Leia Hernandez showed courage Thursday for Marshalltown girls swimming and diving.
The sophomore won the 100-yard breaststroke, then dove into the pool minutes later and punched the anchor leg of the winning 400-yard freestyle relay, clinching a 102-78 dual victory for the Bobcats over Indianola in the MHS pool. contributed to.
Hernandez also won the 200 medley relay and 200 freestyle relay.
Indianola’s Kroy Hart made a run with 25 yards left, and Hernandez stayed close enough to beat Hart to the board by 3400ths of a second.
“That’s a concern,” MHS head coach Angie Nelson said. “It’s about determination, it’s about ‘we’re going to win.’ She was tired in the first half and the Indianola girl came at her and in the end I hugged her as long as I could when I knew we were going to win.” .That’s just Leia and her experience.
Emma Case, Adele Beek, Maisie Gummert and Hernandez won with a time of 4:08.98. Hernandez, Alex Razak, Libby Meyer and Rachel Case won the 200-meter freestyle relay with a time of 1:50.41, and the 200-meter medley relay with Emma Case, Beek, Rachel Case and Hernandez with a time of 2:03. Winning with 47, the Bobcats won all the relays.
“I wanted to have a good race and win tonight,” Nelson said. “And we definitely felt some excitement. Even if the first half of the competition didn’t go as planned, we got some good inspiration from our divers and were able to maintain that cushion.”
Other individual swim winners were Rachel Case in the 50 meter freestyle in 26.97 seconds and Emma Case in the 100 backstroke in 1:10.17. Emma Case helped Gunmart to a 1-2 finish in the backstroke, and Rachel Case placed second behind Hernandez in the breaststroke, ultimately helping Marshalltown get the points it needed.
In diving, Kate Hauser and Ella Demonte finished 1-2 without a fight. Hauser earned a score of 248.15 with six dives, and Demonte received a score of 167.80 from the judges.
“Sometimes they’re doing really well and sometimes they know they need to work hard, but we’re making great strides,” Nelson said.
Marshalltown will be back in action next Tuesday at Hoover Pool for a quad against Atlantic, Carroll and Des Moines Hoover.
“I ran Saturday, Tuesday and now Thursday,” Nelson said. “I know the girls are tired. We have homecoming at West Marshall this week and Marshalltown next week, so it’s a little tough this time of year, but going into October we only have one game a week. You’ll be able to get a little more yardage, just be a little more mentally prepared.”
Marshalltown 102, Indianola 78
Event results
(Champion and MHS winner)
200 Medley Relay — 1. MHS (E. Case, Beek, R. Case, Hernandez) 2:03.47; 3. MHS (Ceren, Gummert, Lasack, Meyer) 2:17.09.
200 Freestyle — 1. Kaylee Dykstra, Indiana, 2:19.14; 2. Libby Meyer, MHS, 2:26.39; 3. Alex Lasak, MHS, 2:27.53.
200 Individual Medley — 1. Guinevere McCusker, Indiana, 2:27.56; 2. Maisie Gummert, MHS, 2:34.88. 3. Dorea Thelen, MHS, 2:47.39.
50 Freestyle — 1. Rachel Case, MHS, 26.97; 3. Adele Beek, MHS, 28.71.
Diving — 1. Kate Hauser, MHS, 248.15; 2. Ella Demonte, MHS, 167.80.
100 Butterfly — 1. McCusker, Indiana, 1:08.79; 2. Lasak, MHS, 1:16.52; 4. Cheren, MHS, 1:24.50.
100 Freestyle — 1. Olivia Costigan, Indiana, 1:00.87; 2. Emma Case, MHS, 1:00.89; 3. Libby Meyer, MHS, 1:02.15.
500 Freestyle — 1. Dykstra, Indiana, 6:03.49; 2. Beek, MHS, 6:13.94; 4. Morgan Baer, MHS, 6:59.82.
200 Freestyle Relay — 1. MHS (Hernandez, Lasak, Meyer, Case) 1:50.41; 3. MHS (Hauser, Selen, Maylan, Baer) 2:03.07.
100 Backstroke — 1. E. Case, MHS, 1:10.17; 2. Gummert, MHS, 1:13.29.
100 Breaststroke — 1. Leia Hernandez, MHS, 1:19.59. 2. Rachel Case, MHS, 1:21.48; 5. Isabel Boone, MHS, 1:39.05.
400 Freestyle Relay — 1. MHS (E. Case, Beek, Gummert, Hernandez) 4:08.98.
TR Photo by Jake Ryder – Marshalltown sophomore Leia Hernandez (front row) completes the anchor leg of the 200-yard medley relay during Thursday’s double game against Indianola at the Marshalltown High School pool. Hernandez helped lead the Bobcats to a four-game series victory, defeating the visiting Indians 102-78.
TR PHOTO BY JAKE RYDER – Marshalltown freshman Emma Case swims shoulder-to-shoulder with two Indianola swimmers in the 100-yard freestyle event Thursday at the MHS pool. The case was decided by two-hundredths of a second, narrowly losing to Olivia Costigan of Indianola at the wall.
NEWTON — Marshalltown boys cross country won the team title with three athletes finishing in the top five overall.