Warriors, Tigers Position Themselves For NLC
MIDDLEBURY — Winter tournament season officially began Thursday with the preliminary round of the Northern Lakes Conference girls swim championships.
The positioning at the Northridge Natatorium had all eight conference schools swimming for championship and consolation swims this Saturday also to be held at Northridge. Diving will kick off Saturday’s activity in the morning with its preliminary rounds with its title chase held during the swim finals.
Thursday saw Wawasee put itself in contention with 12 swims landing in the finals, including Breanna Robinson landing a top seed in the 100 and 200 freestyles. Robinson was the 100 champion last season and was runner-up to Northridge’s Brittney Walters in the 200, who is this year’s No. 2 seed. Robinson set the pace in the 200 with a time of 1:53.74 to Walters’ 1:54.18, which should set up quite a showdown Saturday.
Robinson’s 100 time of 53.22 is almost a full two seconds faster than Northridge’s Brittani Grove at 54.93, but two seconds slower than her own seed time of 51.25, which she set last year during her NLC championship swim.
The Lady Warriors also have nine swimmers qualified for consolation swims and will start on fringe lanes in all three of its relays taking fourth, fifth and fourth in the medley, 200 and 400 relays, but did not enter its usual lineups for all three relays.
Warsaw will have eight swimmers in the finals and 12 in consolations after Thursday’s prelims. Sitting in its highest position is Ashley Van Wormer in the breaststroke in second with a 1:11.53, but a ways back of top-seed Ashley Schrock of Concord’s 1:07.64. Warsaw’s relays put together placings of second in the medley, third in the 200 and third in the 400.
Northridge, the defending NLC champion which ran undefeated in the NLC during this year’s round robin, have 14 swimmers in the championship lanes and the top seeds in the 50 in Grove (25.02), Walters in the backstroke (1:00.98) and the 400 free relay at 3:51.13.
Concord, whose only round robin loss was the Northridge, send 16 to the finals. Ashley Schrock is the top seed in the breaststroke and the individual medley (2:14.52) while Peyton Miller is the top lane in the 500 at 5:30.28. Concord’s 200 free relay posted a 1:45.00 and medley relay at 1:57.30 as the top times Thursday night.
Diving prelims begin at 9 a.m. Saturday and swims begin at 1 p.m. with diving to reconvene after the 50 freestyle championship.