Swimming & Diving: Huron edges Bedford in last home dual-meet of season

By Margaret Baker / For WLAA

The Huron River Rat Swim/Dive team hosted their last dual meet for 2021 yesterday evening at the Ratatorium. The score was as close as a swim meet can be, with Huron pulling out the win 93-92 over the Bedford Kicking Mules. There were plenty of exciting contests. Sophomore Jasmine Xu pocketed her D1 state cut in her commanding win of the 200 IM (2:11.84), and senior Sophia Riegle bested her personal diving score and landed 3^rd (127.05).

Senior/captain Zannah Baker took two events, the 200 Free (2:04.57) and the 50 free (25.54), as did Xu, who took the 100 Breast (1:09.11) in addition to her 200 IM victory. Sophomore Sawako Sakamoto also had a great night, with a win in the 100 Fly (1:03.22) and a 2^nd place ribbon in the 100 Back (1:05.11). Senior/captain Emma Kaipainen narrowly missed the top of the podium in the 100 Free (58.78) behind Bedford’s Madison Walker (58.17), and also came in 3^rd in the 100 Breast (1:13.68).

Huron’s 200 Free relays finished 1^st and 3^rd, with the “A” squad (Baker, S. Sakamoto, Xu and Kaipainen) taking the event (1:42.64), just shy of that D1 cut of 1:41.89, and the “B,” (senior Kathryn Hemmila, senior Ayaka Sakamoto, senior/captain Cali Streeter, and sophomore Ece Uyulur) touching in 1:52.53. The Rats’ 200 Medley relays also scored both groups, with Sakamoto, Kaipainen, Streeter and Xu (1:58.86) finishing 2^nd, just behind Bedford’s Alexa Fuleky, Ava Bell, Gabby Pisanti, and Walker (1:57.47), and senior Margo Leone, A. Sakamoto, sophomore Shayla Pawlicki and junior Analiese Heissenbuettel finishing 3^rd (2:16.38).

Other point scorers for the Rats were as follows:  Hemmila, 3^rd in the 200 Free (2:06.26) and also in the 100 Free (58.93); Uyulur, 4^th in the 200 Free (2:13.90) and also in the 100 Free (1:01.62); M. Leone, 4^th in the 200 (2:40.87); Streeter, 4^th in the 100 Fly (1:11.40) and also in the 100 Back (1:14.46); Pawlicki, 5^th in the 50 Free (28.73) and 2^nd in the 500 Free (6:08.70); A. Sakamoto, 5^th in the 100 Fly (1:13.57), and 3^rd in the 100 Back (1:11.69); freshmen Claire Leone, (6:51.65) and Ashley Paterson (7:16.68), taking 4^th and 5^th, respectively, in the 500 Free; Heissenbuettel, finishing 5^th in the 100 Breast (1:31.56), and the 400 Free relay (Baker, senior Ezgi Poyraz, junior Lucy Schneidewind, and Uyulur), taking 2^nd (4:06.68) in the 400 Free relay, just behind Bedford’s Hannah Smith, Bell, Gracie Ahl and Tina Freel (4:05.79).

Poyraz also swam a speedy but non-scoring 5^th in the 100 Free (1:06.24) for the Rats.

It’s now taper time for the Rats and other SEC Red teams, who will face off for the regional championships on Nov. 5^th at noon at Skyline.