February 16 in Bryant athletic history: 2014

Hornets win seven events on the way to crown

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 continue posting 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 Julie Combs and Jamie Hester

Minki Kang (Photo courtesy of Jamie Hester)

The Bryant Hornets won two of three relays and five of nine individual events to capture the boys 2014 South District swimming and diving championship at the Bishop Park Aquatic Center on Friday.

Minki Kang won two solo events while Justin Combs, Trace Rhode and Chandler Reep came through with victories.

Justin Combs won the one-meter dive competition at Friday’s District meet. (Photo courtesy of Julie Combs)

The Hornets used their depth of talent to produce three scoring entries in eight events and two in the ninth. In doing so, they amassed 479 points to run away from second-place Magnolia (350) and third-place Benton (237) and the rest of the nine-team field.

In the relays, Ray Weldon, Reep, James Dellorto and Andrew Ball combined on a 1:52.09 clocking to win the 200-yard medley relay. Ball, Rhode, Reep and Weldon teamed up to win the 400 free relay in 3:49.58.

Kang captured the 500 freestyle in 5:16.87 with Rhode second at 5:38.21 and Derek Vos sixth in 6:37.00. In the 100 backstroke, Kang’s 54.74 edged Benton’s Garrett Sullivan (55.92) for top honors. Weldon was fifth in 1:02.71 with Ryan West eighth in 1:19.88.

Combs won the one-meter dive with a score of 232.15. Lucas Reitender of Bryant was second with a score of 181.60 with Scott Mead fourth at 167.80.

Rhode’s win came in the 100 butterfly in 1:02.05. Reep won the 100 breast stroke in 1:05.78, touching just ahead of Magnolia’s Charlie Taylor (1:07.33).

Reep finished third behind Rhode in the butterfly with a time of 1:11.05. Dellorto was fourth at 1:11.95. Ball joined Reep in the scoring in the breast stroke, finishing fifth in 1:18.75.

Weldon clocked in at 24.70 in the 50 free, finishing second only to El Dorado’s Joseph Boshears (23.28). Ball was sixth in 25.53 and Combs added points with a 12^th-place finish in 28.90.

Ray Weldon (Photo courtesy of Jamie Hester)

Bryant garnered third-place points in the 200 free and the 200 IM as well as the 200 free relay. In the latter, Fonzee Bittle, West, Dellorto and Rhode turned in a 1:49.86. Bittle was third (2:36.98), Dellorto fourth (2:42.23) and West sixth (2:47.97) in the 200 IM.

Vos turned in a 2:20.27 to take third in the 200 free. Tarvin was sixth in 2:48.51 and Dru Wen eighth in 2:53.87.

In the 100 free, Bittle added eighth-place points with a 1:00.57 clocking. Tarvis was 14^th (1:14.48) and Wen 15^th (1:16.74).

The State diving meet will be Feb. 28 and the State swim meet will be March 1, both at UALR.