NCMP ends dual with Ankeny in a tie

The Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella girls’ swim team knew they led Ankeny by a minuscule number heading into the final event at the team’s home opener on Thursday.

The Aquagirls stayed in front by a small deficit with back-to-back wins before the 400-meter freestyle relay, but Ankeny drew even with NCMP after the 11 events and the head-to-head dual ended in an 81-81 tie.

“Ankeny has a great team and I’m glad we got to face them head-up to show what our team can do against a big school,” NCMP head coach Nick Shelton said. “I think the girls really showed how tough they are and I’m really proud of how they all swam.”

Ankeny held a 6-5 advantage in wins, but the Aquagirls went 1-2 in the 100 backstroke, finished 1-2-3 in the 100 breaststroke and secured a 1-3-5 finish in the 50 freestyle to stay close the entire night.

“Each meet we take the opportunity to get better and we definitely got better,” Shelton said.

NCMP’s lone win in relays came in the 200 medley as the team of Tori White, Harper Barton, Paige Benson and Peyton Ray posted a winning time of 2 minutes, 11.07 seconds.

The foursome of Jacy Linahon, Estella Allen, Izzy Lane and Brooke Linahon finished third in 2:21.58.

White and Addison Van Maanen finished 1-2 in the 100 backstroke. White won the race in 1:11.0 and Van Maanen’s runner-up time was clocked in 1:15.79.

In the 100 breaststroke, Barton finished first in 1:19.03 and Allen (1:24.12) and Brooke Linahon (1:26.89) were second and third, respectively.

“I talked to the backstrokers and breaststrokers after the break and told them we were close,” Shelton said. “I believe that gave them the motivation to go out there and give it their all. Every point counts in swimming and even though we ended up falling short of the team win, the girls showed they are ready to rise to the challenge and compete with anyone.”

The other wins came in the 50 and 100 freestyle races. The Aquagirls also were second in two other events.

White won the 50 freestyle in 29.73 seconds. Benson (30.62) was second and Allen (31.57) finished third.

Barton’s winning time in the 100 freestyle was clocked in 1:03.17 and Alex Riney placed fifth in 1:07.17.

Ray was second for the first time this season in the 200 freestyle. She finished the race in 2:19.8 and Anna DeVries was fifth in 2:36.72.

DeVries placed second in the 400 freestyle with a time of 5:27.22 and Haylee White came in fifth in 6:19.04. Ankeny’s Alexis Hergenreter won the race in 4:52.84.

NCMP finished 3-4-5 in the 100 butterfly with Lane (1:18.08), Benson (1:19.23) and Avery Meyer (1:24.55). Van Maanen (2:44.62) and Riney (2:45.3) were 3-4 in the 200 individual medley.

Ankeny won both the 200 and 400 freestyle relays, but NCMP’s 2-3 finishes in both were a big reason they came back to tie the Hawks in the final event.

In the 200 freestyle relay, the foursome of Ray, Benson, Riney and Van Maanen were second in 1:59.84 and Brooke Linahon, Lane, Meyer and Allen placed third in 2:04.96. Ankeny’s winning time was clocked in 1:56.33.

The team of Barton, Riney, White and Ray placed second in the 400 freestyle relay with a time of 4:18.37. Ankeny won the race in 4:15.41.

Brooke Linahon, Lane, DeVries and Van Maanen teamed up to take third in the event and they finished in 4:34.31.

“You could hear it in there during the last relay,” Shelton said. “It was deafening with the cheers on the pool deck. I couldn’t be more proud of the girls’ performance.”