By 4.5 points, Ionia swam into 2nd place in the CAAC Red Conference meet.  This also solidifies the second place finish for the season in the conference.  After a fantastic two days of swimming, it all came down to the last relay.  We needed to take 2nd in the relay in order to finish in 2nd overall.  The girls dug in and raced hard.  With such a young team, they exceeded expectations and really made a splash this season.   

Madeline McGee is the conference champion in both the 200 yard freestyle and the 100 yard backstroke.  She was earned the Rick Edwards swimmer of the meet Award.  This award recognizes one swimmer from the conference meet who stands out as an outstanding performer.  It is given to the swimmer first who wins two individual events.  With 3 girls who accomplished that during the meet, it then comes down to power points which are awarded based on event and times.  Madeline was the swimmer who won two events with the most power points.  It is certainly well-deserved.  Madeline will move on to the state meet in two weeks.

Amelia McGee is the conference champion in both the 50 yard freestyle and the 100 yard butterfly.  She broke both freshmen records in her events and earned another state cut time in the 100 yard butterfly.  She will advance to the state meet in two weeks.  

The relay team of Madeline McGee, Eily Martinez, Katelyn Lamphere and Amelia McGee are conference champions in the 200 yard freestyle relay.  Madeline led the relay and got out in front quickly.  The rest of the girls swam hard and held on to the lead to the finish.

Over the course of two days, there were 70 personal best times.  Every girl in the water had a best time in at least one of their events.  The drops in time were impressive.  Officials noticed and said what great swims we had.  Other coaches commented on the strong turns and overall good swimming.  While everyone made improvements, there were several standout swimmers in addition to our conference champions.

Riley Browne dropped 11 seconds over 2 days in the 100 yard butterfly.

Isabelle Robinson dropped 19 seconds in the 200 yard freestyle.

Ella Udell dropped 11 seconds in the 100 yard breaststroke.

Mariya Berry dropped 15 seconds in the 100 yard backstroke.

Brooke Bennett dropped 16 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle.

Lena Cox dropped 17 seconds in the 200 yard individual medley and 17 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle.

JoAnna Platte dropped 16 seconds in the 100 yard freestyle after battling an injury for several weeks.

In diving, Mimi Wegener finished 4th and will advance to regional competition on Thursday at Haslett.  As a new diver, she took on new challenges and has made a splash of her own over the course of the season.

In addition to the outstanding swimming, our team was also recognized for their sportsmanship.  Our team parents were approached by other parents commenting on our team spirit and energy.  Other coaches noticed that our swimmers cheered for other teams, too.  A parent from another team approached one of our coaches to say how impressed they were with our team.  While the swimming is important at a championship meet, being good people is even more important in the long run.  Ionia team members represented themselves and their school well.  Go, Bulldogs!