Bryant first among girls, second among boys at Benton 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).
Photos courtesy of Angela Rhode
On Thursday, Jan. 28, the Bryant High School swimming and diving team was right at home at Bishop Park’s Aquatic Center. But the meet was hosted by Benton High School.
The Lady Hornets proceeded to win the meet anyway with 432 points. Magnolia was second with 254 followed by Benton with 234 in the 11-team competition.
The Hornets were second among the boys teams finishing with 371 points, just behind Magnolia’s 406 but way ahead of Benton’s third-place total of 147.
The Bryant girls won three events including the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 2:04. The boys won two individual races.
Along with the relay, Jessica Butler and Katie Higgs won individual events for the Lady Hornets. Butler paced the field in the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.31. Teammate Libby Thompson was fourth at 28.11. Higgs won the 100-yard backstroke with a time of 1:08.71. Lara Kockaya was third (1:15.42), Ellie Hooten ninth (1:27.93) and Erica Legate 10th (1:38.05) for Bryant.
For the boys, Michael Higgs took top honors in the 100-yard butterfly, clocking in at 56.70. Kyle Henry won the 500 free in 5:51.34 with Trace Rhode second in 5:51.53 and Jacob Rhode third in 5:52.44.
The Lady Hornets were second in the 200 free relay with a time of 1:59.67, just off the pace set by Magnolia at 1:57.19. The Hornets were second in each of the relays. In the 400 free, they finished in 3:49.46. In the 200 medley, they combined on a 1:52.49. And, in the 200 free, they notched a time of 1:47.47.
Individually, the Bryant girls produced second-place finishes in three events with Higgs and Butler accounting for two of those and Erin Vaughn the third.
Higgs was second in the 100 butterfly with a time of 1:11.47. Benton’s Lydia Huthmaker of Benton won in 1:03.36. For Bryant, Erin Vaughn was third in 1:16.75 and Jamie Hammers was fifth in 1:25.64.
Butler was second in the 100 free with a time of 58.49, just out-touched by Lake Hamilton’s Meghan Beesling, who was clocked at 58.40. Reagan Smith was eighth for Bryant in 1:06.53.
Vaughn’s second came in the 200 individual medley. Her 2:50.24 was just behind the 2:43.20 turned in by Corrinne Paczwewitz of Arkansas Baptist. Hailey Addison was fourth for the Lady Hornets with a time of 2:57.77. Smith was fifth in 2:59.52.
For the Hornets, Caivon Crosby, Fonzee Bittle, Ray Weldon and Higgs turned in second-place performances.
Crosby was second in the one-meter dive. His score of 130.40 was only bested by Arkadelphia’s Taylor Savage at 1:49.00.
Bittle turned in a 2:31.02 in the 200 IM, second only to Carter Pyle of Magnolia at 2:26.40. Jacob Rhode was fourth in 2:37.56 and Zachary Milam was sixth in 2:43.10 for the Hornets.
Weldon’s second was in the 100 backstroke where his 1:04.46 was just edged out by David Lloyd of Arkadelphia at 1:03.04. Bryant’s Trevor Ball was fifth in 1:13.19.
Bauxite’s Joshua Sorvillo won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:03.49, just ahead of Higgs’ 1:05.72. Bryant picked up points from Tristan Hoerschelmann (6th, 1:19.23) and Zachary Milam (9th, 1:22.65) in the event.
The Lady Hornets had four swimmers finish in the top 10 in the 200 free and the 500 free and three more in the 100 breast.
Taylor Wilson accounted for third-place finishes in both the 200 free and the 500 free. In the former, she clocked in at 2:25.20 followed by teammates Helen Woodham (5th, 2:36.75), Taylor Vaughn (7th, 2:41.30) and Lauren Nalley (9th, 2:56.36).
In the latter, Wilson finished in 6:26.21. Woodham was fourth in 6:48.64 while Hammers took sixth in 7:09.13 and Elizabeth Milam eighth in 1:36.66.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Kockaya was third in 1:27.07. Kassy Huey took sixth (1:35.35) and Milam was eighth (1:36.66).
Rounding out the scoring for the Hornets, in the 200 free, Kyle Henry was fourth in 2:10.21 with Alex Ball fifth in 2:16.57 and Trace Rhode seventh in 2:19.58. Weldon added a ninth-place finish in the 100 free, touching in 57.67.
Bryant was set to compete again at a meet hosted by Little Rock Catholic/Mount St. Mary Academy at UALR on Saturday, Jan. 30. Their final regular-season meet is Feb. 4, at UCA in Conway. The South District championship meet is set for Feb. 12 at Bishop Park.
