(Chelsea Update would like to thank Dave Jolly for the information in this story.)
The Chelsea Bulldog Swim and Dive Team continued their winning ways with dominating performance against the Milan Big Reds on Jan. 12 evening 124-56 to stay unbeaten through the midway point of the season.
Chelsea fighting sickness and injuries was able to swim the Big Reds tough. Depth and the ability of swimmers to swim multiple events allowed the Bulldogs to come away with a great victory. The meet began with the 200yd medley relays taking care of business and getting the team of to a lead that they would not surrender through the entire meet. Collin Babycz, Zach Lee, Joey Mangner and Carter Engler powered through with the opening win with a state cut time of 1:44.09. Dylan Ousley, Nick Bremmer, Preston Ewald and Logan Mahalak scored in third place with a time of 1:50.80
Wes Wickens kept the winning going in the second event of the evening cruising to victory in 1:56.16. Lee Argir took second place with a great time of 1:58.02 and Conner Gilbreath also scored for the Bulldogs taking 4th place honors at 2:04.03
Joey Mangner was up next for Chelsea and he did not disappoint as the talented junior swam 2:12.97 to take the win in the 200yd Individual Medley. Preston Ewald was close behind for second with a time of 2:15.32.
Chelsea’s first 1,2,3 finish of the dual meet season came in the 50yd freestyle as Zach Lee blasted out to a 23.35 win. Carter Engler and Kurt Jolly finished the sweep in 23.70 and 23.99, respectively.
Jordan Smith and Tim Lyons went 1-2 in the 1-meter diving event scoring valuable point for the team.
Milan got their first win of the evening in the 100yd butterfly but could not outscore the Bulldogs as Lee Argir, Joey Mangner and Preston Ewald took 2nd through fourth in the event.
Milan came right back in the 100yd freestyle for their 2nd win in a row but Chelsea’s depth showed again as Kurt Jolly captured 2nd place at 52.41 followed by teammates Carter Engler and Dylan Ousley who swam 52.64 and 54.94 respectively for 3rd and fourth place.
Milan would not go away as they captured their 3rd first place finish in a row in the 500yd freestyle. Senior Sumner Oesterle was Chelsea’s top finisher in the event taking 2nd place at 5:40.18. Conner Gilbreath came in close behind at 5:41.80 to take 3rd place and Liam Hartsuff earned 5th place to score for the Bulldogs at 6:00.42
Chelsea had just about enough of the Milan action as the 200yd freestyle relay teams dominated. Chelsea took first and second place. Carter Engler, Zach Lee, Wes Wickens and Collin Babycz cruised to a state cut time and the victory at 1:34.65. Lee Argir, Preston Ewald, Logan Mahalak and Mitch Taylor were close behind with a strong time of 1:39.35.
Chelsea struggled a bit in the 100yd backstroke as Dylan Ousley and Liam Hartsuff were Chelsea’s only placers. Ousley came in second with a time of 1:01.03 and Hartsuff was fourth overall with a time of 1:15.84. The backstroke was the only event that Milan outscored the bulldogs all meet.
Chelsea finished the meet in dominating fashion as the 100yd breastrokers went 1-2-4 behind the strong performance of Zach Lee. Lee took the win with a time of 1:07.31. Nick Bremmer was second at 1:08.54 and Mitch Taylor scored with a time of 1:19.53.
Chelsea finished the meet taking 1st place in the 400yd freestyle relay. Joey Mangner, Collin Babycz, Wes Wickens and Kurt Jolly blasted to a 3:23.03. Chelsea’s B team also scored taking 3rd place honors with Lee Argir, Conner Gilbreath, Logan Mahalak and Dylan Ousley stopping the clock at 3:43.81.
Chelsea’s next competition is against Dexter on Tuesday Jan. 19. Both teams are ranked in the top three in the state and it promises to be yet another meet to decide who is the strongest team in the Southeastern Conference White Division. Chelsea will travel to Dexter and the meet will begin at 6 p.m. Sickness and injuries will definitely play a role in the outcome of the meet as both are struggling to field a healthy team.
