NCMP holds its own against state’s top program

The original schedule for the Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella boys swim team showed the Cardinals facing Des Moines Roosevelt for their Senior Night.

But a change in that schedule forced a late addition and Waukee made a special trip to the Newton YMCA to give NCMP some competition in the pool.

The Warriors are the top-ranked team in the state, but they only brought four varsity regulars to the event.

Waukee’s depth was still too much for the Cardinals during a 102-67 victory.

“It hasn’t hit me yet. I thought I was going to cry, but I haven’t yet,” NCMP senior Clay Lamb said about his Senior Night. “I don’t think it will hit me until later in the year.”

Lamb was one of eight seniors recognized during one of the two breaks. The other seven were Newton’s Brady Comer, Collin Buchli, Kenny Skinner-Havens and Mae Smith and Pella’s Eli Eekhoff, Jonah Brown and Aiden VanDonselaar.

Lamb and Comer both earned individual victories on Tuesday. Lamb was the team’s first winner as he swam to first in the 200-meter freestyle and Comer was the final victor as he won the 100 breaststroke.

Freshman Finn Martin scored the team’s other win as he took first place in the 100 butterfly.

All three of the top Cardinal relay teams placed second and the squad registered 14 top-three finishes in all.

“Overall, it was a good meet,” NCMP head boys swim coach Sarah Patterson said. “There were a number of good swims.”

Lamb’s winning time in the 200 freestyle was clocked in a season-best 2 minutes, 17.79 seconds and MacK Copeland was second in a career-best 2:21.56.

Martin and Lamb were 1-2 in the 100 butterfly. Martin won the race in 1:01.72 and Lamb finished second in 1:06.61.

“I need to work on my stamina. I died on my last 50 so the pacing needs some work,” Martin said about 100 fly. “With the 50 free, on my turn, I need to work on my underwater transition. I think that’s how I got beat.”

Martin did finish second in the 50 freestyle, but he was defeated by the current state leader in the event, A.J. Abram.

Still, Martin was not far behind as Abram won the race in 24.3 and Martin was the runner-up in 24.68. One of Waukee’s other top varsity swimmers, Asher Havenhill, finished third in 24.71.

Martin and the Cardinals appreciated the Warriors bringing a few of their varsity swimmers to give them some extra competition. The NCMP crew got to find out where they stand as they approach the postseason.

“I appreciate it a lot. At first, it was easy for us to think we were just going to get whooped,” Martin said. “But after the 50, it showed how much I can work on, but it also showed me where my time was going against them.

“After beating Asher Havenhill, I feel pretty good about myself and where I’m at.”

Brady Comer won the 100 breaststroke in 1:14.14 and his younger brother Ethan Comer finished second in 1:22.51.

“The time is coming along,” Brady Comer said. “I think I dropped a few more seconds. I have put in the work, and I just need to continue to stay motivated.”

Brady Comer, Martin and Lamb all were part of two runner-up finishes in the relays and Eekhoff swam on all three.

In the 200 medley relay, the team of Drew Fuller, Brady Comer, Eekhoff and Mason Gaulke finished second in 2:03.28. Waukee won the race in 2:03.04.

The 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle relays came into the night ranked in the top 20 in the state.

The runner-up 200 freestyle relay team featured Martin, Brady Comer, Lamb and Eekhoff and they finished in 1:46.45. That team faced off against a Waukee foursome which included Abram, Havenhill and varsity swimmer Drew Dieke and the Warriors won the race in 1:42.91.

Martin went head-to-head with Abram in the 400 freestyle relay. Both swimmers were the anchors and the Cardinals’ foursome of Eekhoff, Lamb, Copeland and Martin finished in 3:54.49.

Abram anchored Waukee to the win in 3:51.77. He did get a head start on Martin.

“In my head, before I dove in, I just thought I was going to try to catch him,” Martin said. “That didn’t work obviously, but he’s a fast individual. He’s tough to beat.”

The other runner-up finishes were collected by Gaulke, Eekhoff and Fuller.

Gaulke and Ethan Comer went 2-3 in the 200 individual medley. Abram won the race in 2:17.28, while Gaulke finished second in a converted best time of 2:39.49.

Ethan Comer swam in the 200 IM for the first time and placed third in 2:44.99.

Eekhoff’s runner-up finish came in the 100 freestyle. Havenhill (54.87) won the race and Eekhoff finished next in 58.75.

Fuller placed second in the 100 backstroke. He stopped the clock at 1:14.43.

As Lamb approaches the final meets of his career, he likes where NCMP’s relays are at. And he feels like he’s made progress in his two main individual events, too.

“Our relays have been going really well. Our breakouts, streamlines and starts can all get better. I think it’s mostly the small things,” Lamb said. “I feel like the 100 butterfly is better than the 200 freestyle right now. But I picked up the pace at the end in the freestyle tonight, which is what I was lacking before.”

Notes: There were junior varsity events, too, and Waukee won that head-to-head battle 123-26. Buchli was second in the JV 100 freestyle and fourth in the JV 50 freestyle to lead the Cardinals. He also was part of the runner-up JV 200 freestyle relay team which also featured Sean Bower, Skylar Martinez-Gilbert and Skinner-Havens. “Collin Buchli dropped more than 2 seconds from his previous 100 freestyle PR,” Patterson said. … Abram and Havenhill were able to participate on Tuesday because they both missed a Waukee varsity event earlier this season due to a non-school-related junior nationals event.