Botkins swimmers get season underway

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Staff report

The Botkins High School swim team recently opened up the 2015-2016 season in the Celina Sprint meet.

For the girls’ team, senior Amber Buehler led the way by being the top finisher in the 50 breaststroke in 39th place and a time of 39.90. She was also the top Trojan in the 50 butterfly, where she finished with a time of 38.17. Buehler also had a personal best in the 50 backstroke.

Freshmen Katie Egbert had an outstanding night and was the Lady Trojans’ top finisher in the 50 freestyle and 50 backstroke. She finished in the top three in all of the heats for all strokes.

Ali’sia Hoskins and Lindsey Okuley had a battle going on, finishing their events very close together. Hoskins swam a 35.31 and Okuley swam a 38.14 in the 50 freestyle. In the backstroke, Hoskins edged out Okuley with a time of 46.78 compared to 47. 61.

The boys’ team was led by returning district qualifier from last season, Joe Shuga, who took home the top spot for Botkins in all four events. Shuga’s best place of the night was a 15th in his best stroke, the backstroke, followed by a 16th place finish in the 50 freestyle with a time of 25.74. He also placed 24th in the butterfly and 31st in the breaststroke.

Senior Kyle Maurer started off the season on a high note by swimming two personal-best times in the freestyle and breaststroke. He had a time of 30.27 in the freestyle and dropped over a full second in his 42.76 breaststroke swim, where he placed 52nd overall.

Following in Maurer’s footsteps, Trent Egbert dropped time in all three events that he swam. In the 50 backstroke he shaved almost four seconds off his previous best time, swimming a 46.05. Egbert finished 35th in the 50 breaststroke and had a personal best of 38.42, and swam a 31.05 in the freestyle.

Tanner Russell saw a greatest improvement of the night by lowering his butterfly time by five seconds to a 41.15. Russell also placed 46th in the freestyle with a time of 28.04. He also brought home a 40.04 in the 50 backstroke.

Opening the season with times lower than last year continued as the Trojans swam Tuesday night against Bellefontaine, Ben Logan, and Minster. Amber Buehler once again led the girls’ team with a third-place finish in the 100 breaststroke, swimming a 1:26.83. She was also fourth in the 100 freestyle. Lindsey Okuley finished fifth in the 50 freestyle and had a personal best of 37.40. She was sixth in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:44.83.

Katie Egbert was fifth in the backstroke, swimming a 1:34.59 and sixth in the 100 freestyle with a time of 1:16.05

The boys’ top finish was a team effort by Kyle Maurer, Kaleb Hanby, Tanner Russell and Joe Shuga in the 200 free relay. They had a first-place finish and a time of 1:56.27. All four also swam the 400 free relay and placed third overall.

Leading the way for the Trojans was Tanner Russell with two second-place finishes in the 50 and 100 freestyle events. He lowered his 50 free time to 28.02.

Also, swimming in the freestyle events was Kaleb Hanby, who was fifth in the 50 free and sixth in the 100 free. Kyle Maurer had a time of 30.28, which was a personal best and earned him a seventh-place finish in the 50 free. He had a time of 1:41.37 in the 100 breaststroke.

Trent Egbert was fifth in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:27.03.

Up next, the Trojans will compete in the Shelby County Open on Sunday at the Sidney-Shelby County YMCA.

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