By RICHIE HALL
ARCADIA – After two meets, the Hamilton Heights girls swim team is making the most important progress of all: The Huskies are ahead of where they were last year.
Heights hosted Lebanon on Thursday in its first home meet of the season. The Huskies beat the Tigers 104-76, winning all but one event. Heights dropped its opener at Oak Hill on Monday, the first time it had lost a regular-season meet in a couple years, so the Huskies were happy to start a new winning streak.
“It feels good to know that we’re back on track,” said Heights coach Sue Beale. “I know the girls took it a little hard to lose after so long winning, so I think this is really good for their morale and to boost them.”
The Huskies got two wins each from four different swimmers, all of them returning from successful seasons last year. Senior Rachel Sanqunetti, a state qualifier last year in the backstroke, won that event and the 50 freestyle. Junior Ryleigh Poe was first in the butterfly and 500 free. Sophomore Tara Holder took the 200 and 100 freestyles, with sophomore Emily Lester winning the individual medley and breaststroke. The four swimmers also combined to win the medley relay and 400 free relay. Bailey Haworth won the diving event.
“I think they did really well for the meet setup,” said Beale. Since the boys can’t begin their season until next week, it was girls only this week, which Beale said is “really difficult.” In addition, Heights wasn’t in school Thursday because of the ice storm that morning, so everyone “was a little tired,” said Beale.
“But our times are ahead of last year at this time, so I think we’re headed in the right direction,” said Beale.
Beale noted that Sanqunetti has already swam the backstroke at 1:00 this year, as compared to “the 1:02 area” last year at this time. “And the same thing with her 200 freestyle, we’re about three seconds ahead of where she was last year at this time,” said Beale.
Poe, meanwhile, spent the summer training at the Fishers Swim Club, concentrating on the butterfly.
“We’ve really got her going after that,” said Beale. “I know that she has her sights set on making state, so we’re going to do the best we can to get her there.”
Heights also has nine freshmen this season, and they’re already producing good results. Mady Hutcherson and Kennedy Weaver were part of the second-place 200 free relay (with sophomores Kat Cox and Maria Mitchell), with Weaver also taking third in the individual medley.
Beale said that some of the swimmers have been participating in club, with others coming from the middle school. Regardless, those swimmers are finding their place on the team.
“I think they’re doing really well,” said Beale, who noted that the freshmen are already dropping time. “Their enthusiasm keeps them going.”
The Huskies’ next meet is Tuesday, when they host Anderson. It will also be the first meet of the year for the Heights boys team.
Team score: Hamilton Heights 104, Lebanon 76.
200 medley relay: 1. Heights “A” (Tara Holder, Emily Lester, Ryleigh Poe, Rachel Sanqunetti) 1:58.57, 4. Heights “B” (Kat Cox, Gen Trese, Kennedy Weaver, Abigail Mayo) 2:16.93, 5. Heights “C” (Mady Hutcherson, Erin Zuchristian, Anna Wheat, Molly Bryson) 2:27.00.
200 freestyle: 1. Holder 2:09.83, 3. Carlie Flintoff 2:18.33, 5. Maria Mitchell 2:30.64
200 individual medley: 1. Lester 2:31.00, 3. Weaver 2:41.53, 6. Trese 2:50.80.
50 freestyle: 1. Sanqunetti 25.19, 4. Hutcherson 28.53, 5. Alaina Stohler 31.30.
One-meter diving: 1. Bailey Hayworth 169.50.
100 butterfly: 1. Poe 1:04.68, 3. Cox 1:15.25, 6. Stohler 1:24.85.
100 freestyle: 1. Holder 57.22, 5. Trese 1:06.21, 6. Mitchell 1:08.20.
500 freestyle: 1. Poe 5:44.15, 3. Flintoff 6:14.29, 5. Mayo 6:58.32.
200 freestyle relay: 2. Heights “A” (Hutcherson, Cox, Weaver, Mitchell) 1:58.36, 3. Heights “B” (Stohler, Zuchristian, Bryson, Flintoff) 2:06.68, 6. Heights “C” (Emily Bonebrake, Kylie Apple, Allyson Dinwiddie, Cora Cain) 2:22.32.
100 backstroke: 1. Sanqunetti 1:01.27, 4. Hutcherson 1:25.33, 5. Wheat 1:26.82.
100 breaststroke: 1. Lester 1:16.53, 3. Cox 1:24.55, 4. Weaver 1:25.53.
400 freestyle relay: 1. Heights “A” (Holder, Poe, Lester, Sanqunetti) 3:59.63, 3. Heights “B” (Trese, Mitchell, Stohler, Flintoff) 4:31.50, 5. Heights “C” (Bonebrake, Mayo, Wheat, Zuchristian) 5:09.03.
Hamilton Heights’ Kat Cox was part of the second-place 200 freestyle relay during the Huskies’ swim meet with Lebanon on Thursday. Heights beat the Tigers 104-76. (Doug Sanqunetti)