BENTON -- Members of the Hot Springs Family YMCA Seals swimming team collected a number of top finishes last weekend in the 2018 Battle for the Belt meet at the River Center in Benton.
Emma Crowe and Aubrey Schmitt combined to win 26 events and win the high point awards in their respective divisions. Lakeside junior Nicole Burek and Lake Hamilton sophomore Noah Smith added another dozen first-place finishes for the Seals. Burek and Smith will compete this weekend in the state meet in Bentonville.
Crowe won every event in which she competed and took first place in the division for girls ages 11-12. She won the 25-, 50-, 100- and 200-meter events in freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke. Crowe also tok first in the 25- and 50-meter butterfly events, as well as the 100- and 200-meter individual medleys.
Lizzie Chipps took sixth place in the 100-meter backstroke and eighth in the 200-meter backstroke in the same division. Abigail Steele finished seventh in the 100-meter individual medley and eighth in the 25-meter butterfly. Helen Johnson finished eighth in the 100-meter butterfly.
Schmitt swept the 25-, 50- and 100-meter races in freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke for girls 8 and younger. She took first place in the 25-meter backstroke, placing second at 50 meters and 100 meters.
Teammate Lily Cook placed second behind Schmitt in all three breaststroke events. She also placed third in the 100-meter backstroke and individual medley; fifth in the 50-meter backstroke; sixth in the 25- and 50-meter butterfly races; seventh in the 25-meter backstroke; and eighth in the 50-meter freestyle.
Burek took first place in every event in which she competed for the senior women division. She swept the 50-, 100- and 200-meter events for breaststroke and freestyle. She also won the 200-meter individual medley.
Smith won first place in the 50-meter backstroke, 100-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 100-meter individual medley and the 400-meter individual medley. He placed second in the 50-meter events for freestyle, butterfly and breaststroke; third in the 25-meter freestyle, breaststroke and backstroke, as well as the 200-meter freestyle; fourth in the 25-meter butterfly; and fifth in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Hao Jiang won first place in the 100-meter breaststroke for boys ages 11-12 and added a second-place finish in the 50-meter breaststroke, third in the 50-meter freestyle, fourth in the 200-meter backstroke, fifth in the 50-meter backstroke and sixth in the 100-meter backstroke. Aidan Qualls was third in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke, fourth in the 50-meter backstroke, sixth in the 100-meter freestyle and eighth in the 50-meter butterfly. Tyler Browning earned seventh place in the 100-meter breaststroke. Colten Barentine finished eighth in the 100- and 200-meter backstroke events.
Ethan Smith took second place in the 200-meter butterfly event for boys ages 13-14. He also finished fourth in the 50-meter butterfly and 100-meter individual medley; fifth in the 50-meter backstroke, 50-meter breaststroke and 100-meter butterfly; sixth in the 25-meter backstroke, breaststroke and butterfly events; and seventh in the 100-meter freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke events, as well as the 200-meter breaststroke. Teammate Sawyer Simpson earned third place in the 500-meter freestyle.
Audrey Simons earned third place in the 25-meter butterfly event for girls 10 and younger. She also placed fourth in the 100-meter backstroke and individual medley; fifth in the 25-meter backstroke, 50-meter butterfly and 200-meter individual medley; sixth in the 200-meter freestyle and seventh in the 25-meter freestyle. Teammate Jaclynn Vick was fifth in the 25-meter butterfly, sixth in the 25-meter backstroke and seventh in the 100-meter individual medley.
Kaylea Summers added a seventh-place finish in the 50-meter breaststroke in the division for girls ages 13-14. She also placed eighth in the 100-meter breaststroke, 200-meter breaststroke and the 200-meter freestyle events.
Sports on 02/23/2018