State swimming: Modest seeds sprout huge rewards

• Lex junior Wilson Cannon sets a school record in the 100 butterfly
• Lex's Kelsi Brown earns an individual medal in the 100 backstroke
• Ontario sprinters Kenton Cordrey and David Whittaker earn All-Ohio honors

CANTON – On paper, this wasn't supposed to happen. Good thing for eight area swimmers their fate was decided in water.

Ignoring where they were seeded, five girls and three boys defied the odds by earning All-Ohio honors and, in three cases, Division II medals Thursday at the state swim meet inside the C.T. Branin Natatorium.

The first day of the meet ended on a downer with Lexington being disqualified for a wardrobe violation in the boys 400 relay. But it couldn't dampen what came before: a school-record six state medalists. 

"We were full-go last week (for districts); that's our taper meet," coach Brock Spurling said inside the C.T. Branin Natatorium, where diver Tanner Donley got things started Wednesday by earning a sixth-place medal for Lex. "We tell the kids, if you can come here and hold your time, you're going to have a good shot to move on."

Talk about moving on. Lex junior Wilson Cannon went from ninth seed in the 100 butterfly to sixth in the prelims in a school-record 50.71.

That guaranteed Cannon a berth in Friday's A finals and, barring any more terrible surprises, one of the eight rungs on the medals podium.

"I didn't think I'd drop that much time from districts," Cannon said. "I guess I found a new gear at the end because I really wanted the record."

Maybe the most remarkable performance was turned in by Lex's 200 free relay of freshman Olivia Newman, sophomore Tessa Gerhardt and seniors Alivia Merkel and Allie Stoyko. They jumped from 15th seed to sixth in 1:39.85, just 0.4 off the school record.

"Being my senior year, I just go into every race thinking 'This could be your last one,'" Stoyko said. "I really wasn't expecting top eight, but that's what you work for as a swimmer. You don't expect that (kind of jump) in a race that's so fast."

Not to be outdone, fellow senior Kelsi Brown climbed from 12th seed to eighth to get into the 100 backstroke podium race.

"Finally!" she said, referring to an eye condition and car accident that set her back last season in a quest for an individual medal. "This year I'm proud of how I did. It's the last (meet); I've got to go do my thing."

Also paying their seed no heed were Ontario juniors David Whittaker and Kenton Cordrey. Last year they were part of a 200 free relay that improved from 23rd seed, or second to last, to 16th in the prelims and then 15th on the final day for All-Ohio honors.

On Thursday, Whittaker went from 24th to 16th in the 50 free and Cordrey from 19th to 15th in the 100, both qualifying for the B finals. Top 16 earn all-state.

"It wasn't any easier this time," Whittaker said, laughing. "I don't know how to explain it .. just swim fast. To go from 24th to 16, I'll take it."

Although they showed last year they could improve on their seed, Cordrey felt any psychological edge came from simply making it this far last season.

"I'm sure people who haven't been here before were nervous, so having been here last year definitely made it easier," he said. "Once I dove in (the nerves) went away."

Both of Lex's 200 medley relays will medal. The all-juniors boys crew of Cannon, Cayman Eichler, Justice Holmes and Connor Miller posted the sixth-best time and the girls quartet of Brown, Merkel and juniors Alli McFarland and Sage Moore was eighth.

Reaching the B finals and earning All-Ohio for Lex were McFarland in the 100 breaststroke and 200 IM, the girls 400 free relay of Gerhardt, Moore, Stoyko and McFarland, Cannon in the 200 free and Eichler in the 100 back, as he improved from 17th to 16th.

Shelby freshman Kassie Stine, the other representative from Richland County and the first girl from her school to qualify in any individual event, did not advance in the 50 free.

Cannon had himself quite a day. He had his fastest fly split ever in the medley relay, broke the school record in the 100 fly, re-broke his school record in the 200 free (1:44.60) and broke 47 seconds for the first time in the 400 relay.

"The kid rises to the occasion," Spurling said.

And so did his girls in the 200 free relay.

"Our goal was just top 16," Spurling said. "Olivia Newman led off with her lifetime best of 25.2 and, really, the split was Tess Gerhardt's 24.6, the third (leg)  ... that split was huge."

Ontario coach Debby Henry was thrilled for her two sprint All-Ohioans.

"It takes a lot of heart," she said. "Everybody here is physically in the best shape they can be in. To taper for the district meet and then hold that for this week ... it's a mental game, and a heart game, when you get here."