Photos courtesy of Jamie Hester
LITTLE ROCK — The Bryant Hornets won four events, more than any other team, on Saturday at the Catholic High School Season-ending Invitational swimming and diving meet at UALR. The depth, however, of the Catholic team, as well as Conway, proved decisive in the team rankings. Catholic finished with 379 ponts, Conway 304, and Bryant 274 to pace the 14-team meet.
Bryant will be hosting the 2014 South District championship meet at Bishop Park on Friday, Feb. 14.
The Hornets’ effort was paced by Justin Combs, Minki Kang, and the 200-yard medley relay team.
Kang took top honors in the 500 freestyle and the 200 freestyle while contributing a leg to the 200 medley relay. Combs continued his success in the one-meter dive competition.
Kang won the 500 in 4:46.99 with Catholic’s Brandon Cathey a distant second at 5:23.00. In the 200, Kang’s time was 1:51.96 as he beat out Conway’s William Bryden (1:53.72).
Combs earned a score of 181.50 to win the dive competition over Ethan Washispack of Conway (168.90). Bryant’s Scott Mead was fourth (145.00) and Lucas Reitenger eighth (128.10).
In the 200 medley relay, Kang joined Ray Weldon, Chandler Reep and Andrew Ball to post a winning time of 1:47.98, beating out North Little Rock’s second-place finish in 1:52.56.
Reep narrowly missed adding a fifth first-place finish. His time of 1:07.24 in the 100 yard breast stroke was right on the heels of Charlie Taylor of Magnolia, who won in 1:07.06). Ball was 11th in 1:15.76.
Reep and Kang combined with Trace Rhode and James Dellorto to earn fourth-place points in the 400 yard freestyle relay, turning in a 3:49.36.
In the 50 free, Weldon was fifth in 24.46 with Ball 13th in 25.87. Dellorto added a seventh-place finish in the 100 butterfly, finishing in 1:08.08 with Reep 12th in 1:14.88.
Rhode finished seventh in the 100 back stroke with a time of 1:07.69 and eighth in the 200 individual medley, turning in a 2:33.56 clocking. In the 200 IM, Fonzee Bittle was ninth in 2:34.33 and Dellorto 11th in 2:35.94.
Bittle, Dellorto, Rhode and Ball teamed up for a 1:46.22 to gain eighth-place points in the 200 freestyle relay.