Relays star as Brunswick girls repeat as district swim champs

The Brunswick girls swimming team had a repeat performance Saturday, as the Blue Devils defended their Northwest Division I District championship at Bowling Green State University's Cooper Pool.Brunswick amassed 271 points to outdistance Magnificat (193), Toledo St. Ursula (169) and Bowling Green (157). Highland (127), Wadsworth (89) and Medina (26) placed seventh, 12th and 23rd, respectively."The district meet tends to be the most high stress meet of the year, and this group definitely benefited from the experience of previous year," Brunswick coach Mike Milliken said.Relays were a definite strength.Brunswick was led by the winning 200-yard medley relay of Cameron Briggs, Olivia Hruschak, Lillian Giacomazza and Anya Dragan (1:48.54), which dropped two seconds from its sectional time.The 200 freestyle relay of Giacomazza, junior Rylan Sheets, Zoey Lesko and Dragan also triumphed, dropping 2.93 seconds from sectionals with a 1:38.59 to defeat Magnificat (1:38.77) and St. Ursula (1:38.79).Sheets, senior Reagan Sherry, Briggs and sophomore Zoey Lesko combined talents for second in the 400 free relay (3:42.30), which dropped 3.86 seconds from sectionals while placing behind Magnificat (3:39.22).Sheets individually was also a major contributor. She dropped 2.58 seconds from sectionals to finish second in the 100 breaststroke (1:05.98) and added a fourth in the 200 individual medley (2:11.27), dropping 2.39 seconds.Giacomazzo contributed a third in the 100 butterfly (58.12), a 1.09-second drop from sectionals, plus a fourth in the 50 free (24.25).Sherry was fifth in the 100 back (1:00.96), a 2.58-second time drop from sectionals. Dragan was eighth in the same event (1:03.01), dropping 1.66."I have been very proud of how Cameron Briggs and Reagan Sherry have stepped up on relays to replace the swimmers we graduated last year," Milliken said. "Anya Dragan was clutch, anchoring the 200 medley and 200 free relays to victory. She has become a big-time relay swimmer. Rylan Sheets and Lilli Giacomazza both continued their outstanding seasons by qualifying automatically to state in their individual races."This was the result of a year of hard work after both missed automatic qualification by one spot last year."The Highland girls also had a very good day.Freshman Sophia Koval was fifth in the 200 free (2:00.46), right in front of Lesko (2:00.81), who was sixth. Both dropped more than 3.5 seconds from sectionals.Koval teamed with Melissa Durny, Kayleigh Scholz and senior Sasha Koval, Sophia's sister, for fourth in the 200 free relay (1:41.27).Sasha Koval followed with a sixth in the 100 back (1:01.27) where she dropped 1.28 seconds from sectionals. Highland also got a seventh from the 400 free relay of Sophia Koval, Scholz, Durny and Sasha Koval (3:44.35), which dropped 2.61 seconds.Wadsworth was led by senior Hailey Otradovec, who placed fourth in the 100 free (54.07) and fifth in the 50 free (24.31). Grizzly junior Olive Dietz finished fourth in the 500 free (5:22.95), dropping 4.05 seconds from sectionals.The Medina girls were led by the 12th-place 400 free relay of sophomore Sydney Robinson, junior Eve Lindon, sophomore Harper Koennecke and sophomore Quinn Harrrell (3:53.32). The 200 medley relay of junior Ruby Gabrielsen, Koennecke, Alivia Giese and sophomore Taylor Stromberg was 20th (2:04.38).Lindon was 19th in the 500 free (5:45.00), Robinson was 21st in the 50 free (25.82) and Harrell was 22nd in the 100 back (1:06.03).Highland freshman Jack Clark led the Medina County boys, as he dropped 6.35 seconds from sectionals to win the 500 free (4:45.51). Hornet junior Aaron Moore dropped seven seconds from sectionals to take second with a 4:47.15, while Medina sophomore Manny Hemming made it a 1-2-3 county sweep (4:49.56), dropping 6.72 seconds.Clark (1:45.22) and Moore (1:47.89) placed second and 10th, respectively, in the 200 free, and both were also members of the fifth-place 200 medley relay (1:38.37) that included Braden Studd and Zachary Onopko. The same four finished sixth in the 400 free relay (3:18.74).Medina senior Brady Ryba was second in the 200 IM (1:54.46) to St. Ignatius senior Jaimeson Hong (1:50.85), dropping 4.52 seconds. Ryba later took third in the 100 back (52.53), dropping 1.43 seconds as he placed behind sophomore Ian Kimak (49.93) and Hong (50.18) of St. Ignatius.The Brunswick boys earned their first relay state berth, as the 200 medley relay of Levi Hancock, Jacob Sepesy, Joe Sheely and Noah Surovey placed fourth (1:37.54), dropping 3.03 seconds from sectionals.Highland (146), Medina (110.5) and Brunswick (77) led the county boys teams, placing fifth, seventh and 11th, respectively. St. Ignatius defended its title with 386 points, followed by Toledo St. Francis de Sales (215), St. Edward and Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (both with 158).Contact Paul Heyse at sports@medina-gazette.com.