CANTON — Upper Sandusky’s girls swim team had a roller coaster of emotions during the prelims of the OHSAA Division 2 Swimming State Championships on Thursday.
There was little time for overthinking, as the meet began for the Rams’ 200 medley relay team as early as it could.
Race one, heat one, lane one.
The girls said it was nerve-racking to look into the still pool, but a thrill all at once.
The team made of Katie Conley, backstroke; Abbey Wenger, breaststroke; Kami Swartz, butterfly; and Maya Collins, freestyle, made use of their adrenaline, as three of the four swimmers never had been to the state meet as competitors before.
“Some of us watched it last year, and I was telling my parents it’s crazy to watch the meet last year and then be here this year and be on the deck seeing what the swimmers see,” Conley said.
The Rams came into the competition seeded 21st and managed to drop approximately half a second off their district meet time to finish in 18th, just two spots from making the finals.
Upper Sandusky Coach Justin Richardson said the Rams spent time the night before the meet working on turns and relay exchanges, after those areas were not as quality as desired at the district meet.
“We came as close to perfecting them as we could, and I think that paid off today,” he said. “We had three swimmers drop multiple tenths of seconds and that added up to our new personal record.”
The team, which includes three seniors, was not disappointed.
“I was happy with (the race),” Swartz said.
Conley agreed.
“Four years of work trying to get here and then finally getting here, you see your hardwork payoff,” she said.
The roller coaster continued as Wenger provided hope that, in her second year at state, the Rams would have a swimmer in the finals as she competed individually in the 100 breaststroke.
In an event that saw its top two finishers both break the state record, Wenger finished just one spot shy of making the finals.
She finished in 1:06.18. The last qualifier for the finals finished in 1:06.16.
Wenger said she overall felt confident in how she swam her race while in the pool.
Despite her disappointment, Wenger teammates were quick to share the other factors she brought to the state meet that were not necessarily seen in the pool.
“Abbey being here for the second year really helped,” Conley said. “Helped with what to expect and calm our nerves. It’s her presence and calmness.”
Wenger shared her appreciation for her teammates as well.
“It was really great just having my teammates here to support me,” she said.
She also acknowledged her own accomplishment of making back-to-back trips to the state championships.
“It feels really good,” Wenger said. “I’m really excited I got to be here for two years in a row.”
Though she did not reach her expectations, Wenger’s career will not end with graduation, as the senior has signed to swim at the NCAA Division 1 level at Eastern Michigan University in the Mid-American Conference.
“I’m a little sad that its over, but I’m really excited for next year because I’m going to continue swimming in college,” Wenger said.
Richardson was proud of his swimmer.
“It was great to watch her swim today,” he said. “To have someone come back two years at the state level is a major accomplishment.”
He then shared his overall pride in his team.
“What the girls accomplished here today is a great thing,” Richardson said.
As Upper Sandusky travels more than 20 minutes one-way everyday to practice at the Bucyrus YMCA, Richardson shared a laugh with his swimmers.
“At the end of the day, pretty good for a school with no pool.”