By Becky Walz,
Freshman Jenna Schissel will make her debut at the state swim meet this week as a member of all three relays for the Decorah girls’ swim team. (Photo by Becky Walz)
The Decorah swim team will have representatives in four events this weekend at the state meet in Marshalltown Saturday, Nov. 9, at the regional meet at Linn-Mar.
All of Decorah’s events qualified with at-large bids, which are time-based in relation to other regions across the state. The Vikings posted a seventh-place overall finish, totaling 153 points as Iowa City West captured the team title with 422.5 points.
Qualifying process
There are no classes in swimming and all schools from across the state compete against one another.
Throughout the season, swimmers can qualify based on time standards. However, those swimmers still needed to compete in the event at the regional meet regardless of whether the swimmers have met the qualifying standard. If a swimmer is disqualified at the regional meet or did not finish the regional event, they will not be allowed to compete in that event at the state meet even if they had achieved the qualifying standard during the regular season.
The field of 32 state qualifiers consists of all swimmers who have met qualifying standard and competed in that event at the regional meet. The rest of the qualifying field was filled from the next fastest regional times from swimmers that did not meet the state standard during the regular season. Regional champions from each event are automatic qualifiers for the state meet regardless of time.
There are no qualifying standards in the relay events. Regional champions, plus the next fastest 26 times, qualified for the state meet. Relays will be a four-heat, timed final on the Saturday evening session of the state meet.
Moving on
Decorah will send all three relays to state with one of those team members qualifying as an individual as well.
Liz Bucksa will compete in the 100-yard breaststroke after finishing third at the regional meet Saturday. The sophomore’s time of 1:07.70, has her seeded 18th for the prelims which will take place Friday, Nov. 15.
Joining Bucksa for all three relays – the 200-yard medley, 200-yard freestyle and 400-yard freestyle will be junior Bella Sailor, freshman Jenna Schissel and senior Grace Baker. The 200-yard medley relay finished fourth at the regional meet in 1:55.90, earning the Vikes a 21st seed. The quartet is seeded 22nd in the 200-yard freestyle with its qualifying time of 1:43.91. Seeded 21st, the 400-freestyle relay posted a time of 3:48.41 at the qualifying race, after finished sixth in the competitive regional meet.
Team scores
1. Iowa City West 422.5; 2. Pleasant Valley 400; 3. Linn-Mar 356.5; 4. Iowa City City High 229; 5. Davenport Central 217; 6. Burlington 183; 7. Decorah 153; 8. Muscatine 132; 9. Tipton 36
Varsity race results
200 medley relay – 4. Bella Sailor, Jenna Schissel, Liz Bucksa, Grace Baker, 1:55.90
200 free – 20. Annika Becker 2:33.39; 22. Liv Anderson 2:34.69
200 IM – 8. Avalea Burns 2:29.92; 13. Naomi Kutz 2:37.09
50 free – 11. Baker 26.51; 24. Lauren Holthaus 28.73; 21. Bridget Bentley 28.41
100 fly – 4. Sailor 1:04.17; 18. Becker 1:24.68
100 free – 20. Bentley 1:04.82; 23. McKenna Demaray 1:05.87; 24. Adeline Bollinger 1:09.62
500 free – 12. Schissel 5:45.94; 17. Kutz 6:08.43
200 free relay – 5. Sailor, Baker, Schissel, Bucksa, 1:43.91
100 back – 18. Holthaus 1:14.77; 22. Anderson 1:20.18; 23. Bollinger 1:23.32
100 breast – 3. Bucksa 1:07.70; 7. Burns 1:12.82; 22. Demaray 1:22.99
400 free relay – 6. Schissel, Sailor, Baker, Bucksa, 3:48.41
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