By Becky Walz,
After a few days off, the Decorah girls’ swim and dive team was back in action twice last week, competing at home versus Waterloo Thursday and diving into stiff competition at Iowa City Saturday.
At home
Decorah sunk Waterloo at home Thursday 130 to 56.
In total, the Vikes collected 11 gold medals. It started with the 200 medley relay. Ashley Elsbernd, Katrina Kovarik, Margaret Rhodes and Paige Werner posted a time of 2:02.93. That was followed up by a first-place finish by Kovarik in the 200 freestyle. Her time was 2:11.44. Rhodes earned her second gold of the night in the 200 IM, stopping the clock first at 2:24.28. In the 50 free sprint it was Julia Alberts touching the wall first in 26.55 seconds.
Earning 238.95 points, Brinley Krivachek topped the field of seven varsity divers.
Alberts won her second individual golf of the night in the 100 butterfly in 1:07.06, followed by Rhodes win in the 500 freestyle. She posted the best time of 5:40.87, nearly 40 seconds ahead of second place. The 200 free relay quartet of Emily Voyna, Maeley Nefzger, Alberts and Werner kept the win streak alive. The foursome bested the field in a time of 1:46.70.
Ashley Elsbernd swam away with the 100 back gold in 1:12.45, with Kovarik taking the final individual title in the 100 breast. Kovarik stopped the clock in 1:17.03.
The Vikings closed the night with a win in the 400 free relay. Voyna, Nefzger, Alberts and Kovarik did their laps in 4:07.10.
Team scores
1. Decorah 130; 2. Waterloo 56
Varsity race results
200 medley relay – 1. Ashley Elsbernd, Katrina Kovarik, Margaret Rhodes, Paige Werner, 2:02.93; 3. Thea Schissel, Lauren Johnson, Elayna Hook, Grace Bachelder, 2:14.16; 4. Kylie O’Hara, Mya Redenius; Kendra Elsbernd, Joey Vobr, 2:19.41; 5. Bridget Bentley, Erica Ollendick, Rylee Kapler, Naomi Simon, 2:35.92
200 free – 1. Kovarik, 2:11.44; 3. Rebecca Bruening, 2:24.34; 4. Grace Stegen, 2:31.40; 6. Bentley, 2:48.74
200 IM – 1. Rhodes 2:24.28; 2. Werner 2:29.89; 3. Maeley Nefzger, 2:38.82; 5. A. Elsbernd, 2:40.37
50 free – 1. Julia Alberts, 26.55; 2. Emily Voyna, 26.80; 4. K. Elsbernd, 29.48; 5. Kapler, 29.62
1 mtr. diving – 1. Brinley Krivachek, 238.95; 5. Paige Lange, 142.25; 6. Corina Timm, 128.90; 7. Leslie Campbell, 128.75
100 fly – 1. Alberts, 1:07.06; 2. Nefzger, 1:13.96; 5. Redenius, 1:21.30; 7. Kalissa Schmelzer, 1:24.20
100 free – 2. Voyna, 58.94; 3. K. Elsbernd, 1:06.70; 4. O’Hara, 1:07.57; 6. Brenna Parker, 1:12.08
500 free – 1. Rhodes, 5:40.87; 2. Bachelder, 6:18.00; 3. Vobr, 6:21.62; 4. Bruening, 6:30.41
200 free relay – 1. Voyna, Nefzger, Alberts, Werner, 1:46.70; 3. Redenius, K. Elsbernd, Kapler, Bruening, 2:04.04; 4. Stegen, Johnson, Parker, Schmelzer, 2:07.51; 6. Autumn Schmitt, Faith Starrett, Annie Ondrashek, Addy Hershberger, 2:21.97
100 back – 1. A. Elsbernd, 1:12.45; 3. Schissel, 1:15.50; 4. O’Hara, 1:15.88; 5. Vobr, 1:16.12
100 breast – 1. Kovarik, 1:17.03; 3. Parker, 1:22.49; 4. Redenius, 1:24.97; 5. Werner, 1:25.15
400 free relay – 1. Voyna, Nefzger, Alberts, Kovarik, 4:07.10; 2. O’Hara, A. Elsbernd, Bachelder, Rhodes, 4:23.79; 3. Stegen, Schissel, Vobr, Bruening, 4:36.94; 4. Lily Iverson, Jorja Folkedahl, McKenzie Tollefson, Schmelzer, 5:11.03
JV race results
200 free – 1. Schmitt, 2:44.34; 2. Iverson, 2:46.59; 3. Starrett, 2:47.73; 4. Tollefson, 2:50.77
200 IM – 1. Johnson, 2:49.00; 2. Schissel, 2:49.28
50 free – 1. Ollendick, 30.01; 2. Hook, 30.07; 3. Schmelzer, 32.18; 4. Folkedahl, 33.27; 5. Ondrashek, 35.71; 6. Simon, 37.06
1 mtr. diving – 1. Chloe Sheffield, 95.10
100 free – 1. Bentley, 1:15.72; 2. Starrett, 1:16.42; 3. Tollefson, 1:22.02; 4. Simon, 1:23.05
500 free – 1. Ollendick, 6:41.20; 2. Hook, 6:50.62; 3. Iverson, 7:11.30
100 back – 1. Bachelder, 1:16.40; 2. Johnson, 1:20.87; 3. Stegen, 1:21.58; 4. Schmitt, 1:34.05
100 breast – 1. Kapler, 1:29.24; 2. Hershberger, 1:49.24; 3. Ondrashek, 1:54.93
In Iowa City
Saturday, the Vikings traveled to Iowa City to compete in the Little Hawk Invite, against some of the best teams in the state, finishing with 124 points in seventh place. Winning the team title with 490 points was Waukee.
The three relays had Decorah’s best finishes, all finishing seventh. In the 200 medley relay it was Margaret Rhodes, Katerina Kovarik, Emily Voyna and Maeley Nefzger combining for a time of 2:03.84. It was Voyna, Nefzger, Paige Werner and Julia Alberts stopping the clock at 1:48.63 in the 200 free relay. In the final event of the day, the 400 free relay, Alberts, Voyna, Kovarik and Werner did their laps in 3:58.39.
“We faced the top teams in Iowa Saturday. It was a great experience for the girls to be competing alongside the best of the state,” said Coach Bachelder.
Team scores
1. Waukee 490; 2. LCW 423; 3. Ankeny 349; 4. West Des Moines Valley 237; 5. Bettendorf 186; 6. Pleasant Valley 170; 7. Decorah 124; 8. Iowa City High 102
Varsity race results
200 medley relay – 7. Margaret Rhodes, Katerina Kovarik, Emily Voyna, Maeley Nefzger, 2:03.84; Exh. 7 – Thea Schissel, Lauren Johnson, Kendra Elsbernd, Kylie O’Hara, 2:16.12
200 free – 13. Julia Alberts, 2:08.13; 19. Kovarik, 2:13.23; 22. Grace Bachelder, 2:18.66
200 IM – 14. Rhodes, 2:25.53; 19. Joey Vobr, 2:4.09; 22. Schissel, 2:47.30
50 free – 13. Paige Werner, 26.63; 19. Nefzger, 27.24; 23. O’Hara, 29.06
100 fly – 17. Voyna, 1:06.22; 22. Nefzger, 1:14.61; 24. Johnson, 1:25.05
100 free – 9. Werner, 57.85; 10. Alberts, 58.42; 22. Bachelder, 1:03.87
500 free – 12. Rhodes, 5:39.86; 21. Vobr, 6:17.33; 22. Rebecca Bruening, 6:29.72
200 free relay – 7. Voyna, Nefzger, Werner, Alberts, 1:48.63; Exh. 8 – O’Hara, Schissel, Bachelder, Bruening, 1:57.84
100 back – 19. Schissel, 1:12.35; 22. K. Elsbernd, 1:17.48; 23. O’Hara, 1:17.55
100 breast – 14: Kovarik, 1:18.55; 18. Brenna Parker, 1:22.23; 19. Johnson, 1:23.50
400 free relay – 7. Alberts, Voyna, Kovarik, Werner, 3:58.39; Exh. 1 – Bruening, Vobr, Bachelder, Rhodes, 4:23.44
Looking ahead
Decorah will be at the Cougar Invite at Cedar Rapids Kennedy Saturday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m.
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