Trojans Depth Too Much For Allegan

Plainwell 113   Allegan 71

It was pretty clear from the start of the meet which team was going to eventually emerge victorious.  Of course it was Plainwell.  The Lady Tigers brought only a dozen or less swimmers onto the deck for the conference duel.  What the Allegan squad lacked in quantity, it made up for in quality winning a fair share of the evening events.  But who placed second through fifth?  Oh that would be the talented and deep Trojan squad.  So let’s get to the play by play of this one. 

The opening stanza of the tilt between the Tigers and Trojans was a precursor of the short and entertaining meet.  The Lady Tigers took first in the medley relay, but guess who finished second through fourth? One word, Plainwell.  In the 200 freestyle several swimmers stepped-up their game with stalwart performances by Lindenbach, Pierce, and Lamorandier.  The other gut buster event, the 200 IM, showcased a near photo finish by Hills and Havenaar for second place (fun to watch).  In the 50 drag race, Keator, Varley, McKenzie, Valina Encinal, King, and Lindsey all set the water aflame. 

Our divers continue to make huge gains off the one meter board and swept the competition.  From a spectator perspective, the dives look better from above than from the side.  Fox, Uridge, and the undefeated Emily Zimmer dominated the board by going first through third.  BINGO, they are showing improvement. 

In the second half of the match, the Trojans flexed their muscles and extended their lead.  The 100 fly had good performances by Jewell, DeLaet, and Moore.  The Trojans pulled out the brooms sweeping the 100 free with Jones and Varley leading the way.  In the marathon event, Lindenbach, Lamorandier, Betz, and Evans all showed the crowd what it means to be tough by having solid swims.  The 200 free relay did not disappoint with Keator almost breaking into the 25 second range with her split.  Wicked fast!  Backstrokers Vanslambrouck, Havenaar, and Hills continue to swim well.  Finally, we had a noteworthy breaststroke by Burgess to finish the evening.  It was a subdued but effective performance by the Trojans.

                  By: Jeff Braginton

Trojans Unable to Find Spartan’s Achilles Heel 

Plainwell 75  B.C. Lakeview 111 

After suffering their first defeat, the wounded Trojans treaded water into their meet with the Spartans.  Being a non conference meet, it was clear Coach Murphy wanted to mix things up a bit to allow all swimmers to step-up in new events.  Many of the ladies took the opportunity to showcase their skills.  Here are some notable performances as the Trojans grappled the Spartans:

200 Free-  Ali Pierce and Hailee Lamorandier swam well

200 IM-  Colby Hills and Maddie Betz were solid

50 Free- Carly Braginton was on a collision course for third

Diving-  Tessa Vann, Alex Uridge, and the undefeated Emily Zimmer were off the deep end with fantastic dives

100 Fly-  Mikah Havenaar jetted into third

100 Free- Kylee King had a nice swim

500 Free- Always a noteworthy performance by Hailee Lamorandier, Colby Hills, Naomi DeLaet, and Gabby Evans

100 Breaststroke- Shannon Jewell, Lauren VanLent, and Grace Doerr did well

400 Free Relay- Lindenbach, Keator, Betz, and Burgess churned the waters to second 

Special Shout-Out!  The Lakeview pool is awesome.  Mr. Burns, from Simpsons fame, made a cameo appearance as referee for the event.  Thank you for your service sir.  

                By: Jeff Braginton