March 19, 2024

NCMP boys reach podium four times at Garst Invite

FORT DODGE — NCMP’s Cardinal boys made the podium in four events at Saturday’s Fort Dodge High Rusty Garst Invitational swim meet.

Caleb Gaylor was in all four events for NCMP. Gaylor posted personal-best times in finishing second in the 500-yard freestyle in 5 minutes, 3.84 seconds, and in finishing third in the 200 freestyle in 1:5074. Gaylor anchored the Cardinals’ 200 freestyle relay to a fifth-place finish and the 400 freestyle relay to fourth place.

Joining Gaylor on the podium in the 200 freestyle relay event were Clay Trotter, Mason Lee and Paul Maharry after they turned in a time of 1:36.61. Trotter, Logan Heisdorffer, Adam Hunter and Gaylor turned in a time of 3:38.83 in the 400 freestyle relay race.

“This was a good meet, but I think we really need to light a fire under ourselves to reach the next level,” NCMP head coach Sarah Patterson said. “Sometimes, I feel like we’re not aggressive enough to trust our training and go out after it. That will be the goal and focus as we head into the rest of the season.”

Hunter missed the podium in the 500 freestyle, taking seventh in a personal-best time of 5:32.77. Trotter was ninth and Heisdorffer was 10th in the 100 freestyle race in 55.14 seconds and 55.39 seconds, respectively.

Trotter placed ninth in the 50 freestyle in 24.37 seconds while Lee finished 11th in 25.02 and Heisdorffer was 13th in 25.22. Hunter took 10th in the 200 freestyle in 2:02.75.

NCMP finished sixth as a team in the eight-team event as the Cardinals scored 189 points. Fort Dodge won its home meet for the first time since 2012 with 389 points, unseating three-time Garst Invitational champion Sioux City, which was second with 360 points.

The Cardinal 200 medley relay team of Jacob Nedder, Maharry, Lee and Heisdorffer took eighth in 1:55.70. Nedder was 12th in the 100 backstroke in 1:07.79 and Deklan Lewis was 15th in 1:10.85. Lewis finished 13th in the 500 freestyle in 6:03.04.

In the 200 individual medley race, Nedder took 14th in 2:27.36 and Izaak Miller was 20th in 2:46.34. Maharry placed 14th in the 100 breaststroke in 1:13.80 and Miller was 20th in 1:23.82.

“We had three athletes in the 100 fly for the first time all season — Mason Lee, Clay Meyer, and Paul Maharry all turned in decent times. It felt good to have that event filled,” Patterson said.

Lee took 12th in the 100 butterfly in 1:08.79 followed by Meyer in 17th at 1:12.03 and Maharry in 18th at 1:12.24. Logan Zaabel placed 22nd in the 200 freestyle in 2:40.24, and James Westbrook was 20th in the 100 freestyle in 1:11.62.

On Thursday, it is Senior Night for the NCMP boys. The Cardinals swim at 5:30 p.m. against visiting Atlantic and Grinnell at the Newton YMCA.

“We would love to see fans there to support the athletes,” Patterson said.

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