Caroline Nanners swims the first leg of the Splashers’ 13-14 girls 200 freestyle relay Saturday during the Buckhannon Relays meet. The team of Nanners, Shannon Smith, Katelyn Oldaker and Steven Wilson won the event with a time of 2:16.00. Photo by ANDREW REINER/The Record Delta

TENNERTON — The Buckhannon Swim Club Splashers held a 27-point lead at their premiere home event Saturday when thunderstorms crept over the Upshur County pool.

After the conclusion of just two full events, the Splashers stood in first place at the Buckhannon Relays with 120 points, leading second-place Stealey Swim Team. The Elkins Otters finished third with 80 points and Bridgeport Swim Team was two points behind in fourth.

The Splashers’ 15-18 boys relay teams accounted for nearly half their 41 points in boys’ events, turning in a pair of first-place finishes. The foursome of J.J. Casella, Adam Brumley, Tyler Tenney and Tim Squires won the 200 freestyle by more than 20 seconds, clocking 1:51.53. The team of Casella, Justus Lotter, Brumley and Tenney then won the 200 backstroke by more than six seconds, finishing with a time of 2:31.47.

Caroline Nanners, Shannon Smith, Katelyn Oldaker and Steven Wilson won the 13-14 girls 200 freestyle relay — the Splashers’ only victory in the freestyle events — with a five-second cushion over the second-place team from Elkins.

The Splashers’ girls nearly swept the backstroke events though, capturing first place in four of the five age groups and receiving a second-place finish from their 13-14 girls team.

The Splashers’ dominance of the girls’ backstroke events began with a win from their 15-18 girls, as Abby Saenz, Shaina Kopelov, Liana Kopelov and Courtney Miller finished the 200-meter relay six seconds ahead of the pack, clocking in at 2:30.38.

The Splashers’ 11-12 girls team of Maggie Miller, Mackenzie Bosley, Mackenzie Crane and Patricia Loughney turned in the biggest win in the 200 backstroke, where their time of 2:41.74 was 15 seconds ahead of the field.

Madison Shepherd, Michea Higgins, Taylor Cunningham and Faith Auvil nearly matched their teammates’ 15-second win in the 8-and-under girls 200 backstroke, finishing more than 14 seconds ahead of the competition with a time of 4:05.99.

The Splashers’ 9-10 girls enjoyed a comfortable five-second lead in the 200 backstroke, as the team of Alayna Crane, Lindsey Bosley, Ivy Ward and Makayla Reynolds compiled a first-place time of 3:32.88.

The Splashers will conclude their 2009 season this weekend, competing at the Stealey Invitational. The two-day meet, which is the annual championship event of the North Central West Virginia Swim League, will begin Friday in Clarksburg.



The team results from the Buckhannon Relays:



(Girls’ score – boys’ score = total score) — Buckhannon Swim Club, 79-41=120; 2. Stealey Swim Team, 49-44=93; 3. Elkins Otters, 43-37=80; 4. Bridgeport Swim Team, 25-53=78; 5. Fairmont Aquatic Club, 28-31=59; 6. Clarksburg Country Club, 12-27=39; 7. Fairmont Field Club, 12-0=12; 8. Taylor County, 4-0=4.

For the complete article see the 07-15-2009 issue.

Click here to purchase an electronic version of the 07-15-2009 paper.