On Wednesday night, Manual’s girls’ and boys’ swim and dive team took on their rival Male, beating the Bulldogs handily on senior night.
During the middle of the meet, the fifteen seniors from Manual were celebrated for their contributions alongside their families. Ashley Billiter (12, HSU) Nathaniel Bishop (12, HSU), Grayson Boehm (12, YPAS), Gavin Cline (12, HSU), Abigail Grigsby (12, HSU), Madeline Haller (12, HSU), Jake Harmon (12, MST), Siena Huckvale (12, J&C), Nathan Ice (12, HSU), Ellie Kingsbury (12, YPAS), Petra Limbong (12, HSU), Kyle Mertz (12, HSU), Melis Ozyurekoglu (12, MST), Eli Robinson (12, HSU) and Lucy Teng (12, MST) were all recognized alongside their family, friends, coaches and fellow teammates.
“It [senior night] was definitely bittersweet. I’d experienced that same celebration at the meet for the last three years, but seeing it from the other side felt very final. Still, I was extremely happy to reflect, get a night with my friends on the team and those that came to support, and see underclassmen I know [become] great leaders on the team,” Billiter said.
Manual’s girls’ 200-meter medley relay team won with a final time of 2:04.08. The boys’ 200-meter medley team also won, with a final time of 1:47.08.
Haller followed suit with another win for the team, finishing first with a time of 2:20.19 in the girls’ 200-meter freestyle. On the boys’ side, Thomas Rouchka (9, YPAS) won with a final time of 2:18.48.
Hayden Beckley (11, HSU) won the boys’ 200-meter IM with a time of 2:00.49.
Ozyurekoglu then won the girls’ 50-meter freestyle with a time of 27.10 seconds. On the boys’ side, Boehm then won, finishing first with a time of 24.40 seconds in the 50-meter freestyle.
Linnera Shapero (10, HSU) won the girls’ 100-meter butterfly with a time of 1:03.17, while Forrest Thompson (10, HSU) won the boys’ 100-meter butterfly, finishing at 56.83 seconds.
Boehm too won the boys’ 100-meter freestyle with a time of 54.23 seconds.
Manual’s girls’ 200-meter freestyle relay team won with a final time of 1:53.04 and the boys’ 200-meter freestyle relay team also won, finishing with a final time of 1:42.89.
Multiple individual swimmers and relay teams from Manual followed those who finished in first place, placing right behind them.
As a result, the team won, with the boys earning 847 points and the girls earning 831 points for a total of 1,678 points.
The teams’ next meet will be at St. Xavier against the Tigers and the Brown Bears on Saturday, Jan. 18.
