CANTON — For many athletes, a trip to the state tournament is the pinnacle and conclusion of their high school careers, one final chance to make their marks and receive some hardware draped around their necks.
For the seven Colonel Crawford swimmers who made it to the OHSAA Division 2 Girls State Swimming and Diving Championship in Canton, there is a tomorrow, and a chance to come back.
All seven swimmers, a record high in the state meet for Colonel Crawford, will return next season as none of the members of the three relay teams competing at state are seniors.
With three juniors, two sophomores and two freshmen in the lineup, the Eagles looked to the most experienced swimmer on the team, Cassidy Vogt, for guidance as it was her third trip to C.T. Branin Natatorium. Vogt was on Colonel Crawford’s 200 medley relay team in 2018 and made it in the 50-yard freestyle in 2019.
She wanted to make sure pre-race nerves weren’t an issue.
In the first race of the day, things did not go as planned for the Eagles as an exchange violation during the race disqualified Colonel Crawford in the 200-yard medley relay.
Coach Ashley Shelli said the early takeoff was the result of the girls in the relay consisting of Cassidy Vogt, Emma Swisher, Maddy Keller, and Katie Hanft giving maximum effort and pushing themselves to try to get the fastest time possible. She said it will be a good learning experience for the team in their quest to return in 2021.
The determination to improve and build off the championship experience continued into the other relays the Eagles participated in.
The 200-yard freestyle relay team of Hanft, Vogt, Kayla Payne and Abby Martin finished 19th, one spot ahead of their seeded 20th of 24, and three spots shy of making the Friday finals.
In the 400-yard freestyle relay, the team of Hanft, Martin, Vogt and Jayden Ward finished 23rd of 24 complete the Eagles’ season.
Shelli said she was pleased with her team’s effort and is excited to build on the experience for a return to Canton next year.
Martin, a freshman, said experiencing the state meet so early in her career was the perfect completion to her first high school season. She added she is excited to continue her career with the other six girls and make another run in 2021.
The state appearances capped off a season which saw Colonel Crawford claiming the North Central Ohio Swim League title, beating out second-place Upper Sandusky by 96 points.