NCMP’s Blommers claims medal in 100-yard breaststroke race; medley relay finishes in top 20

MARSHALLTOWN — Closing out a strong sophomore season with a fifth-place state medal is nothing to hang your head about.

NCMP’s Lindsey Blommers wasn’t Saturday afternoon. Sure, she went into the 2016 Iowa Girls’ High School State Swimming and Diving Championships with the No. 1 seed in the 100-yard breaststroke, but she knew the field she faced in her first state meet was stacked.

Closing out their four-year swimming career with the NCMP Aquagirls, seniors Emily Miller and Sarah Prendergast helped the 200 medley relay meet goals at the 2016 state meet. It was the second state meet for two seniors.

Closing out her first state meet as the lead-off swimmer in the medley relay for NCMP, sophomore Lakin Jenkins proved it was “my time to shine.” Jenkins posted her fastest split in the backstroke leg to give the Aquagirls a solid start in the race.

Jenkins led off followed by a breaststroke leg by Blommers. Miller was next off the starting blocks for NCMP to swim the butterfly leg. Prendergast anchored with the freestyle as the foursome finished second in its heat in a season’s best time of 1 minute, 52.97 seconds.

Taking second in the heat assured the Aquagirls would reach the goal of a top-20 finish. They were seeded 22nd going into the state with a 1:54.22. They finished 19th at state.

“The relay was fantastic. To come here and accomplish the goals they set for themselves is great,” NCMP head coach Sarah Patterson said. “It’s been a special relay all season. These four were determined to go faster in the state pool. We were able to send our two seniors off on a good race.”

Prendergast said the fact her high school swimming career came to a close Saturday had not hit her yet.

“I don’t think it really will until next fall when I don’t get to go to (team) camp,” Prendergast said. “It wasn’t my best race, but I was able to stay fairly close to my best time. It was really exciting to experience this with my friends and swim another week.”

Prendergast said being the anchor swimmer wasn’t the tough wait for her. It was the wait all participants had to make before the start of the state meet.

“The worse wait was when they had us sitting in the gym for a half of an hour trying to figure out the wedge situation. When I got up on the blocks, it was just about me going out and doing what I can to help my team reach its goal,” Prendergast said.

Just before the noon start time of Saturday’s meet, it was announced there was a malfunction with one of the starting blocks. It was decided to go from eight lanes to six lanes for competition so the heats had to be re-seeded.

NCMP moved over a lane but still was in the first heat of the medley relay event.

“It was better than I thought it would be,” Miller said of her state experience. “It’s a bittersweet since it was the last race of my Aquagirl career, but we made our placing, I dropped .2 seconds off my time and we go out with a great time. The water just felt amazing.”

Prendergast and Miller each had two state appearances in their career. Jenkins made her first on Saturday.

“It was so much fun, and I wouldn’t trade it for the world,” Jenkins said. “I felt pretty strong leading off. I dropped a half of a second off my time, which was pretty good. I got my goal and the team got its goal.”

Blommers said swimming the relay was great, and she was excited to help set a new season’s-best time for the foursome.

“The opportunity to swim with these three one last time this season was special,” Blommers said.

Then came the long wait for Blommers as the breaststroke is the next-to-last event at the meet. The medley relay was the first event.

Most of the regular season, Blommers was ranked fifth in the 100 breaststroke. It changed a week ago at the regional meet when Blommers lowered her own NCMP record and recorded the fastest time in the state — 1.04.61 — to win a regional championship.

“Beforehand, I was really nervous. It was a long wait. My coaches calmed me down by talking to me about my race plan and other things,” Blommers said. “Once I got behind the blocks leading up to my race, I wasn’t nervous. It was more about being excited to get out there and race.”

In the final heat of the breaststroke with Blommers were the defending state champion Johnston senior Lexi Horner, Linn-Mar senior Kelsey Drake, who won a regional title with a 1:04.69, and Fort Dodge senior Lehr Thorson. Bettendorf senior Sage Ohlenshelen won the third heat with a 1:05.13.

Those four seniors were the only swimmers to beat Blommers at the state meet. Horner defended her title with a 1:03.75 followed by Drake at 1:04.23. Ohlenshelen finished third and Thorson turned in a 1:05.33 for fourth.

Blommers out-touched Ames sophomore Molly Winer, who she beat in the regional also, for fifth place at 1:05.70. Winer’s time for sixth place was 1:05.71.

“It wasn’t what I was hoping for, but I’m not disappointed at all,” Blommers said. “Going into this season it was never about getting first at state because I didn’t know it was possible for me. Swimming in this pool as an individual is different than swimming as part of a relay. I’m proud of how I did today. I know now what the state experience is about so next year should be really exciting.”

Blommers holds the 100-yard and 100-meter breaststroke records for NCMP, setting those this season.

“There was a lot of pressure on a sophomore coming in here with the top time, especially on someone who had never been to a state meet,” Patterson said. “She had a phenomenal season, dropping time throughout. She was unsure about the walls and her timing going into today’s race here.

“Lindsey had a great race. To come to your first state meet and make the podium is pretty special. She handled all of it well. We’re proud of her.”

Patterson handled being the 2016 IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction Award recipient. She led the Parade of Teams into the Marshalltown YMCA/YWCA’s Linda Bloom Natatorium. Patterson received her award before the competition began.

Patterson concluded her 24th season as NCMP head coach at her 24th straight state meet coaching Aquagirls. She has been a coach for NCMP for 25 years.

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