GALION — The Galion Tigers swim teams were at the Galion YMCA on Wednesday to host the Mansfield Senior Tygers. Galion finished first in all but three events in total across the board against Senior en route to two victories.
The Tigers girls swim team improved to 3-5 on the year by defeating Senior, 63-24. Galion won every event but the 500-yard freestyle and the 200-yard freestyle relay.
The meet started with the 200-yard medley relay team of Bri Wallis, Sari Conner, Allison DeNero and Elise Barnhart taking first place in a time of 2:16.38. The same relay team but in a different order also grabbed a win in the 400-yard freestyle relay, winning the event in a time of 4:33.96.
Wallis and DeNero had two individual wins on the night while Conner and Barnhart had one win apiece. Wallis took first place in the 100-yard butterfly (1:16.97) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:10.63). DeNero achieved first place finishes in the 50-yard freestyle (27.56) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:21.36). Conner took the win in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:39.11 and Barnhart was victorious in the 100-yard freestyle with a season-best time of 1:05.74. Ashleigh Wright also picked up a win in the 200-yard freestyle event, finishing in 2:37.80.
Galion’s boys swim team remains undefeated at 8-0 after defeating the Tygers, 77-13. Galion took first place in every event except the 50-yard freestyle.
Caleb Strack, Sam Rigdon, Clay Karnes and Eli Skaggs got things started for the Tigers with a victory in the 200-yard medley relay, winning with a time of 1:52.06. Galion’s 200-yard freestyle relay team of Rigdon, Landon Rose, Lucas Conner and Skaggs also won their event in a time of 1:41.16. Karnes, Conner, Rose and Strack won the 400-yard freestyle with a finishing time of 3:50.51.
Skaggs would also be a two-time individual winner on the evening for Galion. Skaggs took first in the 200-yard freestyle (1:51.38) and the 100-yard backstroke (59.77). Rose, Karnes and Rigdon were relay team members that also picked up individual wins for the Tigers. Rose took first in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 56.25. Karnes was victorious in the 500-yard freestyle, winning in 5:24.34. Rigdon took home first in the 100-yard breaststroke, winning with a time of 1:12.36. Luke Eisnaugle and Alec Dicus also had wins on the night for the Galion squad. Eisnaugle was first in the 200-yard individual medley event with a time of 2:21.72 and Dicus took the win in the 100-yard butterfly with a time of 1:06.25.
“This meet provided (our) swimmers an opportunity to swim events outside of their normal swims. It showed the versatility of this swim team. I was extremely proud of the way the Galion swimmers looked tonight.” said head coach Ted Temple of his squads.
Galion will be in action on Saturday Jan. 7 at the Marion YMCA for the Division II invite. The competition begins at 12 noon.
