Two seems to be the magic number this season as five area standouts, four girls and a boy, qualified for this week’s Division I OHSAA Swimming and Diving Championships in a pair of individual events.
Hayes’ Brooke Glesenkamp leads the county’s girls into the upcoming showcase with a shot at reaching the podium in a pair of sprinting events.
The senior, who qualified in both the 50 and 100 freestyles for the fourth straight season, finished second in the 50 and fifth in the 100 during Saturday’s district championships at The Ohio State University.
Her time of 23.66 seconds in the 50 earned her the sixth seed at states while her effort of 51.91 seconds garnered her the 10th seed in the 100.
She’ll be chasing top-seeded Megan Sichterman, a senior from Kings Mills Kings, in the 50 (22.95 seconds). Mason senior Ashley Volpenhein, meanwhile, enters as the top seed in the 100 (50.09 seconds).
The area’s other top qualifiers include Olentangy sophomore Bridget Parker, who punched tickets in the 200 and 500 freestyles; Liberty junior Rachel Peroni, who will compete in the 200 IM and 100 butterfly; and Liberty freshman Kate Saczawa, who advanced in the 50 freestyle and 100 backstroke.
Parker will be the 20th seed in the 200 free (1:52.84) and 16th seed in the 500 free (5:02.97); Peroni enters as the fifth seed in the 200 IM (2:05.14) and third seed in the 100 butterfly (54.91 seconds); and Saczawa heads to Canton as the 12th seed in the 50 free (23.96 seconds) and seventh seed in the 100 backstroke (56.16 seconds).
The Patriots’ Morgan Menninger, a junior, will also be making the trip to C.T. Branin Natatorium. She’ll be the fourth seed in the 1-meter diving competition thanks to a district effort of 549.10.
Liberty, Hayes and Olentangy will have teams in the 200 freestyle relay, seeded ninth, 22nd and 24th thanks to their respective district times of 1:36.66, 1:39.51 and 1:39.71. Liberty and Olentangy will also bring their 400 freestyle relay teams to the showcase. The Patriots are seeded 11th (3:32.62) while the Braves were the 24th and final team to make the cut (3:37.52).
Olentangy’s Benjamin Kuriger will lead the area’s boys into action. The junior qualified as the seventh seed in the 200 freestyle (1:41.74) and fifth seed in the 100 butterfly (50.34 seconds).
Finally, a pair of Pioneer standouts smooth out the list of local qualifiers. Orange sophomore Luke Cheetham will be the sixth seed in the 1-meter diving event (492.30) while junior Mason Reid qualified as the 20th seed in the 100 free (47.61 seconds).
The D-I girls diving event is slated for Thursday (9 a.m.) while the swimming prelims will get underway Friday (9 a.m.). Boys diving (9 a.m.) and swimming finals (4 p.m.) are set for Saturday.
