(Chelsea Update would like to thank Andrew Thomson for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea girls swim and dive team had to settle for runner-up at the 2015 Dewitt Invitational on Saturday, as they were narrowly edged out by the host Panthers by 1.5 points.
Dewitt scored 361 points to take first place, while Chelsea finished with 359.5. Plainwell was third with 338.5 points.
Chelsea swam this meet as a split squad, and the blue team finished in eighth place with 201 points.
The A medley relay team of Jordan Fannin, Jamie Wurster, Sydney Hodel and Rachel Valek touched third with a final time of 2:02.20. The 200 freestyle saw Kathy Dickinson post a 2:25.63, which earned her seventh place, while Lauren Olk swam a ninth place time of 2:17.42. Camden Dammeyer earned a third place finish in the 200 IM with a time of 2:21.64 and Sydney Hodel finished with a 2:23.03 and in ninth place. In the 50 freestyle, Wurster posted a 26.89, which was good enough for second place.
Lily Francisco led the divers with 223.10 points and second place. Dammeyer posted the Bulldogs’ only individual first place in the 100 butterfly with a final time of 1:04.53, while Hodel posted a 1:06.01 and earned ninth place.
Valek posted a 58.32, earning second place in the 100 freestyle, and Fannin swam to an eleventh place finish with a final time of 1:02.38. Taylor Brodbeck finished second in the 500 freestyle with a final time of 5:53.13, and Dickinson posted a seventh place finish in 6:29.61.
Chelsea’s 200 freestyle relay team of Wurster, Meryl McDonnell, Dammeyer and Brodbeck won the event in convincing fashion with a final time of 1:47.38, while the B relay team of Erin McDonnell, Olk, Pam Mercado and Olivia Ousley finished ninth with a 1:57.39.
The 100 backstroke saw Valek take second place with a final time of 1:07.28. Kennedy Parker touched in 13th place in a final time of 1:19.66. In the 100 breaststroke, Wurster touched second, posting a 1:18.23.
The meet finished with the 400 freestyle relay team of Dammeyer, Brodbeck, Hodel and Valek winning the event in convincing fashion, touching in 3:53.78 and besting second place Dewitt by over three seconds.
After the meet, head coach Dave Jolly said, “It was tough to finish the meet the way we did, losing by only a point and a half. We had some great swims, but there were spots all through the meet where we could’ve made up a point here and a point there. The girls will learn from this experience and it will only help them become stronger as we continue through the season.”
The Bulldogs have a full schedule this week, as they host the Milan Big Reds tonight, Sept. 22 at 6 p.m., travel to Ypsilanti on Sept. 24 and then compete in the Division 3 Mid-Season Invitational on Sept. 26 at Holland.
