State quality
Upper Sandusky’s Ellie Zeller swims Friday in the Division II district meet at Bowling Green State University. She was sixth in the 200 free in 2:03.77, which appears to have earned her a spot in the state meet in the event.
By WILLIAM FRANCISCUS
Staff writer
BOWLING GREEN — Upper Sandusky’s Ellie Zeller is an apparent state qualifier to highlight many standout performers that included podium performances and a school record breaker in the Division II district swim meet at Bowling Green State University’s Cooper Pool.
Zeller reached the podium with a sixth-place finish in the 200 freestyle in 2:03.77. The top three finishers in individual events automatically qualify, with the next best 20 times across the four districts also advancing for a total of 32 qualifiers. Unofficially, her time ranks 32nd across the state, but she will have to wait until results are verified by the OHSAA.
“We all worked really hard for this,” Zeller said. “I am really happy it turned out this way. I wasn’t really expecting it since I didn’t do too well in sectionals, so I am happy to come back today and happy with the way it ended up.”
On the boys side, Aidan Bacon broke his own school record in the 500 free, finishing in 5:19.19, and placed 13th in the meet.
That’s a wrap
Upper Sandusky’s Aden Davis competes in the 200 IM on Friday in the Division II district swim meet in Bowling Green. Davis was 21st in the event in 2:13.97 and also finished 31st in the 100 free.
“My mentality was to just get everything I have,” Bacon said. “I was trying to pace with who’s next to me and in the 500 it’s very much how you pace yourself. I feel like today I did the best I could do in my situation. I left it all out there and it felt good to leave my mark on the school.”
The other podium finish for Upper Sandusky was Braxton Cundiff in the 100 back. He finished in 57.37 for an eighth-place finish.
“It was a great senior season,” Cundiff said. “It’s nice to finish out on top, and I am really proud of all of this.”
The boys team also had several personal bests at the district meet, with most of their swimmers topping their sectional times from last week.
Aden Davis was 21st in the 200 IM in 2:13.97 and 31st in the 100 free in 53.77.
Drew Leightey finished 25th in the 200 free in 2:01.61, with Bacon finishing 32nd in the same event in 2:06.40. Elijah Robinson (1:00.64) and Ashton Bacon (1:04.14) were 21st and 29th, respectively, in the 100 butterfly. Aiden Frey finished 26th in the 100 back in 1:02.80.
Butterfly
Upper Sandusky’s Elijah Robinson swims the 100 butterfly in the district meet Friday. He finished in 1:00.64.
“They have done so much work — both in the summer program and high school
level,” Polachek said. “We had to set the road up and that’s what we did, and they proved it was worth it.”
Ashton Bacon, Cundiff, Davis and Robinson finished 14th in the 200 medley relay in 1:46.74, while Aidan Bacon, Davis, Leightey and Robinson were 15th in the 400 free relay in 3:36.73. Aidan Bacon, Frey, Leightey and Robinson were 19th in the 200 free relay in 1:39.51.
In addition to her sixth-place finish in the 200 free, Zeller was ninth in the 500 free in 5:39.66.
Kyla Conley finished 20th in the 100 free in 59.02 and 23rd in the 50 free in 26.92.
Aubree Barth, Mady Collins, Conley and Zeller were 10th in the 400 free relay in 4:01.18 and 15th in the 200 free relay in 1:50.09.
Backstroke
Upper Sandusky’s Aiden Frey does the backstroke in the Division II district meet Friday in Bowling Green. He was 26th in 1:02.80.
“It was still a good showing,” Upper Sandusky coach Angela Polachek said. “It’s always hard to get up early and come swim against these teams, but as a team, they did great in the 400. Even though they didn’t medal, they dropped some kind of time in everything today, so we can’t ask more than that.”
The district meet was the end of the road for many of the Rams, including Aidan Bacon, Davis, Frey, Cundiff and Robinson, in addition to a few whose season ended last week at sectionals.
“It would not be the program it is without this particular class of seniors,” Polachek said. “They get along really well, and they band together. Even earlier today the boys were messaging Ellie and cheering her on. That doesn’t have to happen and not something controlled by a coach. They all want to see each other succeed and we couldn’t have had the year we had without them.”
Preliminaries for Division II in the state meet start at 5 p.m. Thursday at C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton.
Freshman in the pool
Upper Sandusky’s Ashton Bacon swims in the 100 butterfly Friday in Bowling Green. He was 29th in the district meet, finishing in 1:04.14.
Girls
Team results (top 10 and local of 33 scoring)
1. Napoleon 196, 2. Ontario 193, 3. Colonel Crawford 189, 4. Lexington 183, 5. Ottawa-Glandorf 160, 6. Perkins 144, 7. Lima Shawnee 136, 8. St. Marys Memorial 135, 9. Ottawa Hills 120, 10. Bryan 115, 18. Upper Sandusky 40.
Individual results
50 free: 23. Conley 26.92
100 free: 20. Conley 59.02
200 free: 6. Zeller 2:03.77
500 free: 9. Zeller 5:39.66
200 free relay: 15. Upper Sandusky (Barth, Collins, Conley, Zeller) 1:50.09
400 free relay: 10. Upper Sandusky (Barth, Collins, Conley, Zeller) 4:01.18
Boys
Team results (top 10 and local of 31 scoring)
1. Ontario 301, 2. Lexington 232.5, 3. Oak Harbor 224, 4. St. Marys Memorial 148, 5. Lima Shawnee 145, 6. Huron 114, 7. Ottawa-Glandorf 104, 8. Van Wert 103.5, 9. Wauseon 97, 10. Bryan 94, 23. Upper Sandusky 25.
Individual results
100 free: 31. Davis 53.77.
200 free: 25. Leightey 2:01.61, 32. Bacon 2:06.40.
500 free: 13. Bacon 5:19.19.
100 back: 26. Frey 1:02.80.
100 back: 8. Cundiff 57.37.
100 butterfly: 21. Robinson 1:00.64, 29. Bacon 1:04.14.
200 IM: 21. Davis 2:13.97
200 free relay: 19. Upper Sandusky (Bacon, Frey, Leightey, Robinson) 1:39.51
400 free relay: 15. Upper Sandusky (Bacon, Davis, Leightey, Robinson) 3:36.73.
200 medley: 14. Upper Sandusky (Bacon, Cundiff, Davis Robinson) 1:46.74
