Hoover, Green, Jackson girls win OHSAA district swimming titles in hotly contested meet

CLEVELAND — The longest hour in swimming — heat after heat of the grueling 500-yard freestyle — ended in an abrupt realization.

One of the great races to a district girls swimming team championship was on.

Coming out of the 500, the top five in the team race was Hudson with 176 points, Green with 171, Jackson with 169, Shaker Heights with 162 and Hoover with 162. Four other teams, including Perry, were above 100.

In the end, the top four were Shaker Heights with 214, Hudson with 206, Hoover with 205, and Jackson with 203. Everyone went home happy about something.

"It was a surprise that it was that close among that many teams," said Jackson head coach Doug Nist, whose boys team won a distrct championship. "I would say it was a successful day for Jackson swimming."

Hoover enjoyed a monster day in the relays, winning the ones that started and finished the OHSAA Division I girls district championships at Cleveland State's Busbey Natatorium.

Brooke Radcliff (backstroke), Anna Helmuth (breaststroke), Marie Lochridge (butterfly) and Ava Carosielli (freestyle) opened by taking the 200-yard medley relay. They were too much even for a Boardman team that chopped six seconds off its sectional time. Their times were 1:46.72 and 1:47.50.

"You never know about teams coming in from sectionals," Hoover head coach Richard Vaughn said. "Our girls had a great mindset. They worked hard and worked together. They swam, their race."

Vaughn exhorted his team to finish strong before the meet-ending 400 freestyle relay:

"This is it. We've had a great meet so far. Leave everything in the water."

Kate Baxter's leadoff and strong legs by Lochridge, Helmuth and Carosielli added up to a win in 3:33.57. Jackson won silver in 3:36.03 with the quartet of Nina Shulik, Alexis Lewis, Grace Micelli and Abra Manofsky.

Shulik, a Jackson junior, won the 200 freestyle, outlasting Akron Firestone senior Julia Quernemoen 1:52.13-1:53.05. Shulik later placed third in the 500 freestyle.

The meet stayed on theme — Federal League dominance — when Green senior Olivia Scheibelhoffer won the 50 freestyle, edging Boardman freshman Alex Taylor and Perry junior Sophie Baker 23.52-23.67-23.81.

Scheibelhoffer punctuated a day to remember by beating Hudson junior Ava Sawicki in the 100 freestyle, 52.06-52.47.

"Olivia was like a rocket," said Green head coach Mike Lazor. "This was her first year in the sprints, and she has been awesome throughout the year."

Green senior Sydney Peterson challenged for a district title in the 200 individual medley and broke through for a win in the 100 butterfly (56.37). Hoover sophomore Marie Lochridge was third in 57.25.

"That makes Sydney a two-time time district champ in the fly," Lazor said. "She's just a strong, strong, intense, dynamic swimmer. I just knew she was going to come though."

Jackson edged Green in a 200 freestyle relay thriller, 1:38.63-1:38.80. Katarina Ataya, Alexis Lewis, Shulik and Abra Manofsky got Jackson the gold. Scheibelhoffer, Elaina Edwards, Laina Schwarzwelder and Peterson got Green the silver. Louisville (Kai Kocher, Anya Willett, Leah Claugus, Katelyn Claugus) was a very close third at 1:39.00.

Sophie Baker swam a 56.17 in winning the 100 backstroke by nearly a full second.

Hoover sophomore Anna Helmuth capped a rousing day for the Federal League in the indiviudal races, winning the 100 breaststroke in 1:05.16.

Other top 10s from area swimmers were by:

• 200 medley relay: 5, Perry (Baker, Yoder, Becherer, Bracken); 7, Green (Scheibelhoffer, Edwards, Peterson, Swartzwelder); 8, Jackson (Micelli, Ham, Bossart, Ataya)

• 200 individual medley: 3, Sydney Peterson, Green; 4, Anna Helmuth, Hoover; 9, Anya Willett, Louisville.

• 50 freestyle: 8, Abra Manofsky, Jackson; 9, Ava Carosielli, Hoover; 10, Kai Kocher, Louisville

• 100 butterfly: 6, Gracie Yoder, Perry; 7, Laina Schwarwelder, Green

• 100 freestyle: 5, Ava Carosielli, Hoover; 8, Abra Manofsky, Jackson; 10, Kai Kocher, Louisville

• 500 freestyle: 8, Katelyn Claugus, Louisville

• 200 freestyle relay: 8, Perry (Yoder, Becherer, Bracken, Baker); 10, Hoover (Mallamaci, Fetsko, Radcliff, Baxter)

• 100 backstroke: 4, Marie Lochridge, Hoover; 7, Grace Micelli, Jackson; 10, Alexis Lewis, Jackson

• 100 breaststroke: 7, Leah Claugus, Louisville

• 400 freestyle relay: 6, Louisville (Kocher, Willett, L. Claugus, K. Claugus)

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jackson, Hoover high school girls win OHSAA district swim titles