Six winning events each lifts Bryant teams to victory at pared down meet
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Photos courtesy of Marianne Shelton
What was planned as a 15-team meet wound up as a seven-team affair as the Bryant High School swim team hosted the December Invitational meet at the Bishop Park Aquatic Center Thursday. Threatening winter weather whittled the field down.
Christian Reep on his way to winning the 100 yard breast stroke. (Photo courtesy of Marianne Shelton)
“The hard thing was several teams dropped out about an hour or an hour-and-a-half before the meet,” noted Bryant coach Angel Dale. “So we ended up having to re-do the meet. I have wonderful parents and meet volunteers that did an excellent job of making this happen. Needless to say, we had a smaller meet but we were finished in time to get everyone home long before our predicted winter weather.”
And it was a good day for the Bryant teams. Each garnered first-place finishes in six events. In the women’s rankings, Bryant finished with 5:30 points to 236 for second-place Pulaski Academy. Hot Springs Lakeside was third (204) followed by Magnolia (180), Benton (163), Little Rock Parkview (106) and Arkadelphia (86).
In the men’s division, Bryant finished with 382 points to Magnolia’s 306. Pulaski Academy was third (288) followed by Benton (251) and Parkview (216).
Ellie Hooten (Photo courtesy of Marianne Shelton)
Lady Hornets’ junior Lindsey Butler accounted for two individual wins while contributing to first-place finishes in both the 200-yard medley relay and the 200 free relay. Rachel Vos added two first-place efforts, winning the 200 free and the 500 free.
Butler won the 100 backstroke in 1:04.18 and the 50 free in 26.43. Vos finished the 200 free in 2:17.49 and the 500 free in 6:11.83.
In the 200 medley relay, Bulter, Libby Thompson, Katie Higgs and Ploy Freebairn combined on a 2:03.15. In the 200 free relay, Higgs, Jackson, Freebairn and Butler finished in 1:50.71.
For the Hornets, diver Justin Combs along with swimmers Fonzee Bittle, Andrew Ball, Trace Rhode and Chandler Reep each won individual events. Bryant also won the 200 medley relay with Ray Weldon, Reep, Jim Dellorto and Ball teaming up on a 1:52.97 clocking.
Jim Dellorto was second in the individual medley. (Photo courtesy of Marianne Shelton)
Combs finished with a winning score of 171.90. Bittle turned in a 2:35.44 to win the 200 individual medley; Ball’s 58.30 took top honors in the 100 free; Rhonde won the 100 backstroke in 1:07.16; and Reep captured first in the 100 breast stroke with a time of 1:07.16.
The Lady Hornets earned second-place points from Freebairn in the 200 IM (2:30.91) with Higgs third (2:31.04) and Paris Works fifth (3:22.20). Higgs was second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:09.60 followed by Freebairn in third (1:16.47), Tiffany Robinson fifth (1:25.35) and Julianna Shelton sixth (1:28.11).
In the 100 free, Jackson was second in 1:01.94 followed by Smith (5th, 1:08.54), Devin Hester (6th, 1:10.71), and Jamie Hammers (7th, 1:10.83).
Jacey Bittle was second in the 500 free with a time of 6:25.73. Jordan Tarvin was fifth in 7:29.36. Bittle also contributed a leg to the second-place quartet in the 400 yard relay, joining Vos, Smith and Jackson on a 4:25.16. A 1:21.61 clocing in the 100 breast stroke garnered third-place points from Bittle. Thompson was fifth in 1:23.59 followed by Hammers (8th, 1:27.35) and Robinson (13th, 1:35.60).
Third-place finishes were also turned in by Kaitlin Howey in the one-meter diving and Hester in the 200 free (2:39.89). Lauren Wood was fourth on Hester’s heels at 2:49.95.
The Lady Hornets also picked up points in the 100 backstroke with Wood seventh in 1:28.44; Ellie Hooten eighth in 1:29.36; and Deidrea Reeves 10th in 1:46.37. Smith was ninth in the 50 free (29.76) with Thompson 10th (29.85) and Hooten 13th (30.09).
For the Hornets, Dellorto picked up second-place points in the 200 IM (2:36.09) as did Weldon in the 500 free (5:52.97). That duo joined Ball and Fonzee Bittle to take second in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:44.69.
Third-place finishes were turned in by the 400 free relay team of Rhode, Derek Vos, Ryan West and Fonzee Bittle with a time of 4:11.85; along with Weldon in the 100 breast stroke (1:81.30) and Scott Mead in the one-meter dive.
Ball was fourth in the 100 breast (1:18.30) and Rhode was fourth in the 100 butterfly (1:07.22). Reep turned in a fourth-place finish in the 50 free (26.15) with West eighth (27.84) and Dru Wen 16th (34.80).
Derek Vos was fifth in the 100 back (1:14.65) and sixth in the 200 free (2:22.04). West was ninth in the latter race with a time of 2:32.77.
In the 100 free, Fonzee Bittle took ninth (1:08.03) and Cody Tarvin was 13th in 1:15.00.
The Bryant swim team is set to return to competition on Tuesday, Dec. 10, at the North Little Rock Boys Club.
