10 Pirate swimmers compete at Bowling Green

By Cort Reynolds

BOWLING GREEN__Ten Bluffton High School swimmers competed well at the Bowling Green Div. II Northwest district meet on Friday evening, February 20. Eight Pirates competed in district individual events, while two others participated on three Bluffton relay teams at BG.

BOYS RESULTS
Pirate senior ace Jackson Bowlus qualified for the state meet at Canton next week with a pair of top-two showings.

Bowlus touched second out of 32 swimmers in the 50-yard freestyle in 21.82, which was .65 faster than his sectional title time. 

Bowlus also came in second in the 32-swimmer field for the 100 backstroke in 53.26. His district time was .89 better than his sectional championship time.

Freshman Camden Verb finished eighth in the 500 freestyle in 5:01.89, a 3.62-second improvement from sectionals. Verb also took 13^th out of 32 in the 200 freestyle in 1:54.41. His district time was .82 faster than sectionals. 

Junior Aaron Ungashick took 13th of 32 in the 200 individual medley (2:07.92). He ended up 15th in a field of 32 for the 100 breaststroke (64.95).

Freshman Max Fritsch finished 32^nd in the 500 free (5:56.41).

The Pirate boys 200 medley relay team of Bowlus, Owen Armstrong, Ungashick and Verb came in sixth amid a field of 23 teams with a time of 1:42.76, 2.20 seconds faster than their sectional showing. (1:44.96).

The Bluffton boys quartet of Verb, Fritsch, Ungashick and Bowlus took 11th out of 24 teams in the 400 free relay (3:31.36).

Ontario captured the boys Div. II district team crown with 326 points. The Pirate boys came in a strong ninth out of 40 scoring teams with 93 points.

GIRLS RESULTS
Senior Jenna Downey finished sixth in the 50-yard freestyle in 24.69, a .19 improvement on her sectional time.

Sophomore Kari Diller touched fifth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 63.61. Diller also came in 17th in the 100 free (58.54), .65 better than her sectional time.

Junior Karden Geiser finished 19th in the 100 breaststroke (1:16.61), an improvement of 1.06 from sectionals. Freshman Madelyn Sterrett came in 23^rd in the 100 breast in 1:17.87, 1.64 seconds faster than her sectional showing.

Geiser also came in 31^st in the 50 free (27.75).

The Pirate girls 200 free relay foursome of Diller, Selah Luginbill, Geiser and Downey finished 11^th out of 24 teams in 1:48.50. 

The Bluffton girls 200 medley relay quartet of Diller, Sterrett, Downey and Geiser ended up 13^th in a field of 23 teams with a time of 1:58.35.

Ontario won the girls Div. II district team title with 296 points. Colonel Crawford was second with 243. The Bluffton girls ended up 15^th out of 32 scoring teams with 47 points.