PREP SWIMMING: Concord sweeps Goshen in NLC meet
Nov. 30—DUNLAP — Concord kept its strong start to the season going, dispatching Northern Lakes Conference foe Goshen Tuesday night at Concord High School in Dunlap.
The Minutemen swept both the boys and girls meets, winning 115-71 and 125-50, respectively.
Concord won 22 of 24 events during the NLC meet, adding both wins over Goshen to its undefeated record following a sweep over Plymouth to open the season last week.
"We've started the season well," Concord head coach Tom Johnson said. "We've had some new kids step up early and really show that they can really help us out when we get near the end of the season.
"We've talked about wanting to build some momentum for ourselves these first two weeks, because we have the Hall of Fame Classic this weekend with some good teams like Zionsville, Franklin, Chesterton and Bloomington South. It's a big meet for us, so it was important to build momentum heading into that."
GIRLS: Concord 125, Goshen 50
The Minutemen swept the RedHawks in all 12 events, with seven different swimmers earning individual victories.
Senior Bella Sponseller was the only Concord swimmer with multiple individual wins, outracing the pack in both the 100-yard butterfly (1:04.63) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:04.84).
"She swam really well," said Johnson of Sponseller. "She and Sophia Stutsman both had a great race in the 100-yard backstroke that came down to the end there."
Senior sisters Audrey and Ella Lantz looked strong in the pool Tuesday night, earning wins in the 100-yard and 200-yard freestyle events, respectively.
Fellow senior Madison Weaver won the 200-yard individual medley (2:26.72) by less than a second over Goshen senior Norah George-Miller (2:27.49).
Additionally, a couple of brand-new freshmen for the Minutemen are already making their presence felt.
Catie Brenneman won the 50-yard freestyle (24.85), while Carleigh Meribela won the 500-yard freestyle (5:56.08) by 16 seconds over Goshen junior Maggie Dorn.
"Carleigh Meribela had a really nice swim in the 500," Johnson said. "I think our freshmen have done a good job early and have proven they can really help us."
BOYS: Concord 115, Goshen 71
The Minutemen showed a lot of dominance on the boys side as well, winning 10 of 12 events on Tuesday night at the Concord Aquatic Center.
Senior Tommy Brunner earned two individual victories, taking home the 200-yard individual medley comfortably (2:02.48) before narrowly outlasting Goshen senior Jeremy Stutzman in the 100-yard freestyle event.
Sophomore Cole Stevenson also won two individual races, making a name for himself during the long-distance swims.
Stevenson won the 200-yard freestyle (1:48.56) before running away with the 500-yard freestyle victory (4:56.31). The next closest swimmer to Stevenson during the 500 was teammate Alejandro Gonzalez (5:39.29).
"He had a great freshman year last year," said Johnson of Stevenson. "He didn't have a great summer, but to his testament, he has been an animal in the pool so far this season. He's been training well, and we're excited about the possibilities with him. ... He's a really good athlete, and he's a really intense competitor."
For Goshen, junior Levi Moser earned an individual win in the pool with a strong performance in the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.62). He outlasted Concord sophomore Will Delio (1:06.68) to pick up the victory.
"This was Levi's first meet of the season," Goshen head coach Laura Rupp said. "He was sick and missed our first meet. It was great to see him back out there. He's not quite 100% yet, but we're pretty impressed with where he is at right now. There's definitely more to come from him."
------
Goshen vs. Concord boys and girls swimming and diving — winners
GIRLS: Concord 125, Goshen 50
200-yard medley relay: Concord (Ella Lantz, Bella Sponseller, Sophia Stutsman and Mya Ernsberger), 1:54.48
200-yard freestyle: Ella Lantz, Concord, 2:09.81
200-yard individual medley: Madison Weaver, Concord, 2:26.72
50-yard freestyle: Catie Brenneman, Concord, 24.85
1-meter diving: Ryleigh Robinson, Concord, 211.90 points
100-yard butterfly: Bella Sponseller, Concord, 1:04.63
100-yard freestyle: Audrey Lantz, Concord, 56.45
500-yard freestyle: Carleigh Meribela, Concord, 5:56.08
200-yard freestyle medley: Concord (Audrey Lantz, Bella Sponseller, Mya Ernsberger and Catie Brenneman), 1:44.13
100-yard backstroke: Bella Sponseller, Concord, 1:04.84
100-yard breaststroke: Mya Ernsberger, Concord, 1:12.65
400-yard freestyle relay: Concord (Audrey Lantz, Sophia Stutsman, Catie Brenneman and Ella Lantz), 3:51.53
BOYS: Concord 115, Goshen 71
200-yard medley relay: Concord (Reid Sollars, Brayden Sollars, Cole Stevenson and Austin Zimmerman), 1:42.82
200-yard freestyle: Cole Stevenson, Concord, 1:48.56
200-yard individual medley: Tommy Brunner, Concord, 2:02.48
50-yard freestyle: Austin Zimmerman, Concord, 23.10
1-meter diving: Nathan Gaby, Goshen, 198.75 points
100-yard butterfly: Ivan Blystiv, Concord, 55.00
100-yard freestyle: Tommy Brunner, Concord, 50.19
500-yard freestyle: Cole Stevenson, Concord, 4:56.31
200-yard freestyle medley: Concord (Brayden Sollars, Austin Zimmerman, Will Delio and Tommy Brunner), 1:33.81
100-yard backstroke: Austin Zimmerman, Concord, 1:06.08
100-yard breaststroke: Levi Moser, Goshen, 1:02.62
400-yard freestyle relay: Concord (Tommy Brunner, Ivan Blystiv, Reid Sollards and Cole Stevenson), 3:24.79
Evan Lepak can be reached at evan.lepak@goshennews.com or 574-533-2151, ext. 240326. Follow him on Twitter @EvanMPLepak.
