Mike Wolanin | The Republic
Columbus North’s annual swimming and diving season opener against powerhouse Franklin teams usually doesn’t yield victories, but provides a solid starting point from which the Bull Frogs look to improve throughout the season.
That was the case again Tuesday when North opened its season against Grizzly Cub boys and girls teams that are coming off state runner-up finishes. Franklin won the boys meet 103-77 and the girls contest 136-50 in the North debut for interim coach Brett Findley.
“Franklin is a great team,” Findley said. “We knew it was going to be tough competition, and our focus was, we can only control what’s happening in our lanes. We had a lot of best times tonight. We had a lot of kids who were just off their best times, so to do that at the beginning of the year, that’s not easy to do. Our kids showed a lot of heart. I’m proud of them. It’s also a good reminder that we have a long way to go.”
The Bull Frog boys came away with three event victories. Senior David Fry won the 50-yard freestyle in 22.16 seconds and the 100 backstroke in 57.00, and Daniel Utterback, Isaac Proffitt, Matthew Goble and Carlos Fabien Aguilar took the 200 freestyle relay in 1:33.28.
Utterback also finished second in the 200 freestyle (1:47.60) and 500 freestyle (5:31.37). Other second-place finishers were Cole Wheeler in the diving competition (213.70), Fabien Aguilar in the 100 butterfly (56.93), Goble in the 100 freestyle (51.83) and Pratt Badve in the 100 breaststroke (1:04.80). North also took second in the 200 medley relay (1:42.22).
“I think there were a lot of rough points, but I think there were also a lot of really good moments, as well,” Fry said. “Those rough spots are bound to happen. It’s the beginning of the season, and we’re just going to keep working on those through the season and get better and better each meet. That’s the goal.”
The lone win for the Bull Frog girls came in the 50 freestyle, where Karissa Bevis swam 26.68. Brooke Meek finished second in the 50 freestyle (27.49), Paige Maddox took second in the 100 butterfly (1:11.28) and North was second in the 200 freestyle relay (1:50.60).
“I thought David did really well,” Findley said. “I thought Karissa did well. We saw Sam Settle have a great 500 (freestyle) race. We had a lot of younger kids who had never swam some of these events, so they had to go out there and swim some of these different races, and that’s a lot to ask of them, and they came out and did a very good job.”
