BHS swimmers earn team honors at Arkadelphia meet
EDITOR’S NOTE: Because the look back at each day in Bryant athletic history has been so favorably received during the time when there was no sports during the COVID-19 shutdown, BryantDaily.com will continueposting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
ARKADELPHIA — The Bryant High School swim teams took top honors in both boys and girls divisions of the annual Arkadelphia Invitational meet held at Henderson State University on Thursday.
In the boys division, the Hornets accumulated 446 points to pace the nine-team field. Magnolia was second with 376 with El Dorado third with 182 and Benton fourth with 108.
The Lady Hornets amassed 494 points to win the eight-team girls division. Benton was second with 268 points with Magnolia third with 230.
The boys won three individual events and a relay. Michael Higgs won two events, the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2:08.49 and the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 51.86. Kyle Henry took top honors in the 500 freestyle with a time of 5:32.85.
In the 400-yard relay, Tristan Hoerschelmann, Fonzee Bittle and Trace Rhode joined Henry with a winning time of 3:53.70.
The Lady Hornets won seven events including all three relays. Jessica Butler finished the 200 IM in a winning time of 2:27.96. Taylor Wilson won the 500 free in 6:09.88. Katie Higgs won the 100-yard backstroke in a time of 1:09.24. Libby Thompson finished first in the 100-yard breast stroke with a time of 1:19.35.
Higgs, Thompson, Butler and Wilson combined on the winning time of 2:04.19 in the 200 medley relay. In the 200 freestyle relay, Thompson, Higgs and Bulter were joined by Lara Kockaya on a top time of 1:50.79. At the end of the meet, Kockaya, Reagan Smith, Wilson and Ellie Hooten won the 400 relay with a time of 4:37.49.
The boys picked up second-place points in seven events including the 200 medley relay with Ray Weldon, Chandler Reep, Higgs and Trace Rhode teaming up on a 1:51.61 clocking and the 200 freestyle relay with Reep, Bittle, Weldon and Higgs turning in a 1:37.79.
Individually, Caivon Crosby was second in the one-meter dive with a score of 128.30. Trace Rhode took second in the 200 IM with a time of 2:23.46. He also was runner-up in the 500 free with a 5:43.87 clocking. Weldon picked up second-place points in the 100 backstroke (1:04.66) and Reep was second in the 100 breast stroke (1:08.89).
For the Lady Hornets, Butler finished second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:08.50 and Kockaya was second in the 100 free, touching at 1:02.63.
Kockaya was also third in the 100 breast (1:23.30) while Higgs took third in the 100 butterfly (1:09.24) and Thompson was third in the 50 free (27.85). In addition, Helen Woodham’s 7:00.80 was good for third in the 500 free.
Henry picked up third-place points for the Hornets in the 200 free with his 2:05.62. Bittle was fourth in 2:10.53. He also finished fourth in the 100 butterfly, clocking in at 1:06.98. Jacob Rhode was fourth in the 500 free (6:08.64) and Alex Ball took fourth in the 100 back (1:29.95).
Fourth-place finishes for the Lady Hornets included Jamie Hammers in the 200 IM (2:58.49) and Erin Vaughn in the 100 butterfly (1:19.47). Vaughn was also fifth in the 200 IM (2:58.76) while Hammers finished fifth in the 500 free (7:13.59). Woodham’s 2:58.76 was good for fifth in the 200 IM.
Reep’s 1:07.17 was fifth in the 100 butterfly and Hoerschelmann took fifth in the 100 breast stroke in 1:27.07. Jacob Rhode was fifth in the 200 free (2:18.60).
The Lady Hornets’ Elizabeth Milam was sixth in the 500 with a time of 8:01.31. Lauren Nalley was sixth in the 200 free in 2:51.71 with Milam eighth in 2:55.73. Vaughn garnered sixth-place points in the 100 back with a time of 1:21.28 followed by Hooten (seventh, 1:24.15) and Kassy Huey (14th, 1:50.72).
Reagan Smith finished seventh in the 100 breast in 1:31.68. Paris Works was 10th in 1:36.58. Wilson added an eighth-place finish in the 50 free with a time of 29.42. Smith was ninth (29.75), Hooten 11th (30.55) and Vaughn 12th (33.25).
Nalley added points in the 100 free, finishing 10th in 1:16.87 with Huey 15th in 1:22.17.
For the boys, Zachary Milam was seventh in the 500 free with a time of 7:59. He was also 11th in the 200 free with a 2:44.22 clocking. Dylan Althen was seventh in the 200 IM (3:03.76) and Ball was eighth (3:09.65). Althen was ninth in the 100 breast, turning in a 1:35.00.
Weldon was ninth in the 50 free (25.2) while Hoerschelmann, Trevor Ball and Jake Partain each scored in the 100. Hoerschelmann turned in a 1:03.21 to take 10th with Ball 11th in 1:05.63 and Partain 14th in 1:09.27.
The BHS teams return to action on Dec. 2 when they compete in the 50/100 Sprint meet at UALR. They’ll host a full meet the next day.
