Hornets Beat West Ottawa In Battle of State's Best Swim Teams

Saline was victorious in a battle of the titans of girls swimming Saturday.

Cristina Czyrka and Maddy Frost were double winners as the Hornets, ranked second in Division 1, traveled to Holland West Ottawa, for a meet against the third ranked team in Division 1.

Saline won, 114-72.

The Hornets took first in two of the three relays, six of eight individual events, and in diving.

Czyrka won the 200-yard individual medley and the 100-yard breaststroke. She was also part of the winning 200-yard medley relay.

Frost won the 100-yard backstroke and the 50-yard freestyle, and helped the 200-yard medley and 400-yard freestyle relay teams to victory.

Saline opened by winning the 200-yard medley by nearly two seconds. Frost, Czyrka, Emily Lau and Nikki Flynn won in 1:49.23.

In the second event, West Ottawa’s Elizabeth Fris took the 200-yard backstroke in 1:54.26, edging Saline’s Kate Rogers by three-quarters of a second.

Czyrka won her first event of the day in the 200-yard individual medley in 2:11.94. Emily Lau finished second.

Frost won her first event in the 50-yard freestyle. She finished the race in 24.65, less than a quarter of a second faster than teammate Nikki Flynn.

Saline expanded its lead in diving, when Jordan Toor captured the event with a total score of 202.3, Nikki Kermath (170.35) and Caitlin Cunningham (170.20) finished second and third.

Lau won the 100-yard butterfly in 1:00.31.

Rogers won the 100-yard freestyle in 53.97, a shade faster than Flynn, who finished in 54.24.

West Ottawa’s Fris won her second event of the day in the 500-freestyle in 5:09.70. Saline’s Alex McPherson (5:15.02) and Melanie Schroeder (5:20.53) finished second and third, respectively.

In the 200-yard freestyle relay, West Ottawa defeated Saline by a half of a second (1:39.82 to 1:40.24).

Frost took her second event in the 100-yard backstroke, beating West Ottawa’s Colleen VandePoel. Frost finished in 58.77 to VandePoel’s 59.19.

Czyrka won her second event in the 100-yard breaststroke. She completed the race in 1:08.84. Saline’s Sammy Richart was second in 1:09.58.

In the day’s final event, Emily Lau, Schroeder, Frost and Rogers finished the 400-yard freestyle relay in 3:36.58, to defeat the West Ottawa’s fastest team by nearly four seconds.