NCMP snares three regional championships

INDIANOLA —Not this time. Not in the final race of the day were the NCMP Aquagirls settling for second place to Waukee.

There was no holding back in the Indianola YMCA swimming pool for seniors Hannah Scotton and Rachel Prendergast and juniors Sydney Jenkins and Samantha Hedrick. Prendergast had an individual regional championship already in the 100-yard freestyle. Hedrick and Scotton went 1-2 in the 100 butterfly. Jenkins placed fifth in the 50 freestyle and fourth in the 100 backstroke.

Buying into the team’s 2014 mantra — The Power of All of Us — Scotton, Prendergast, Jenkins and Hedrick posted the fastest time in the race working together. Winning in a new pool record of 3 minutes, 39.77 seconds, the Aquagirls’ 400 freestyle relay team punched its ticket to the 2014 state swim meet.

“I knew the same girl who anchored the other two relays was swimming the anchor for Waukee in the 400. She had just out touched me twice, not this time,” Hedrick said, who turned in a blistering 51.49 final 100-yard anchor swim for the Aquagirls.

The Aquagirls stayed right with Waukee throughout the relay race. Scotton opened with a 55.40, then came Prendergast, who had turned in a personal-best 55.84 timing to win the regional 100 freestyle championship earlier.

“I had never gotten a 55 before (in a 100 freestyle), but today I got it in the 100 free then I had a faster time here (in the relay race),” Prendergast said. “I just told myself ‘don’t false start, don’t false start.’”

Prendergast’s second leg of the race was a 55.33. Jenkins took over in the water.

“I knew it was close and I knew I had to give it my all,” Jenkins said, who turned in a time of 57.55 seconds. “That little voice in your head tells you that your tired. You have to ignore that, think positive thought and keep digging. This is great because we know we have a spot at state in this event. There’s no waiting.”

Hedrick got the first touch in the final race.

“It’s an awesome feeling knowing everyone contributed on this one. I knew I had to go fast my first 50 and stay strong right to the end,” Hedrick said.

Hedrick powered her way to a 2014 regional championship in the 100-yard butterfly Saturday. She broke not only her own pool record set in September at Indianola, she set a new NCMP record in the event. Hedrick got to the wall just ahead of Scotton at the regional meet, in 57.11 seconds. Scotton’s second-place time was 57.90 seconds and senior Sara Martin finished fifth in 1:02.09.

Scotton had the NCMP 100 butterfly record, 57.36, set in 2013. Hedrick established the pool mark of 58.93 on Sept. 4.

“It just feels like a fast pool,” Hedrick said of her success in the Indianola pool. “Coming into this weekend with a different mindset also had something to do with it. It’s pretty exciting (being a regional champion) and to know what I’ve been working for I as able to achieve today. Hannah, Sara and I push each other in practices and in competition and that’s a really good thing for all of us.”

Just after the butterfly race, NCMP claimed its second regional championship. Prendergast led a 1-3-5 finishing in the 100 freestyle race for the Aquagirls. Prendergast won the race in 55.84 seconds with freshman Madeline Webb placing third in 56.69 seconds and sophomore Emily Miller in fifth at 56.90.

“Coming into the meet seeded first in the 100 free was like ‘wow, this is real. it could really happen,’” Prendergast said. “I’ve really wanted to qualify in an individual event for four years. I knew I had it in me, I just didn’t know when I’d do it. I just went out really strong and felt great throughout the race today.”

Waukee won the team championship with 494.5 points followed by NCMP with 439 points. Des Moines Roosevelt scored 414.5 points for third place. Indianola had 200 points for fourth followed by Carroll with 158.5 points, Ottumwa with 139, Fairfield with 113.5, Council Bluffs Abraham Lincoln with 81 and Perry with 62 points.

NCMP placed 15 individuals on the regional podium — the top six finishers — in the eight individual events. All three relay teams were on the podium.

“We had some great swims today. Finishing second as a team and being within 45 to 50 points of Waukee is a testament to these ladies and the depth of our team,” said Sarah Patterson, NCMP head coach. “Almost everybody had best times and our relays were fantastic. To go out and win that last relay at the end was a lot of fun and a great way to finish a meet.”

Jenkins, Rhoads, Scotton and Hedrick opened the regional with a second-place finish in the 200 medley relay race in 1:51.13. Midway through the meet, Martin, Scotton, Miller and Hedrick combined for a new school record in the 200 freestyle relay race in 1:39.48 for second place. Martin, Scott and Hedrick were on the relay team with Carly Colville, which had the old mark of 140.26 set in 2013.

On Saturday evening, it was official the NCMP 200 medley and 200 freestyle relay teams’ times were fast enough to qualify for the state meet. It’s the second year in a row that NCMP has qualified all three relays for state. Scotton joins Hedrick in the 100 yd butterfly qualifiers for state and Prendergast in the 100 freestyle.

“I can’t be happier for Rachel. She works so hard,” Patterson said. “To watch her swim for four years and all that work pay off today is a big reason why we coach. To have Samantha and Hannah go 1-2 in the butterfly and both have 57s, that’s impressive. I don’t know of many teams that would have two swimmers record 57s in the fly.”

Prendergast and Webb placed fourth and fifth in the 200 freestyle in 2:04.51 and 2:05.42, respectively. Junior Elizabeth Myers finished seven in 2:07.60.

Rhoads was fourth in the 200 individual medley race in 2:19.64. Miller placed eighth in 2:24.44 just in front of junior Sierra Griffith in 2:24.71. Griffith claimed fourth in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:11.10, edging out Rhoads, 1:11.62, who was fifth. Martin took ninth in 1:12.66.

Jenkins finished fourth in the 100 backstroke in 1:03.81 and was fifth in the 50 freestyle in 26.18 seconds. Freshman Alexis Stout was sixth in the 50 freestyle in 26:36 and junior Kaelee Knoll was 12th in 26.68. Knoll placed ninth in the backstroke in 1:07.90.

Senior Kira Hanson concluded her NCMP career with a seventh-place finish in the 500 freestyle race in 5:45.44 and taking eighth in the 100 backstroke in 1:06.22. Sophomore Sarah Prendergast turned in a fifth-place performance in the 500 freestyle in 5:44.51 and Myers was ninth in 5:52.13.

“The girls were loose and relaxed all day and just went for it today. The team camaraderie is amazing and we have good senior leadership,” Patterson said. “We’re excited to see who makes it to state on times and see where we’ll be seeded (for state) in those events we do qualify in.”

The Iowa girls’ state swim meet is Saturday at the Marshalltown YMCA.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at 641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com.