, also competed in the 100 Free and took 30th place with a time of 49.54.
Zach Baty also swam the anchor leg of the 200 Free Relay for Delta as their team finished in 32nd.
Joining Wheeler at the State Finals for Bluffton was also Noah Brooks in the backstroke. The sophomore finished in 32nd with a time of 58.16.
Huntington North’s Cooper Kowalski finished in 28th place in the breaststroke (1:02.19). His time was a full second faster than his sectional-winning effort last week at Jay County.
Bluffton’s Griffin Linderwell joined Brooks, Rodgers and Wheeler to swim in the 400 Free Relay for the Tigers and the team finished in 31st place.