State swim meet preview: No 'I' in team is key in swimming, too

MANSFIELD – Five area boys and one girl are Canton-bound for this week’s state swim meet in the maximum four events.

But it wouldn’t have been possible without a little help from their friends.

DISTRICT SWIMMING: ‘We expect to swim fast’: Formula never changes as Lex boys win 7th straight district crown

DISTRICT SWIMMING: Fast out of the gate: Three area girls win district swim titles

Each swimmer is allowed to compete in only two individual races, so to make it to C.T. Branin Natatorium in four events you need to be surrounded by a great supporting cast on some darn good relay squads.

That is certainly the case at Lexington and Ontario.

The Lex boys, coming off a seventh straight Division II district championship, have qualified for state in all three relays. Six boys pooled their efforts (pun intended) to make that happen.

Winning a district championship was the 200 medley relay crew of senior Ivan Prykhodko and juniors Trey Nickoli, Oden Bell and Joe Hathaway.

Also winning a district title was the 400 freestyle quartet of Prykhodko, Hathaway, senior Isaac McFadden and sophomore Cooper Watters.

And taking second was the 200 free relay of Bell, Nickoli, McFadden and Watters.

In addition to each of them making it in two relays, Prykhodko has qualified in the 100 breaststroke and 200 Individual Medley, McFadden in the 100 free and 200 free, Watters in the 200 free and 500 free and Nickoli in the 100 breast and 200 IM.

Ontario sophomore Grantham Trumpower and Lex freshman Kayla Caldwell, who will be the busiest local girl in the meet, are also quadruple qualifiers.

An individual entry in the 50 free and 100 free, Trumpower is also the only holdover from the 200 free relay that took second and the 400 free relay that placed fifth last year to reach the awards podium.

Caldwell has qualified in the 200 free and 100 backstroke and will also team up with her older sister Emma, a junior, in the 400 free relay and 200 medley relay.

Joining them in both relays will be junior Julia Wyant, while sophomores Katya Prykhodko and Emily Woods round out the medley crew and 400 team, respectively.

Top 16 in each race earn All-Ohio, with the top eight also receiving medals.

“We’ve gotten all three relays out (to state) for quite a few years now,” Lex coach Brock Spurling said of his boys.  “I’d have to actually go back and look to see the last time we didn’t get three out.

“It speaks to the versatility we have that we’re able to go out and qualify all three relays. We’ve been very blessed on the medley relay side that we’ve had kids who can do all four strokes. We’ve had guys who are very versatile. You can plug them in and move them around.”

In addition to being part of the third-seeded medley relay – looking to give Lex a third title in four years in that event – Prykhodko is the No. 1 seed in the 100 breast. That’s really no surprise since he placed fourth last season and is this year’s top returning medalist.

“I wasn’t really happy with my (district) time,” said Prykhodko, whose 56.47 fell short of the school record 56.43 he swam in last year’s district meet. “I didn’t really have much improvement (from sectionals to district) there, but I expect to go faster at state.

“I’m really excited … and I’m really nervous, too. I get nerves every time. It’s a little bit of pressure, but nothing too bad. I’m more excited than nervous, at least.”

The time gap between Prykhodko’s top-seeded time of 56.47 and the second-best time of 57.25 by Bellbrook’s Peter Guthrie is actually larger than the gap between Guthrie and the seventh-seeded Nickoli (57.95), who earned a sixth-place medal for Lex last year.

Prykhodko has come a long way since his freshman year, when he was strictly a spectator at this stage of the season. As a sophomore he qualified for state in three events and now he’s made it back in four for the second year in row.

He’s already experienced winning a state title as a member of the 2022 champion medley relay. So what would it be like to win as an individual?

“That’s a good question,” Prykhodko said. “It would definitely be a humbling experience. I was excited two years ago, but I felt like I had more in the tank, more to prove.

“Winning individually would show how much work I’ve put in over the years. You see how the hard work pays off, how the Lex Swim and Dive training pays off.”

Joining Trumpower on Ontario’s two free relays are juniors Evan Ruhe and Logan Bernat and freshman Owen Walter. Bernat has also qualified in the 100 back.

On the girls side, Trumpower’s freshman sister, Mirielle, is the highest seed among the local qualifiers. She’s No. 3 in the 100 butterfly and is also No. 9 in the 100 back.

Shelby junior Emma Montgomery, competing in her third state meet, made it in the 200 free and 500 free.

STATE SWIM MEET QUALIFIERS

Division II girls and seeding

200 freestyle: 20. Kayla Caldwell, Lexington; 30. Emma Montgomery, Shelby

500 freestyle: 15. Emma Montgomery, Shelby

100 backstroke: 9. Mirielle Trumpower, Ontario; 25. Kayla Caldwell, Lexington

100 butterfly: 3. Mirielle Trumpower, Ontario

400 free relay: 17. Lexington

200 medley relay: 20. Lexington

1 meter diving: 18. Audrey McPherran, Crestview; 20. Macey Wade, Mansfield Senior

Division II boys and seeding

50 freestyle: 16. Grantham Trumpower, Ontario; 20. Oden Bell, Lexington

100 freestyle: 11. Grantham Trumpower, Ontario; 14. Isaac McFadden, Lexington

200 freestyle: 14. Cooper Watters, Lexington; 22. Isaac McFadden, Lexington

500 freestyle: 16. Cooper Watters, Lexington

100 backstroke: 24. Logan Bernat, Ontario

100 breaststroke: 1. IVAN PRYKHODKO, LEXINGTON 56.47; 7. Trey Nickoli, Lexington

200 IM: 17. Trey Nickoli, Lexington; 24. Ivan Prykhodko, Lexington

200 free relay: 3. Lexington; 14. Ontario

400 free relay: 4. Lexington; 7. Ontario

200 medley relay: 3. Lexington

1 meter diving: 8. Owen Lemon, Ashland; 11. Mason Trittschuh, Lexington; 12. Owen Roth, Lexington; 19. Brian Vanbrennan, Ashland; 22. Noah Nicholson, Mansfield Senior; 26. Deven Goodman, Lexington; 27 Altin Rowland, Ashland

State meet schedule

Tuesday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Boys diving

Wednesday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.: Girls diving

Thursday, 5-9 p.m.: Swimming prelims

Friday, 5-9 p.m.: Swimming finals

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: State swim meet preview: No 'I' in team is key in swimming, too