March 19, 2024

NCMP swims past Indianola in opener

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NCMP’s foursome of senior Jacob Knoll, junior Carter Briggs, senior Caleb Gaylor and junior Mason Lee set the tone of the swim team’s season opener winning the first event of the night.

The quartet won the 200-meter medley relay in 1 minute, 59 seconds to Indianola’s 2.05.98. NCMP Cardinals never let up against a strong Indianola squad on its way to capturing a 90-80 varsity dual victory at the Newton YMCA.

Indianola took the junior varsity division of the meet, 72-39.

“Yes, we set the tone right off the bat tonight,” Gaylor, who won two individual events and swam on two winning relays for NCMP, said after the meet. “I’m really happy how our team began the season tonight. Our relays have potential of getting to the state meet if we keep working hard on them.”

NCMP took first in seven of the 11 events. Juniors Adam Hunter and Deklan Lewis, and freshman Henry Jensen went 1-3-4 in the 200 freestyle race. Hunter pulled away from the field to win in 2:16.07 followed by Lewis in third at 2:26.72 and Jensen finishing in 2:28.92.

Gaylor rang up a victory in the 50 freestyle in 25.06 seconds, which is less than a second away from the team record of 24.49 seconds. He later would claim a resounding win in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.96.

Indianola’s Lane Bindel was second in 1:10.92. The two would be in the water against each other one more time in the meet.

Gaylor and Bindel anchored their respective squads in the 200 freestyle relay. In a close race from the start, NCMP’s Lee, Briggs and Hunter had the relay in contention with the Indians.

Indianola’s Carter Moran pushed out to a lead at the end of the third leg. When Gaylor went off the blocks, Bindel was a body length ahead of him. Gaylor chased Bindel down and on the final turn gained the advantage.

It was a sprint to the end. Gaylor touched first giving NCMP a win in 1:50.42. Indianola’s time was 1:51.27.

Two events later, Briggs and freshman Jaden Dydell handed NCMP a 1-2 finish in the 100 breaststroke. Briggs won in 1:16.45 and Dydell was second in 1:20.50. Senior Grant Hamand was fourth in 1:34.98.

“Our guys came ready to swim tonight,” NCMP head coach Sarah Patterson said. “It showed from the new guys all the way up. We talked so much about mental toughness. I saw that tonight.”

Patterson said the Cardinals pulled away from the Indians in a lot of events and Indianola is a good team. She said looking at the two teams on paper, she didn’t think NCMP would win.

“After a couple of evens we were in the lead and said ‘let’s keep in rolling,’” Patterson said. “The 200 freestyle relay with Caleb’s anchor was tremendous. Caleb is such a competitor and wants to win, but more than that he wants to have fun. He brings that to our team.”

Hunter had the other individual win for the Cardinals. He had a steady race in winning the 400 freestyle in 4:55.52. Lewis was third in 5:18.62 and Jensen was fourth in 5:24.65.

In the 200 individual medley race, Briggs was second at 2:37.40 with Dydell coming in at 2:45.75 for third. Sophomore Izaak Miller placed fifth in 3:00.99. Dydell combined with sophomores Jacob Nedder and Clay Meyer and junior Mitch Faidley to place fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:10.40.

Meyer and Faidley were fifth and sixth in the 100 butterfly in 1:21.99 and 1:31.38, respectively. Lee placed fourth in the 50 freestyle in 28.67 seconds and Meyer was sixth in 30.53.

Nedder took second in the 100 freestyle in 1:02.85. Knoll was fourth in 1:06.51 and Miller placed sixth in 1:14.12.

“Everyone swam really well tonight. The freshmen came in and were exceptional in their swims,” Knoll said. “Everyone had good times tonight.”

Nedder placed second in the 100 backstroke in 1:13.32 and Knoll was third in 1:17.12. The two combined with Lewis and Hunter to take second in the 400 freestyle relay race in 4:21.97.

The foursome of Lee, Miller, Jensen and Meyer took fourth in 400 freestyle relay in 4:37.00. Hamand, Lewis, Jensen and Dydell combined for a fifth-place time of 2:05.43 in the 200 freestyle race.

“We started strong tonight,” Hamand said. “We train so we can finish hard in the final 25 meters of races and I think we did that tonight. This was a good start for us.”

Newton’s junior varsity team of Hamand, Miller, junior Elijah Sander and freshman Landon Heisdorffer won the 200 medley relay race in 2:32.48. The other junior varsity win came in the 200 individual medley as freshman Devin Lamb touched first in 3:09.61.

NCMP swims at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at Des Moines Lincoln. The Cardinals host their annual Cardinal Invitational at 10 a.m. on Dec. 2 at the Newton YMCA.

Varsity

NCMP 90, Indianola 80

200-m medley relay: 1. NCMP (Knoll, Briggs, Gaylor, Lee), 1:59.97, 4. NCMP (Nedder, Dydell, Faidley, Meyer), 2:10.40.

200-m freestyle: 1. Hunter, 2:16.07, 3. Lewis, 2:26.72, 4. Jensen, 2:28.92.

200-m IM: 2. Briggs, 2:37.40, 3. Dydell, 2:45.75, 5. Miller, 3:00.99.

50-m freestyle: 1. Gaylor, 25.06, 4. Lee, 28.67, 6. Meyer, 30.53.

100-m butterfly: 1. Gaylor, 1:02.96, 5. Meyer, 1:21.99, 6. Faidley, 1:31.38.

400-m freestyle: 1. Hunter, 4:55.52, 3. Lewis, 5:18.62, 4. Jensen, 5:24.65.

200-m freestyle relay: 1. NCMP (Lee, Briggs, Hunter, Gaylor), 1:50.42, 5. NCMP (Hamand, Lewis, Jensen, Dydell), 2:05.43.

100-m backstroke: 2. Nedder, 1:13.32, 3. Knoll, 1:17.12.

100-m breaststroke: 1. Briggs, 1:16.45, 2. Dydell, 1:20.50, 4. Hamand, 1:34.98.

400-m freestyle relay: 2. NCMP (Hunter, Lewis, Knoll, Nedder), 4:21.97, 4. NCMP (Lee, Miller, Jensen, Meyer), 4:37.00.

Junior Varsity

Indianola 72, NCMP 39

200-m medley relay: 1. NCMP (Heisdorffer, Hamand, Miller, Sander), 2:32.48.

200-m IM: 1. Lamb, 3:09.61, 2. Faidely, 3:11.93.

50-m freestyle: 4. Grant Freese, 36.0, 5. Sander, 39.38, 6. Kyle Hansen, 44.93.

100-m freestyle: 4. Hamand, 1:17.65, 5. Heisdorffer, 1:20.65, 6. Parker Sherwood, 1:30.19.

200-m freestyle relay: 3. NCMP (Hansen, Freese, Schaeffer, Sander), 2:47.53.

100-m backstroke: 2. Heisdorffer, 1:42.96, 4. Sherwood, 1:45.03.

100-m breaststroke: 2. Lamb, 1:38.42, 4. Freese, 2:05.50.

400-m freestyle relay: 3. NCMP (Joe Busch, Heisdorffer, Sherwood, Faidley), 5:38.52.

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