Gators take second in own three-day meet

Swimmers from several different states and 17 squads visited Cape Girardeau for the weekend to compete in the Cape Gators swim team Great Times Invitational held Friday through Sunday at the Central Municipal Pool.

The event attracted 386 swimmers, from youngsters to grown men, to one of the three USA Swimming competitions that the Gators host.

The meet, which served as one of the last full meets in which swimmers can qualify for different championships, was split into two different sections on Saturday and Sunday. The 13 and older group took the morning shift from 8 to 10, and the 12 and under squad competed at 1:30 p.m.

"This is typically our largest meet," meet director Dan Rau said during the morning session Sunday. "There's a lot of different swimmers here from a lot of different places.

"It's a good opportunity for [the Gators swim team] because we get to stay here at home and don't have to travel. The kids seem to be happy."

Team totals were determined by the combined score of both age groups. The Gators placed second in the event, won by the Clayton Shaw Park Tideriders of Clayton, Mo.

Rau was pleased with the family attribute of the event, as well as the volunteers who helped put it together.

"It's a good thing for the family," he said. "Parents and grandparents come out and watched their kids swim. It's just a good way to keep kids active. There's no bench at a swim meet."

The kids weren't the only happy people, however. Steve Franklin, the 48-year-old coach of the Gators, was rather delighted after he jumped in the 50-yard freestyle event and finished fourth in 24.40 seconds, .28 seconds better than his top female swimmer Hannah Kinder, who won the same event for the girls.

"I beat Hannah, and she's our fastest girl," Franklin said with a smile.

Franklin, who is in his third year as the Gators coach, has already qualified in several events for the World Championships in Stanford, Calif., in August.

"I'll be the oldest in the 45 to 49-year-old division," he said. "I think I have a chance to be in the top 10. It's not going to be handed to me on a silver platter, though. There's a lot of fast old guys out there."

Kinder, a 16-year-old junior at Central, won five races over the course of the three-day meet. Kinder fell short on Sunday in her attempt to qualify for the 50-yard freestyle event in the U.S. Open national competition in December.

"Hopefully I'll get it when I'm rested," she said. "We rest for our big meets. There is a lot of people swimming in this one, but it's not a fast meet."

All of Kinder's five victories were in freestyle races, including the 1,000- (10:47.52), 100- (52.88), 200- (1:56.26), 50- (24.68) and 500-yard (5:06.88) contests.

"Hannah's got a lot of talent," Franklin said. "The problem is getting her to think she's as good as she is."

In the older age group, the Gators' Sydney Ozbun won both the 100 freestyle (1:13.19) and the 200 fly (3:06.77) in the girls 13-14 age division, while Morgan Collier claimed the 200 IM (2:58.46) and the 500 free (7:13.69) in the same group. Sam Gramling won the 200 IM (2:22.71) and the 200 backstroke (2:19.94) in the boys 13-14 division.

Gators results

13 and older

Boys

400 IM -- 2. David Welker, 4:37.98

1,000 free -- 2. Welker, 10:30.51

200 free relay -- 2. Kris Metje, Welker, Sam Gramling, Caleb Statler, 1:40.69

200 IM "B" -- 1. Gramling, 2:22.71; 2. Caleb Coots, 2:23.75

100 free "B" -- 3. Coots, 58.80

200 fly "A" -- 2. Coots, 2:20.50

200 fly "B" -- 2. Gramling, 2:30.43

200 fly 15-over -- 3. Metje, 2:10.44

100 backstroke -- 2. Welker, 1:01.06

500 free -- 2. Welker, 5:01.39

200 medley relay -- 2. Welker, Statler, Metje, Gramling, 1:53.67

200 free "B" -- 1. Coots, 2:07.70

200 free 15-over -- 3. Welker, 1:54.57

200 breaststroke -- 2. Welker, 2:33.79; 3. Metje, 2:38.57

200 backstroke "B" -- 1. Gramling, 2:19.94

200 backstroke 15-over -- 2. Welker, 2:07.13

1,650 free -- 1. Welker, 17:24.39; 3. Gramling, 18:00.13

Girls

1,000 free -- 1. Hannah Kinder, 10:47.52

200 IM "C" -- 1. Morgan Collier, 2:58.46; 2. Sydney Ozbun, 2:59.36; 3. Ava Andersson, 3:00.02

100 free "C" -- 1. Ozbun, 1:13.19

100 free 15-over -- 1. Kinder, 52.88

100 breaststroke "A" -- 3. Morgan Fraser, 1:13.81

100 breaststroke "B" -- 2. Mary Catherine Ford, 1:20.21

100 breaststroke 15-over -- 3. Kinder, 1:12.51

200 fly "C" -- 1. Ozbun, 3:06.77

100 backstroke "B" -- 3. Fraser, 1:11.24

100 backstroke "C" -- 3. Ozbun, 1:22.77

500 free "B" -- 1. Susan Beth Scott, 5:55.18; 2. Ford, 5:56.22

500 free "C" -- 1. Collier, 7:13.69

500 free 15-over -- 1. Kinder, 5:06.88

200 medley relay -- 3. Kinder, Fraser, Alex Anne Troxel, Maria Esswein, 1:59.27

200 free "B" -- 1. Ford, 2:15.09

200 free "C" -- 1. Andersson, 2:38.40; 2. Collier, 2:38.67; 3. Ozbun, 2:41.54

200 free 15-over -- 1. Kinder, 1:56.26

100 fly "B" -- 3. Fraser, 1:09.89

100 fly "C" -- 3. Collier, 1:25.56

200 breaststroke "A" -- 2. Fraser, 2:38.11

200 breaststroke "B" -- 2. Jessica Baker, 2:49.60; 3. Ford, 2:50.05

200 breaststroke "C" -- 3. Ozbun, 3:32.41

50 free -- 1. Kinder, 24.68

1,650 free -- 2. Kinder, 18:11.31

12 and under

Boys

500 free "A" -- 2. Wyatt Larson, 5:57.12

500 free "B" -- 1. Ramsey Scott, 6:10.36; 3. Kristian Troxel, 6:36.77

100 free relay -- 1. Mohamad Alkadry, John-John Kiefner, Carson Retter, David Carman, 2:01.63

200 free relay -- 3. Chase Hagerty, Luc Helwege, Christian Retter, Troxel, 2:30.41

200 IM 10-under "A" -- 3. Troxel, 2:49.82

200 IM 10-under "C" -- 3. Helwege, 4:10.65

200 IM 11-12 "B" -- 1. Larson, 2:36.42; 3. Scott, 2:46.87

100 free 10-under "B" -- 1. Troxel, 1:12.41

100 free 11-12 "B" -- 2. Larson, 1:03.15

25 breaststroke -- 3. Christian Retter, 23.63

50 breaststroke 10-under "A" -- 1. Troxel, 41.32

50 breaststroke 11-12 "B" -- 1. Larson, 39.38

100 fly 10-under "B" -- 2. Troxel, 1:27.09

100 fly 10-under "C" -- 1. Helwege, 2:12.59

100 fly 11-12 "B" -- 2. Larson, 1:13.64; 3. Scott, 1:18.03

Girls

100 free relay 8-under -- 1. Madeleine McDonald, Helen Wojdylo, Gabriela Vieira, Elizabeth Kiefner, 1:12.32; 3. Sierra Rau, Elizabeth Orr, Mykaela Garner, Sierra Gross, 1:33.23

200 free relay 10-under -- 1. Laura Waggener, Morgan Maguire, Iliana Arevalo, Kyleigh Troxel, 2:16.56

200 IM 10-under "A" -- 1. Troxel, 2:43.90

50 free -- 1. Vieira, 33.45

100 free 10-under "A" -- 3. Troxel, 1080:38

100 free 10-under "B" -- 2. Arevalo, 1:16.46

100 free 10-under "C" -- 2. Caroline Retter, 1:34.95; 3. Chelsea Larson, 1:36.37

25 breaststroke -- 1. Vieira, 22.50

50 breaststroke "B" -- 1. Troxel, 42.47

50 breaststroke "C" -- 1. Arevalo, 53.75

25 backstroke -- 1. Vieira, 18.59

100 fly 10-under "A" -- 1. Troxel, 1:22.73