By Cort Reynolds

LIMA__The Bluffton High School swim teams finished a strong eighth in the combined standings at the annual, 29-team Lima Holiday Invitational Thursday, December 28, at the Lima YMCA.

The Pirate girls ended up seventh out of 24 teams with 132 points. Ottawa-Glandorf won the girls team crown with 270.5 points, followed by St. Marys (247) and Versailles (208).

Shawnee won the boys meet with 284.5 points. St. Marys was second (235) and O-G came in third (221). Bluffton ended up eighth among the 23 boys squads with 116 points.

O-G won the combined meet with 491.5 points, with St. Marys close behind in second at 482. Shawnee ended up third (451). 

Bluffton was eighth with 248 points.

Pirate sophomore Jenna Downey took second in the 100-yard butterfly (63.24) in a field of 31 competitors to post the best Bluffton finish.

Downey also touched second in the 100 free in 58.83 amid a field of 84 swimmers.

Pirate senior Izzy Stechschulte finished third in the grueling 500 freestyle in 6:09.58. She also took fourth out of 106 swimmers in the girls 50-yard freestyle in 27.02. 

Pirate sophomore Jackson Bowlus came in third in the 100 backstroke in 57.34.