IAC / NTL BOYS SWIMMING: WAVERLY FOURSOME WINS FOUR EVENTS APIECE IN WIN OVER ATHENS; 'CATS QUALIFY FOUR FOR DISTRICTS (24 PHOTOS) (2019-12-09)
Valley Sports ReportWAVERLY "” Waverly had four swimmers - senior Mike Atanasoff, juniors Collin Keefer and Ryan Bennett, and sophomore Kaden Wheeler - win four events apiece in a 133-50 win over Athens, while the Wildcats had four swimmers qualify for Districts in non-league boys swimming action here Monday afternoon.
Junior Mason Henderson qualified for the District 4 meet in the 200-yard IM and the 100-yard butterfly, while freshman Chris Deforest qualified in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events, junior Nate Gorsline qualified in the 50-yard freestyle, and junior Zac Gowin qualified in the 500-yard freestyle.
"We only had two returning swimmers who qualified for districts last year," said Athens coach Mark Keister. "So, we are off to a great start."
The Wolverines swept all 12 events as they improved to 2-0 on the season.
Atanasoff won the 100-yard butterfly in 56.01 seconds, while Waverly junior Dillon Madigan was second in 1:07.04, and Athens junior Mason Henderson was third in 1:11.12.
Atanasof led a sweep in the 100-yard breaststroke, clocking in at 1:06.65, while junior Max Pan was second in 1:19.11, and Madigan was third in 1:25.51.
Keefer won the 200-yard freestyle in a time of 2:06.91, while Athens freshman Ethan Denlinger was second in 2:16.13, and Waverly 8th-grader Liam Wright was third in 2:16.14.
Keefer led a sweep in the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:09.47, with freshman Oscar Williams second in 1:12.71, and freshman Jerrell Sackett third in 1:12.72.
Bennett won the 50-yard freestyle in 23.8 seconds, while Deforest was second in 25.11 seconds, and Waverly senior Josh Lee was third in 25.26 seconds.
Bennett also won the 100-yard freestyle in a time of 54.9 seconds, while Deforest was second in 57.26 seconds, and Lee was third in 57.34 seconds.
Wheeler won the 200-yard IM in a time of 2:13.9, while Williams was second in 2:28.82, and Henderson was third in 2:34.4.
Wheeler also won the 500-yard freestyle in a time of 5:31.13, while Wright was second in 6:01.07, and Gowin was third in 6:05.03.
Atanasoff, Keefer, and Bennett teamed with senior Brandon Clark to win the 200-yard freestyle relay in a time of 1:42.99.
Atanasoff, Keefer, and Wheeler teamed with Madigan to win the 400-yard freestyle relay in a time of 4:03.17.
Wheeler and Bennett teamed with Pan and Clark to win the 200-yard medley relay in a time of 2:35.0.
Waverly senior Gage Streeter won the 1-meter diving competition with 233.8 points, while Athens sophomore Kaden Gorsline was second with 197.25 points, and Sackett was third
"Kaden Gorsline did a great job in diving, improving over his best performance from last year," said Keister. "He may have a serious shot at the school record, which is much older than he is, before the end of this season."
Waverly travels to Lansing Tuesday, while Athens is at Towanda on Dec. 17.
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IN PHOTOS 1-2: Waverly's Mike Atanasoff. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
