Valpo 10 & Under Girls #1 In State
In a scene reminiscent of the movie “Hoosiers”, but happening in a natatorium instead of a gym, nine Valparaiso girls took on the state’s largest swim clubs and brought home the Age Group State Championship for Girl’s 10 & Under. Under the guidance of Head Coach Lisa Starkey, Valparaiso Swim Club brought a title back to our pool.
Valparaiso Swim Club (VSC) proudly sent a contingent of 29 qualifying swimmers to the State Championship in Indianapolis this past weekend, the largest group in recent history. Battling against other Indiana teams three and four times their size, VSC battled and became the 10 & Under Girls Team State Champions. As a team, VSC placed 11th in the state.
Lizzie Simac age 13, (31 points) and Bethany Gatlin age 13, (60 points) achieved their goals of swimming personal bests to qualify for the Speedo Central Zone Sectionals, a feat only accomplished by the fastest and most dedicated swimmers.
The VSC girl’s 13-14 relay team of Bri Pniak (14), Lizzie Simac (13), Bethany Gatlin (13) and Ashley Pickford (13) placed 8th in the 400 Yard Medley relay. Pniak, Simac, Gatlin and Marisa Johnson (14) placed 5th in the 200 Yard Medley relay.
Leading the 9-10 team in points earned was Meg Calumpang (10), with 106 points. She took home the 2nd place prize in overall point scored in her age group. Meg barely missed an all-time state record in the 100 Yard Butterfly by 0.20 of a second. She brought home (2) 1st place, (3) 2nd place, and (1) 4th place individual medals. Other point earners in Individual 9-10 events were Janine Holleworth (10) 43 points, Sophia Schlichting (10) 36 points, Sarah Browne (10) 31 points, Shannon McCall (10) 11 points.
The VSC girl’s 10 & Under “A” relay team of Sarah Browne (10), Sophia Schlichting (10), Janine Holleworth (10) and Meg Calumpang (10) finished 2nd in the 200 Yard Free relay and 3rd in the 200 Yard Medley relay.
Valparariso Swim Club’s Champion Team were teammates Kaitlin Browne (12), Sarah Browne (10), Meg Calumpang (10), Nicole Cespedes (10), Ben Collins (10), Megan Daye (13), Brody DeCraene (10), Mitchell DeCraene (10), Bethany Gatlin (13), Karlye Gatlin (10), Kyle Hahn (11), Kristyn Hoffmann (12), Janine Holleworth (10), Isa Johnson (11), Marisa Johnson (14), Zach Juhl (11), Alex Krygowski (12), Hannah Letany (10), Conner McCall (9), Shannon McCall (10), Will Miltenberger (10), Ashley Pickford (13), Bri Pniak (14), Ayla Rice (10), Olivia Schlichting (13), Sophia Schlichting (10), Lizzie Simac (13), Hannah Shepherd (12), and Liam Shepherd (11).
For more information on VSC, please go to www.ValparaisoSwimClub.com or call Dawn Brown 219-916-4792