Andrei Dordea leads Wooster boys to runner-up at Canton Sectional swim meet
Wooster's boys and girls swim teams hope to well-represented later this month at the OHSAA State Championships.
On Saturday, at C.T. Branin Natatorium — the site of the state finals — several Generals took that first step as the boys took runner-up honors as a team and the girls were seventh at the Canton Division I Sectional.
Paced by an impressive win from Andrei Dordea in the 50-yard freestyle and the 200 free relay team, Wooster compiled 312 points to finish behind Massillon Jackson (444).
Dordea cruised to victory in the 50 free, recording a 21.53 to finish ahead of Green's Camden Doerrer (22.08). The senior, who also was third individually in the 100 free (48.69), then swam the lead leg on the winning 200 free team as he combined with Luke Boucher, Aidan McMillan and Gabe Bosler-Kilmer to clock a 1:28.67, outlasting Green (1:30.01).
Bosler-Kilmer also had a strong day, placing fourth in the 100 butterfly (54.53) and fifth in the 50 free (22.35), while Boucher took third in the 200 individual medley (2:04.83).
A host of other Generals earned berths to next weekend's district meet at Cleveland State.
Senior Cole Walenciak was sectional runner-up in the 500 free in 5:05.90, finishing ahead of teammate Cole Kuzma (5th, 5:18.02) and Caleb Kostohryz (6th, 5:20.65). Santiago Salazar also had a top-five individual finish in the 100 backstroke in 56.50, followed by teammate Cooper Udell (7th, 100 back), while the 400 free relay took second overall as Dordea, Boucher, McMillan and Bosler-Kilmer finished in 3:18.65.
Salazar also was 10th in the 100 free, while Walenciak and Kostohryz took seventh and 10th, respectively, in the 200 free.
On the girls side, Alessandra Gerber was fourth in the 200 IM in 2:18.39 and then helped the 400 free relay to a similar finish with teammates Piper Udell, Ellie Hansen and Lauren Hershberger.
Udell also placed sixth in the 200 free (2:05.25), while Kenzie Grimwood and Margaret McBride both were top-10 finishers in the 500 free, placing sixth and 10th, respectively.
The girls 200 medley team (7th, 2:00.30) and 200 free (8th, 1:44.68) also had strong showings.
Division II
Akron Sectional
A pair of area sprint swimmers brought home top-three finishes Friday in the small-school sectional at the University of Akron. Waynedale's Anna Pittman and Smithville's Trei Durstine placed second and third in the 50 free, respectively, to advance to next weekend's district in Cleveland.
Pittman nearly took home the sectional title as her finish of 25.06 was just shy of Akron Hoban's Rylee Jackson (25.06), but more than enough to earn her second straight district trip. The sophomore also was fourth in the 100 free in 56.71 — an event that fellow local Brenna Martin of Orrville also qualified in after a 12th-place finish.
Aleah Daugherty of Orrville was third in the 500 with a 5:43.52 and advanced to districts along with Clara Sundberg (7th, 6:17.33). Sundberg also qualified in the 100 breaststroke with another seventh-place finish (1:14.33).
Norwayne's Scarlett Butler also posted a top-five finish in the 100 fly, clocking a 1:07.02, while Loudonville's Nicole Rooks was 11th (1:10.25).
Both Orrville free relays moved on with both the 200-yard and 400-yard groups placing fifth.
Durstine clocked a 22.37 to finish behind Rocky River's MacEo Tabora (22.09) and Kent Roosevelt's Jack Puhalla. The junior also advanced in the 100 free, taking ninth overall (50.52), and as a member of the Smithies 200 free relay that was 11th with teammates Wyatt Skarl, Taygen Nelson and Reis Durstine.
Also on the boys side, Smithville's Reis Durstine and Orrville's Sawyer Zimmerman also earned district berths in the 500 free, finishing 12th and 14th, respectively. Jonathan Monteith of Chippewa was 12th in the 100 breaststroke (1:06.33), while Noah Michaels of Dalton took 13th in the 100 fly (59.53).
District qualifiers
The following area swimmers will take part in the district meet next weekend at Cleveland State's Busbey Natatorium:
DIVISION I
Wooster: Santiago Salazar (jr., 100 free, 100 back, medley relay), Luke Boucher (sr., 200 IM, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, medley relay), Cooper Udell (sr., 100 fly, 100 back, medley relay), Aidan McMillan (fr., 50 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay, medley relay), Cole Walenciak (sr., 200 free, 500 free), Caleb Kostohryz (sr., 200 free, 500 free), Cole Kuzma (jr., 500 free), Andrei Dordea (sr., 50 free, 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Gabe Bosler-Kilmer (so., 50 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Thomas Foster (jr., 1-meter dive), Steven Fox (sr., 1-meter dive), David Taylor (fr., 1-meter dive), Colleen Frantz (jr., 1-meter dive), Piper Udell (so., 100 free, 200 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Olivia Kelly (fr., 200 IM), Alessandra Gerber (fr., 100 free, 200 IM, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Ellie Hansen (fr., 400 free relay), Miley Green (jr., 50 free, 200 free relay), Lauren Hershberger (jr., 100 free, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Kellen Smith (so, 100 free), Kenzie Grimwood (fr., 500 free), Margaret McBride (jr., 500 free), Melia Brown (fr., 1-meter dive)
DIVISION II
Chippewa: Jonathan Monteith (so., 100 breaststroke)
Dalton: Noah Michaels (jr., 100 fly)
Loudonville: Nicole Rooks (fr., 100 fly)
Norwayne: Scarlett Butler (jr., 100 fly, 200 IM)
Orrville: Sawyer Zimmerman (sr., 500 free), Brenna Martin (jr., 100 free, 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Aleah Daugherty (jr., 500 free, 200 IM, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Kinsley Martin (fr., 100 fly, 200 free relay, 400 free relay), Caelea Cochran (so., 200 free relay, 400 free relay)
Smithville: Trei Durstine (jr., 50 free. 100 free, 200 free relay), Reis Durstine (fr., 500 free, 200 free relay), Wyatt Skarl (so., 200 free relay), Taygen Nelson (so., 200 free relay)
Waynedale: Anna Pittman (so., 50 free, 100 free), Clara Sundberg (sr., 500 free, 100 breaststroke)
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Swimming: Andrei Dordea leads Wooster's big day at sectional meet
