Morganton’s Aiden Lopez-Rodriguez swims the boys 200 individual medley event on Tuesday evening at the Collett Street Recreation Center outdoor pool. The Morganton boys won the three-team meet, avenging a season-opening loss to Catawba Valley.
The Morganton Marlins youth swimming team hosted its second Western Carolina Swimming Association summer meet on Tuesday at the Collett Street Recreation Center outdoor pool and turned the tide on the Catawba Valley Aquatic Club in the boys portion.
After falling by 61 points one week earlier in the Morganton Swim Club’s season opener, the MSC boys outscored Catawba Valley by a 328-246 margin.
The Marlins girls lost in final points, 297-208, but also trimmed the margin against the league perennial power from the first meet. Overall, Catawba Valley edged Morganton 543-536, with Watauga also on hand but earning just 37 total points in what amounted to a head-to-head battle for supremacy at the meet.
“Really proud of the swimmers in this meet as they made lots of improvement over last week,” Marlins coach Dan St. Louis said.
Four Morganton swimmers were part of four victories apiece, including Joel Gomez-Andres (boys 11-12 50 freestyle, 50 backstroke, 50 butterfly), who one week after claiming two events was the hosts’ lone winner of three individual events.
Gomez-Andres also teamed with Max Olson, Hayden Stout, and Brody Hinshaw to claim the 200 free relay in the same age group.
Jayden Gomez-Andres (boys 10U 50 back, 50 fly) and Nicholas Chiota (boys 15O 50 free, 100 fly) also won twice apiece individually and keyed sweeps in the 200 free and medley relay events.
Jayden Gomez-Andres swam alongside Graham Olson, Tony Throneburg, and Avery Patton in both events, and Chiota’s winning relays also included the same three teammates for both: Sean Causby, Liam Bradshaw, and Jeffery Gomez-Andres.
Morganton’s Desiree Gonzalez-Tomas swims the girls 12U 200 individual medley event on Tuesday.
On the girls side, MSC was led by double individual winner Ariel Dubrawsky (girls 10U 50 free, 50 breaststroke), who also teamed with Claire St. Louis, Jojo Jose, and Damaris Lopez-Rodriguez to win both relays.
Cole Bradshaw (boys 8U 50 free, 50 fly) also won twice and joined Ben Bunner, Dean Olson, and Abbott Hoover on the winning 200 free relay, while other Marlins individual event winners were Ellisyn Lawton (girls 8U 50 back), Anzleigh St. Louis (girls 8U 50 free), Dean Olson (boys 8U 50 back), Desiree Gonzalez-Tomas (girls 11-12 200 individual medley), Lucy Lynam (girls 15O 50 free), and Lucy Jones (girls 15O 100 breast).
Lynam and Jones also swim with Gracie Farris and Daynesa Gonzalez-Tomas on the winning 200 free relay squad.
Morganton is back in the pool after the holiday break for a July 7 home meet.
Torpedo stays busy with 3 meets
The Valdese Torpedo had mixed results in three recent Tarheel Swim League meets, with both the boys (188-93) and girls (201-114) winning at McDowell on June 18, the boys team winning a three-team home meet with Black Mountain and Forest City on June 20, and both teams falling at Lenoir on Tuesday.
In McDowell’s first home meet in almost three years, three Valdese swimmers won three individual events each: Luke Gravel (boys 9-10 50 breast, 100 IM, 100 free), Saylor Watson (girls 15-18 50 free, 100 back, 100 fly), and Lilah Johnson (girls 15-18 100 free, 100 breast, 200 IM).
A whopping 11 more Valdese swimmers won twice apiece. They included: Tabor Parris (boys 7-8 25 free, 50 free), Graham Gravel (boys 7-8 25 back, 25 fly), Adeline Parris (girls 9-10 50 free, 100 free), Lauryn Turner (girls 9-10 50 breast, 100 IM), John-Mark Gagliardo (boys 9-10 50 free, 50 back), Lyra Davis (girls 11-12 50 breast, 100 IM), Andrew Harmon (boys 11-12 50 free, 50 fly), Mason Boice (boys 13-14 50 free, 100 free), Daynesa Gonzalez-Tomas (girls 13-14 100 free, 200 IM), Ryan Watson (girls 13-14 100 back, 100 fly), and Jacob Harmon (boys 15-18 50 free, 100 free).
Other Torpedo winners were Raelynn Talbot (girls 6U 25 free), John Oakley (boys 6U 25 free), Caroline Brewer (girls 7-8 25 back), Annalyn Huffman (girls 9-10 50 back), Lydia Falls (girls 11-12 100 free), Knox Anthony (boys 11-12 100 IM), Jaron Davis (boys 15-18 100 breast), and Tenley Turner (girls overall 200 free).
Valdese also got relay wins via the boys 8U 100 free squad of Graham Gravel, John Oakley, Tabor Parris, and Koen Kirk; the girls 9-10 200 free squad of Sarah Oakley, Annalyn Huffman, Lauryn Turner, and Audrey Henderson and girls 9-10 200 medley squad of Huffman, Turner, Henderson, and Adeline Parris; the girls 11-12 200 medley squad of Julia Gagliardo, Lyra Davis, Emma Oakley, and Desiree Gonzalez-Tomas; plus the boys 15-18 200 free relay of Noah Harmon, Jacob Harmon, Nathaniel Talbot, and Mason Boice and boys 15-18 200 medley unit of Boice, Noah Harmon, Mazon Mayfield, and Jaron Davis.
Two days later at the Valdese Aquatic Center, the Torpedo boys win coupled with a 244-185 girls loss to Black Mountain left the guests with a narrow 411-405 overall win, with both teams well ahead of Forest City (178).
Lilah Johnson (girls 15-18 100 fly, 100 breast, 200 IM) again won three times individually, while seven other Valdese swimmers won twice each. They included Elym Reasoner (boys 7-8 25 free, 25 fly, 50 free), Graham Gravel (boys 7-8 25 back, 25 breast), Lauryn Turner (girls 9-10 50 free, 50 breast), John-Mark Gagliardo (boys 9-10 50 free, 50 back), Luke Gravel (boys 9-10 50 breast, 100 IM), Desiree Gonzalez-Tomas (girls 11-12 50 fly, 100 IM), and Ryan Watson (girls 13-14 50 free, 100 fly).
Other Valdese winners were Truman Davis (boys 6U 25 free), Nash Greene (boys 9-10 100 free), Lydia Falls (girls 11-12 50 free), Andrew Harmon (boys 11-12 50 free), Daynesa Gonzalez-Tomas (girls 13-14 100 back), Braylee Bollinger (girls 13-14 100 breast), Gabriel Platt (boys 13-14 100 back), Mason Boice (boys 13-14 100 fly), Tenley Turner (girls 15-18 100 back), and Isabella McDaniel (girls 15-18 100 free).
Valdese also claimed six relay wins. They came from the boys 8U 100 free squad of Graham Gravel, John Oakley, Tabor Parris, and Elym Reasoner; the boys 9-10 200 free squad of Nash Greene, Ezra Platt, Lawson Glover, and John-Mark Gagliardo and boys 9-10 200 medley squad of Greene, Glover, Gagliardo, and Luke Gravel; the girls 13-14 200 free and medley squad of Desiree Gonzalez, Braylee Bollinger, Daynesa Gonzalez, and Ryan Watson; and the girls 15-18 200 free unit of Isabella McDaniel, Tenley Turner, Taylor Beaulieu, and Lilah Johnson.
On Tuesday, the shorthanded Valdese boys fell 340-119, and the girls lost 270-182.
“It was our first time there for a summer meet,” Valdese coach David Andersen said. “We had about half as many swimmers as they did. I figured with the size of the group we took, we were there for good races but wouldn’t pull out a team win. I put a good number of our swimmers in first-time events, and they did really well.”
Luke Gravel (boys 9-10 100 IM, 100 free, 50 breast) and Ryan Watson (girls 13-14 50 free, 100 free, 100 fly) each won three events, while Charlotte Gouge (girls 6U 25 free, 8U 25 back), John Oakley (boys 6U 25 free, 25 fly), Elym Reasoner (boys 7-8 25 free, 50 free), Nash Greene (boys 9-10 50 free, 50 back), and Mason Boice (boys 13-14 50 free, 100 free) won twice.
Abby Gouge (girls 11-12 50 free), Lyra Davis (girls 11-12 100 IM), Noah Harmon (boys 15-18 100 back), and Isabella McDaniel (girls 15-18 100 breast) also tacked on individual wins.
Winning Torpedo relays were: the boys 8U 100 free relay of Graham Gravel, Koen Kirk, Tabor Parris, and Elym Reasoner; boys 9-10 200 free relay of Nash Greene, Ezra Platt, Luke Gravel, and John-Mark Gagliardo; girls 9-10 200 medley relay of Sarah Oakley, Lola Reasoner, Adeline Parris, and Audrey Henderson; girls 11-12 200 medley relay of Lydia Falls, Lyra Davis, Julia Gagliardo, and Abby Gouge; and boys 15-18 200 medley relay of Noah Harmon, Jacob Harmon, Mazon Mayfield, and Mason Boice.
Valdese today (June 27) hosts McDowell, Shelby, and Watauga in a four-team meet, then visits Black Mountain on June 30.
