Bryant swimmers wrap up pre-holiday schedule

While the rival Bryant Hornets and Catholic Rockets battled for top honors in a field of nine boys teams, the Bryant Lady Hornets overwhelmed six other girls teams at Bishop Park’s Aquatic Center on Thursday in the final meet of 2015.

The season will resume for the Bryant team with a home meet on Jan. 14, 2016.

The Lady Hornets won five events and finished second in five others in Thursday’s meet, accumulating 491 points. Benton was a distant second at 292 with Magnolia third with 262 points.

Catholic prevailed over the Hornets with 453 points. Bryant’s second-place total was 403.5 with four first-place performances and three seconds. Magnolia was third with 343 points. No one else had more than Benton’s 100.

The Lady Hornets won two relays and three individual events, two by Jessica Butler and another by Katie Higgs.

Butler won the 50-yard freestyle with a time of 26.46 with Lake Hamilton’s Meghan Bessling second at 27.64. Bryant’s Libby Thompson was fourth in 28.05 with Lara Kockaya sixth in 28.74.

Butler’s 1:06.87 paced the field in the 100 butterfly with teammate Erin Vaughn second in 1:25.28. Magnolia’s Haley Brice was third in 1:29.08.

Higgs took top honors in the 200 individual medley with a time of 2:36.63. Little Rock Christian’s Megumi Low was second in 2:55.34 followed by a trio of Bryant swimmers, Erin Vaughn (third, 3:00.25), Hailey Addison (fourth, 3:00.93), and Reagan Smith (fifth, 3:01.39).

Bryant won the 200 medley relay with Higgs, Thompson, Butler and Kockaya combining on a 2:03.18, finishing well ahead of Magnolia’s Macey Westfall, Taylor Eddy, Suzi Neal and Rylee Barnett at 2:17.43.

In the 200 freestyle relay, Thompson, Higgs, Smith and Butler turned in a 1:52.56. Magnolia was second with Neal, Ella Williams, Eddy and Barnett finishing in 2:05.67.

For the boys, Ray Weldon, Chandler Reep, Michael Higgs and Kyle Henry won the 200 medley relay in 1:48.49, finishing just ahead of Magnolia’s quartet of Carter Pyle, Grady Jennings, Charlie Taylor and Aaron Hartsfield (1:49.33).

Individually, Michael Higgs won the 100 butterfly with a time of 56.72. Hartsfield was second in 1:00.07. Fonzee Bittle also scored in the event for Bryant, finishing fourth in 1:03.52.

Higgs also won the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:05.89. Jennings was second for Magnolia with a time of 1:06;94. Reep was fourth (1:11.43), Bittle seventh (1:13.21) and Jake Partain 15^th (1:34.20) for the Hornets.

The 500 freestyle was paced by Henry’s 5:32.69. Catholic’s Mark Moellers (5:33.55) and Andrew Mackenzie (5:42.63) were second and third, respectively. Bryant’s Trace Rhode was fourth in 5:43.05 with Jacob Rhode fifth in 6:00.81, and Zachary Milam sixth with a time of 7:06.80.

In the girls 400 free relay, Smith, Wilson, Helen Woodham and Kockaya finished second in 4:31.07. Benton’s Amanda Stovall, Briana Penn, Erin Peters and Lydia Huthmaker won in 4:29.52.

Wilson finished second only to Nicole Burek of Hot Springs in the 200 free. Burek touched in 2:18.68 with Wilson at 2:20.93. For Bryant, Woodham was third in 2:38.83 with Taylor Vaughn fifth (2:48.02) and Lauren Nalley sixth (2:52.29).

In the 500 free, Wilson was second in 6:13.04. Huthmaker won in 5:38.12. Woodham was sixth in 7:03.70 with Elizabeth Milam seventh in 8:02.24.

Magnolia’s Suzi Neal won the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:21.79, just ahead of Kockaya’s 1:23.69. Hailey Addison (6^th, 1:32.76), Paris Works (8^th, 1:36.41) and Kassy Huey (9^th, 1:39.35) also scored for Bryant in the event.

For the boys, Henry, Tristan Hoerschelmann, Bittile and Trace Rhode combined for a clocking of 3:42.13 in the 400 free relay, finishing second only to Catholic’s Braden Gentry, Matthew Noonan, Mackenzie and Moellers who turned in a 3:36.21.

Weldon produced second-place points in the 100 free, finishing in 57.32. Noonan won the event in 51.55. Hoerschelmann was 11^th (1:10.64) and Andrew Ball 18^th (1:06.38).

In addition, Cavion Crosby took second in the one-meter dive with a score of 120.85.

The Lady Hornets picked up points in the 100 free with Smith fourth in 1:10.58. Taylor Vaughn was sixth (1:15.48), Kassy Huey ninth (1:19.22) and Erica Legate 11^th (1:23.46).

In the 100 backstroke, Katie Higgs was fourth in 1:08.55 with Elizabeth Milam eighth (1:39.46) and Legate 11^th (1:42.30).

The Hornets picked up third-place in the 200 free relay with Weldon, Reep, Bittle and Michael Higgs combining on a 1:37.23.

Reep picked up a fourth in the 50 free in 24.11 with Jake Partain 14^th in 28.28.

Henry was fourth in the 200 free, turning in a 2:05.33 with Trace Rhode sixth (2:10.18) and Zachary Milam 11^th (2:28.06).

Jacob Rhode (fifth, 2:33.09), Hoerschelmann (seventh, 2:37.60) and Alex Ball (eighth, 3:05.60) each scored for the Hornets in the 200 individual medley while, in the 100 back, Weldon was fifth (1:05.42), Trevor Ball was 13^th (1:18.90) and Dylan Althen was 16^th (1:21.89).