Five swimmers from the Bluffton area qualified for the Great Lakes YMCA Zones Swimming Championship at the Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio March 16-18.

Landon Armstrong and Riley Verb swim for the Putnam County YMCA swim team under assistant coach, Bob Verb of Bluffton.

Jackson Bowlus, Allison Diller and Xavier Diller swim for the Lima YMCA swim team coached by April Dorman of Bluffton. In the summer, they all swim for the Bluffton Sardines.

The Great Lakes YMCA Zones Swimming Championship is held every year for top swimmers from the YMCA swim teams from a five state region. The 2018 event had 1,200 swimmers from 90 teams from Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. The Spire Institute in Geneva, Ohio, is a US Olympic and Paralympic training site.

The Zone qualifying times are based on the top times of the region from the previous year. Swimmers with (PR) swam their fastest times of the season.

Landon Armstrong, 11-12 Boys
100 yard breast 1:17:02

Jackson Bowlus, 10 & Under Boys
Boys 200 yard free relay 2:06:79 (PR)
Boys 50 yard free :30:89

Alison Diller, 11-12 girls
200 yard free relay 1:52:38 (PR)
100 yard breast 1:16:77 (PR)
200 yard medley relay 2:06:65 (PR)
50 yard breast :35:94

Xavier Diller, 10 & Under Boys
200 yard free relay 2:06:79 (PR)

Riley Verb, 11-12 Boys
200 yard Individual medley 2:29:91 (PR)
100 yard back 1:06:78 (PR)
100 yard individual medley 1:08:68
100 yard breast 1:12:05 – 6th place overall (PR)
50 yard breast :33:59 – 8th place overall (PR)
50 yard back :31:27

Photo: (L to R) Landon Armstrong, Xavier Diller, Jackson Bowlus, Riley Verb, Allison Diller