March 28, 2024

NCMP’s Blommers is NCSC breaststroke champion

DECORAH — Lindsey Blommers left no doubt. A year ago at the North Central Swim Conference championships, Blommers got out-touched.

Not on Saturday in the 2017 NCSC meet at Luther College. The NCMP junior dominated the 100-yard breaststroke race winning in 1 minute, 9.87 seconds.

Decorah’s Kelsey Maher was second in 1:17.28. NCMP’s Allison Paulius was third in 1:17.58.

The NCMP Aquagirls finished third for the second year in a row in the team standings. They scored 258 points.

Decorah repeated as NCSC champions with 334 points. Boone was second with 269.

Vinton/Shellsburg took fourth with 172 points followed by Grinnell with 89, Oskaloosa with 80 and Williamsburg with 54 points.

Decorah had a 29-point advantage over NCMP before the Aquagirls hit the competiton waters. Decorah went 1-2 in the diving event.

“We had a solid meet,” NCMP head coach Sarah Patterson said. “Although we did well, we had a bit of a hard time coming back after exciting Little Hawkeye Conference win on Tuesday.”

Patterson said all the district girls are just starting their taper, or rest period, and during this phase, they always feel a little off. She said the NCMP swimmers are so used to working hard and their bodies kind of wonder what is going on as they start to back off. Midweek this week, the rest should start to kick in, she said.

“Lindsey won her second conference title in five days. She also had a great 50 freestyle race and earned second. Allison, a sophomore, earned the third-place medal in the breaststroke,” Patterson said.

NCMP had three more individuals claiming NCSC medals — placing in the top three. The Aquagirls’ 400 freestyle relay of freshman Natalie Boll, senior Jessica Zahn and juniors Lakin Jenkins and Alex Inskeep made the podium for third place with a time of 4:02.59.

Natalie Boll and Zahn captured medals in the 500 freestyle race. Boll took second in 5:53.75 and Zahn placed third in 6:00.71. Freshman Arabella Eide finished 10th in 6:31.04.

Blommers made the podium for the first time in the meet with her second-place finish in the 50 freestyle. Decorah’s Emma Bachelder touched the wall just ahead of Blommers — 25.32 seconds to 25.95 seconds.

NCMP scored 11 more points in the 50 freestyle race. Senior Jaclyn Michener was seventh in 27.59 and junior Rachel Boll took ninth in 27.65 seconds.

Jenkins and Rachel Boll went 3-4 in the 100 backstroke. Jenkins claimed the third-place medal in 1:05.10 while Boll took fourth in 1:09.50.

Jenkins came up just a fraction short of earning a medal in the 100 freestyle. She finished fourth in 58.98 seconds just behind Decorah’s Alexandra Nesset, 58.70. NCMP’s Inskeep was seventh in 1:00.49 and sophomore Erika Van Sickle was eighth in 1:01.30.

“Many of our taper swimmers who finished their season up at Decorah had good swims,” Patterson said. “Mariah Petro, junior, was on fire again on Saturday, swimming a personal best in the 100 freestyle and winning her heat. Miranda Ervin lowered her personal best in the 50 freestyle.

“Both Delaney Nasalroad and Molly Lamb had best times in the 100 breaststroke — they swam 100 breast during the 100 freestyle. Delaney also notched a personal best in the 50 freestyle.”

NCMP’s foursome of Jenkins, Blommers, freshman MaKenna Brooks and Michener took fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:0026. The team of Blommers, Zahn, Michener and Inskeep posted a 1:48.53 for fourth in the 200 freestyle relay race.

Inskeep placed fourth in the 200 freestyle in 2:11.10, Zahn was sixth in 2:14.73 and sophomore Courtney Dawson was eighth in 2:18.32. Nataliie Boll took fourth in he 200 individual medley in 2:34.38 with Paulius in eighth at 2:37.18 and Eide was 12th in 2:45.25.

Brooks finished fifth in the 100 butterfly in 1:12.06 with teammates Chloe Kibbee, a freshman, and Abbie Hill, a sophomore, taking seventh and 10th, respectively, in 1:13.24 and 1:14.97.

“We had a great season of Aquagirl swimming and are going to train hard and smart as head into districts next week at Johnston,” Patterson said.

NCMP is in the swimming regional meet Saturday hosted by Johnston at the Summit Middle School. Races begin at noon. Race winners are automatic qualifiers for the 2017 girls’ state swim meet on Nov. 4 in Marshalltown.

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