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Chillicothe boys, Zane Trace girls take first place in Wendy Arth Memorial Swim Meet

Jack Gleckler, Chillicothe Gazette
·4 min read

CHILLICOTHE — As Chillicothe, Unioto and Zane Trace's swim teams lined up behind the starting blocks ahead of Wednesday night's meet at the Ross County YMCA, a silence fell around the pool.

Chillicothe coach Jennifer Hayburn grabbed a microphone and thanked those in attendance. Wednesday was no ordinary meet. The formalities might have been spared any other day. But Wednesday was special for all teams involved. It was dedicated, as it had been in years past, to the late Wendy Arth.

Chillicothe senior Ian Montgomery completes the first leg of the boys 200-yard medley relay during the Wendy Arth swim meet at the Ross County YMCA on Jan. 3, 2024, in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Chillicothe senior Ian Montgomery completes the first leg of the boys 200-yard medley relay during the Wendy Arth swim meet at the Ross County YMCA on Jan. 3, 2024, in Chillicothe, Ohio.

"She was just a face of the swim teams, both at the Y and the high school, for the longest time, and just a wonderful person," Hayburn said. "She set a standard. She was very loving, very sweet, very funny, but she also pushed the kids in the right direction and knew when they were slacking and that kind of stuff. That's how we decided to have a meet every year in her honor."

Arth died unexpectedly in 2019 after having served as an eighth grade language arts teacher at Zane Trace since 2012. She had also coached the Cavaliers swim team, leading the girls to a Frontier Athletic Conference championship and the boys to a second-place finish.

So, as they had done every year since her passing, the Cavaliers, Pioneers and Shermans all gathered to honor her in the way they knew best — with a swim meet. Tim Kessler, a sophomore swimmer for the Cavaliers, even opened the event with a rendition of the national anthem on his guitar.

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Chillicothe sophomore Tim Kessler performs the national anthem on guitar during the opening ceremony of the Wendy Arth Swim Meet at the Ross County YMCA on Jan. 3, 2024, in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Chillicothe sophomore Tim Kessler performs the national anthem on guitar during the opening ceremony of the Wendy Arth Swim Meet at the Ross County YMCA on Jan. 3, 2024, in Chillicothe, Ohio.

"He was in the talent show, and I said to him, 'Can you play that?' and he said, 'Yeah I can play it,'" Hayburn said. "I knew he was good, but I didn't know how good. He is amazing, very talented."

The Cavaliers didn't disappoint for the rest of the night. The boys team won with 54 points, and the girls team was second with 36 points. Zane Trace placed first in the girls events and second in the boys events with 40 points and 19 points, respectively, and Unioto's boys and girls teams each placed third with 14 points and 17 points, respectively.

Chillicothe's boys team wasted no time. It took first place in all but two events on the night. One of its swimmers even earned a personal record. Ryan Blum set a new personal best in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:16.83. Blum placed also won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.60 and helped the Cavaliers take first in the 200 medley relay.

"In the breaststroke of all things, because that's not his best stroke," Hayburn said of Blum. "But he looked amazing. And he's sick, too, he's pretty sick. ... But he's one of those kids, you just can't slow him down. If you say, 'Take it easy,' he doesn't know what that means."

The Pioneers boys team earned their lone first place finish in the 200 freestyle relay with Wyatt Vick, Josh Young, Isaac Detty and Charley Clyne. Keegan Fisk earned the Shermans' lone first-place finish after completing the 100 backstroke in 1:06.79.

Zane Trace's girls placed first in four events and were second in another six. Gabriella Tisi took first as an individual in both the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke, in which she posted times of 1:29.82 and 1:19.69. Tisi also had a hand in the Pioneers' 200 freestyle relay win alongside Caitlin DiBenedetto, Mariska Wax and Malia Vick.

Chillicothe's girls team won five events throughout the night. Reina Cunnigham took an individual first in the 200 freestyle, Anna Maimone was first in the 100 freestyle and Siri Lincke won the 100 breaststroke. All three teamed up with Addison Gibson to win the 200 medley relay in 2:30.21. Cunningham and Lincke were also on the winning 400 freestyle relay with Mackenzie Scaggs and Meilah Stangle that finished in 5:40.14.

For the Shermans, Zoe Neff and Annah Reisinger each earned the Shermans' two first-place finishes. Neff won the 50 freestyle with a time of 30.88 and Reisinger claimed the 500 freestyle in 8:06.20.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: Chillicothe, Unioto and Zane Trace take part in Wendy Arth Memorial Swim Meet