GALION — Less than a week removed from the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference swimming championships, the Galion Tigers were back in their home pool at the Galion Community Center YMCA to host the Madison Rams on Thursday, January 25.
The reigning four-time (consecutive) MOAC Champion boys team from Galion defeated the visiting Madison squad with yet another clean sweep; 75-18. The Lady Tigers, runner-up in this year’s MOAC meet, also swam to a victory by defeating the Lady Rams; 52-40.
Caleb Strack and Sam Rigdon finished the day with a pair of individual victories. Clay Karnes, Weston Rose, Alec Dicus and Luke Eisnaugle rounded out the individual event victors for the hosting Tigers.
Strack took the top spot in the 200-yard individual medley (2:17.66) and the 100-yard backstroke (58.63) while Rigdon earned wins in back to back events in the 50-yard freestyle (23.20) and the 100-yard butterfly (58.35).
Karnes swam to the win in the 200-free (1:58.23) and Rose earned the win over in the 100-free (54.53). Dicus outlasted teammate Braxton Tate to win the 500-free (5:25.95) and Eisnaugle defeated Tate to win the 100-yard breaststroke (1:12.17).
Relay results for the boys on the afternoon were: Strack, Eisnaugle, Karnes and Rigdon- 1st, 200-yard medley; Ben Alstadt, Tate, Dicus and Rose- 2nd, 200-medley; Alstadt, Eisnaugle, Karnes and Rigdon- 1st, 200-free; Issac Niedermier, Wyatt Enders, Chris Amich and Zach Slone- 3rd, 200-free; Rose, Alstadt, Dicus and Strack- 1st, 400-free; Niedermier, Amich, Enders and Tate- 2nd, 400-free.
Other boys placements for Galion were: Rose-2nd, 200-free; Alstadt- 2nd, 50-free; Karnes- 2nd, 100-fly; Eisnaugle- 2nd, 100-free; Tate- 2nd, 500-free and 2nd, 100-breast; Enders- 4th, 100-back.
Sari Conner and Allison DeNero picked up a pair of wins apiece for the Lady Tigers on the day while Elise Barnhart scooped up Galion’s other individual event win.
Conner was first in the 200-free (2:19.97) and the 100-free (1:02.02). DeNero swam to the top in the 200-IM (2:34.72) and the 100-fly (1:11.71). Barnhart edges one of the Lady Rams swimmers to win the 50-free in a time of 29.24.
In the 200-medley relay, the foursome of Ashleigh Wright, Conner, DeNero and Barnhart won in a time of 2:12.32. The Lady Tigers packed a one, two punch in the 200-free relay event with Barnhart, Bri Streib, Conner and DeNero (1:54.43) taking first and Wright, Allsion Bauer, Katlyn Kuehlman and Danielle Schneider (2:20.15) finishing as the runner-up. Schneider, Wright, Streib and Kuehlman joined forces to finish in second in the 400-free relay.
Other Galion placements on the girls side were: Schneider- 3rd, 200-free and 2nd, 500-free; Streib- 3rd, 50-free; Barnhart- 2nd, 100-free; Wright- 2nd, 100-back and Kuehlman- 2nd, 100-breast.
Up next for the 10-1 boys team and the 7-4 girls team will be a trip to the Ontario Invitational on Saturday, January 27. Action is set to begin at 10 a.m. with 12 total teams competing.
