EHS wins final home meet behind McGuire's big day
Senior has hand in 4 event victories for Lady Spartans
By Michael Ashford (Contact)
Friday, April 25, 2008
Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia High senior Caitlin McGuire competes in the 50-yard freestyle during the EHS Invitational on Thursday. McGuire won the event in a time of 26.59 seconds for one of her two individual victories on the day.
What started out as a great individual day for Emporia High senior swimmer Caitlin McGuire ended up being one of the more memorable outings of her high school swimming career.
McGuire won the 50-yard and the 100-yard freestyle events Thursday at the Emporia High Invitational, and she could have called it a day.
But McGuire was not finished.
She went on to help the 200 freestyle relay win first place before swimming the lead leg on the 400 freestyle relay, which also ended up taking first in a State-qualifying time.
To top it all off, the Lady Spartans won their final home meet of the season, outdistancing themselves from Washburn Rural, 526-466.
“I know as a senior, I’m proud of all the girls on the team,” McGuire said. “We haven’t won a home meet in a long time, so it was really exciting that we won.”
McGuire was a big reason for the team victory.
In both the 50 and 100 freestyle races, she held off Parsons’ Jordan Argo down the stretch to take the victories, swimming the 50 in a time of 26.59 seconds while touching the wall in the 100 in 58.82 seconds — a season best for her.
Photo by Adam Vogler
Emporia High’s Carissa Schmitz competes in the diving competition on Thursday at the EHS Invitational. Schmitz took first in the event.
“She looked really strong,” EHS coach Bob Yevak said. “We didn’t see this out of her last year until the League meet, and then she just exploded. She’s about two weeks ahead of where she was at last year, and she looks really good.”
After McGuire’s individual victories, it was time for the relays.
She first teamed with Whitney Starr, Kathryn Scherich and Hilary Larson to take first place in the 200 freestyle in a time of 1:49.67. Then came perhaps the biggest win of the day for EHS, as McGuire, Starr, Michelle Thompson and Larson won the 400 freestyle relay in a time of 4:01.02 to reach the State-qualifying time by a half-second.
“We’ve been trying for a really long time to get that relay qualified, so we’re pretty dang excited,” McGuire said. “When our third swimmer, Michelle, came in, we thought we had a pretty good chance, but Hilary would have to work really hard, and she did.”
McGuire had a hand in four of Emporia’s five events titles on Thursday, as Emporia High’s other first-place finish came from diver Carissa Schmitz. Schmitz led a trio of EHS divers in the top five, as she scored a 181.95 to win handily over Topeka High’s Lauren Fitzgerald (163.90). Hayley Fry (158.55) and Aubrey Armitage (157.50) finished third and fourth, respectively.
Starr and Larson also had strong individual outings, as Starr came up with a pair of second-place showings while Larson finished third in two events.
Starr placed second in the 200 individual medley in a season-best time of 2:29.85 and then finished as the runner-up in the 100 butterfly in a time of 1:08.03.
“I felt good, but I was a little tired,” Starr said. “I was surprised I was able to cut a little time in the 200. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks, my body will feel less tired and I’ll be able to cut more time.”
Larson’s two third-place finishes came in the 200 freestyle (2:09.17) and the 500 freestyle (5:44.12).
Jennie Loucks also took home a third-place showing, as she swam the 100 breaststroke in a time of 1:25.85.
The other two events on the day saw EHS come in seventh, as the 200 medley relay team of Erica Bennett, Loucks, Erika Krueger and Thompson finished in a time of 2:21.09, while Taylor Mason swam a nearly-3-second season-best time of 1:16.58 in the 100 backstroke.
“I’m actually really pleased with how we swam,” Yevak said. “We swam well, and we’re so close to qualifying (for State) in quite a few events.”
Emporia High Invite
Thursday at EHS
Team Scores
1. Emporia 526, 2. Washburn Rural 466, 3. Seaman 354, 4. Topeka High 256, 5. Hayden 215, 6. Topeka West 152, 7. Field Kindley 134, 8. Parsons 129.
EHS Individual Results
200 Medley Relay
7. Emporia “A” (Bennett, Loucks, Krueger, Thompson) 2:21.09
8. Emporia “B” (Hollenbeck, Hilbish, Clark, Wacker) 2:25.80
200 Freestyle
3. Hilary Larson 2:09.17
6. Summer Wilson 2:21.11
7. Cali Schelling 2:24.70
200 Individual Medley
2. Whitney Starr 2:29.85
10. Jennie Loucks 2:52.03
13. Jalen Hollenbeck 3:00.90
50 Freestyle
1. Caitlin McGuire 26.59
5. Kathryn Scherich 28.02
8. Michelle Thompson 28.44
1-Meter Diving
1. Carissa Schmitz 181.95
3. Hayley Fry 158.55
4. Aubrey Armitage 157.50
100 Butterfly
2. Whitney Starr 1:08.03
10. Cali Schelling 1:20.51
14. Kendra Clark 1:25.89
100 Freestyle
1. Caitlin McGuire 58.82
5. Michelle Thompson 1:01.99
6. Kathryn Scherich 1:03.32
500 Freestyle
1. Hilary Larson 5:44.12
7. Summer Wilson 6:44.88
8. Jade Gaskill 6:55.51
200 Freestyle Relay
1. Emporia “A” (McGuire, Starr, Scherich, Larson) 1:49.67
7. Emporia “B” (Krueger, Tidwell, Ranalli, Clark) 2:02.40
100 Backstroke
7. Taylor Mason 1:16.58
8. Jalen Hollenbeck 1:19.49
9. Erica Bennett 1:20.33
100 Breaststroke
3. Jennie Loucks 1:25.85
7. Megan Wacker 1:30.93
11. Jessica Hilbish 1:32.73
400 Freestyle Relay
1. Emporia “A” (McGuire, Starr, Thompson, Larson) 4:01.02
3. Emporia “B” (Krueger, Schelling, Scherich, Wilson) 4:17.50
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