MARYSVILLE A 109-77 win over Oak Harbor kept the M-P swim team perfect in league competition.
With wins in 10 of the 12 events including all three relays the Tomahawks won in style, handing Oak Harbor their first conference loss of the season.
Trevor LeValley and Oliver Durand each won two individual events in the Tomahawks victory. Teammates on the winning 400 freestyle relay, LeValley also won the 100 and 200 freestyle, while Durand took first in the 200 individual medley and 500 freestyle.
Brody Coleman, Aaron Goff and diver Taylor Gibson also won events in the midseason meeting. With a 1:06.73 in the 100 breaststroke, Coleman won the event and hovers about two seconds outside of a state-qualifying time. Goffs 23.27 time in the 50 freestyle is also just a fraction of a second from the 22.85 needed for a state appearance. Three other swimmers finished second in at least one event Spencer Girard in the 200 IM and 100 freestyle, Brandon Caldwell in the 50 freestyle and Gabe Lopez in the 100 butterfly and 100 backstroke.
With just three dual meets left when The Globe went to press, several Tomahawks have as many opportunities to cleave off the seconds, or fractions of a second, for a district- or state-qualifying time before the postseason begins.
Some of the guys we have are within a couple tenths of a second of their state qualifying times but havent done that yet. Wed like to do that before districts, but we havent yet. The other thing is that we have some kids that are just hitting outside of a district-qualfiying time and have yet to do it, said M-P coach Scott Knowles. The emphasis for the next three meets is to try to get those qualifications done, and where best to put our swimmers for their end of the season swims.
With the holidays just out of the way but another two weeks until districts, the sports schedule challenges the athletes to continue improving and focusing on the end of the season. The Tomahawks have already qualified all three relays and several individuals for state, along with many more for districts. But that gap can give focused swimmers the chance to make further progress in their speed and competitiveness.