Craig Daily Press / Bulldogs swimmers take 1st at Moffat County Invite

Archive for Saturday, January 12, 2013

Photo by Nate Waggenspack. Enlarge photo.

Eryn Leonard comes into the final turn of the 100-meter butterfly at the Moffat County Invite Saturday in Craig. Leonard swam her fastest time of the season and qualified for the state meet in the event.

By Nate Waggenspack

January 12, 2013

200-Meter Medley Relay – MCHS A 1st, MCHS B 2nd

200-meter Freestyle – Allie Dilldine 2nd, Krysta McClellan 3rd, Emily Womble 4th, Cassidy Griffin 6th

200-meter IM – Eryn Leonard 2nd, Andrea Angelo 4th, Marlee Chacon 5th, Selene Singleton 6th

50-meter Freestyle – Emily Womble 2nd, Cassidy Griffin 7th, Elisa Teeter 8th, Samantha Gingrich 9th

100-meter Butterfly – Eryn Leonard 1st

100-meter Freestlye – Laurel Tegtman 2nd, Bailey Kurz 3rd, Elisa Teeter 12th

400-meter Freestyle – Andre Angelo 1st, Riley Johntston 2nd

200-meter Freestyle Relay – MCHS A 1st, MCHS B 3rd

100-meter Backstroke – Laurel Tegtman 2nd, Erin Fagan 3rd, Allie Dilldine 4th, Selene Singleton 6th

100-meter Breaststroke – Bailey Kurz 1st, Micah Espinosa 2nd, Marlee Chacon 3rd, Krysta McClellan 4th

400-meter Freestyle Relay – Moffat A 1st, Moffat B 2nd

It was all Moffat County at their home swim meet Saturday morning in Craig.

The Bulldogs, hosting Aspen High School and Delta High School at the MCHS pool, filled up the standings sheets en route to scoring 155 points. Aspen was second with 50, while Delta scored 43.

It was a great morning for the Moffat County swimmers, coach Meghan Francone said.

“I think overall as a team, we did great,” Francone said. “We saw some of the splits weren’t where they needed to be, but we saw some things improve, like flip turns and starts.”

The meet was filled with highlights for Moffat County, which took first place in six of 11 events. Eryn Leonard qualified for the state meet in the 100-meter butterfly, her second event with a qualification, and the Bulldogs took first through fourth place in the 100-meter breaststroke, led by Bailey Kurz’s 1:31.1.

But one of the best races of the day came in the 200-meter freestyle relay. The Bulldogs were just behind Aspen’s team through the first two legs. Senior Marlee Chacon was swimming third for Moffat County and by the time she had finished, MCHS had taken the lead by a body’s length and would not relinquish it.

Chacon said she had some extra motivation to swim fast when it came to her turn.

“My coach said I needed to drop about one second to stay on the relay,” Chacon said. “This is my senior year and this is my first year on the varsity relay, so I really want that spot.”

Swimming at home also gave Chacon, who also was on the first place 200-meter medley relay, more motivation. The desire to show up in front of friends and family was a strong one for her.

“The home meets make me really nervous because everyone you know watches you,” she said. “I think that makes me step it up a little bit more.”

Nate Waggenspack can be reached at 970-875-1795 or nwaggenspack@craigdailypress.com. Follow Craig Daily Press sports coverage on Twitter at @CDP_Sports.