Warrior Swimmers Shine In Prelims

NORTH WEBSTER - The seven teams that make up the Northern Lakes Conference met Thursday evening for the preliminary round of the conference championships that decide the seedings for Saturday's final girls swimming rounds.

Wawasee's 200 freestyle relay team stole the show of the night as they broke the pool record for the event. Laura Karns, Laura Coutinho, Laura Lundin, and Jenny Butt combined for the record-setting 1:43.23 time.

Coutinho also set the pace for the Warriors by snatching first place in both the 200 freestyle (1:59.60) and the 500 freestyle (5:25.68). For Warsaw, Katie Beehler led the Tigers by earning two fifth-place finishes, on in the 200 individual medley (2:22.71) and the other in the 100 backstroke with a time of 1:04.43. Julie Warnken led the NorthWood swimmers with first-place finishes in the 100 breaststroke with a time of 1:09.63, and the 100 butterfly with a time of 59.39.

Ten Wawasee individuals filled NLC championship finals slots and 12 Warrior individuals advanced to the the consolation final round. NorthWood saw six swimmers qualify for the finals and three for the Warsaw advanced four individual swimmers to championship rounds and 14 to the consolation brackets.

"I'm very happy with how we swam tonight," said Warsaw Coach Eric Moehler. "It really didn't matter where we placed, the girls swam their hearts out. They went all out, and that's what I asked of them.

"This is the fastest team Warsaw has had in recent years."

"The NLC is a fast strong conference, and this was an outstanding meet," said Karns. "It was an exciting night."

"This was a great competition," said Moehler. "The NLC is a very fast conference."

"The breaststroke went well for us tonight, and we broke the pool record in the 200 freestyle relay," said Karns. "Overall, we did pretty well. We had a lot of personal best and season best times, and we advanced about two-thirds of our kids through to the finals," said Karns.

The Warriors, Panthers and Tigers will return to Wawasee Middle School to compete for the honor of conference champion. The NLC finals will begin at 2 p.m. Saturday.

1999 Girls NLC Meet

200 Medley Relay

1. Northridge 1:56.81

2. Goshen 1:57. 35

3. NorthWood 1:58.82

4. Concord 2:00.61

5. Warsaw 2:04.30

6. Plymouth 2:04.55

7. Wawasee 2:04.85

200 Freestyle

1. Laura Coutinho (Wawa) 1:59.60

2. Brandi Kropf (NR) 2:01.96

3. Erin Sarbaugh (G) 2:02.70

4. Michelle Braden (C) 2:04.31

5. Liz Sturtevant (P) 2:07.14

6. Erin Lehman (G) 2:08.11

7. Rhonda Thomas (C) 2:08.20 (ALT)

8. Katy Mertes (P) 2:09.48 (ALT)

9. Laura Brim (C) 2:10.08

10. Jaci Thallemer (War) 2:10.36

11. Hillary Barlow (War) 2:11.00

12. Morgan Tahara (NR) 2:12.74

13. Rachel Eaton (NW) 2:14.30

14. Gennie Brissette (Wawa) 2:16.13

15. Staci Pulliam (P) 2:16.92 (ALT)

16. Sarah Noggle (War) 2:17.27

200 Individual Medley

1. Rachel Gingrich (NR) 2:13.90

2. Sheri Bontrager (C) 2:20.55

3. Miriam Miller (G) 2:22.11

4. Michelle Fox (G) 2:22.60

5. Katie Beehler (War) 2:22.71

6. Marcea Blough (NR) 2:23.12

7. Jessica Warnken (NW) 2:27.91 (ALT)

8. Renee Bell (G) 2:29.21 (ALT)

9. Sarah Bontrager (C) 2:31.71

10. Moxa Hollenbaugh (P) 2:33.62

11. Jamie Ritchie (NR) 2:35.32

12. Amber Lyon (Wawa) 2:36.06

13. Becky Cook (War) 2:36.73

14. Elizabeth Ramirez (C) 2:37.07

15. Meaghan McCammon (War) 3:38.51 (ALT)

16. Tami Miller (Wawa) 2:39.03 (ALT)

50 Freestyle

1. Laura Karns (Wawa) 25.88

2. Rachel Rowe (C) 25.95

3. Amanda Heminger (G) 26.02

4. Laura Lundin (Wawa) 26.23

5. Jessica Doriot (NW) 26.41

6. Angie Ruggerio (C) 26.64

7. Jenny Butt (Wawa) 26.68 (ALT)

8. Shannon Dietz (P) 26.88 (ALT)

9. Katrina Weber (NR) 27.43

10. Mandy Hanje (NR) 27.57

11. Lisa Liegl (C) 27.57

12. Kathryn Masur (War) 27.70

13. Sonja Kralovanski (P) 27.93

14. Heather Kramer (G) 27.97

15. Emily Hoke (G) 28.09 (ALT)

16. Angie Stettler (P) 28.42 (ALT)

100 Butterfly

1. Julia Warnken (NW) 53.39

2. Erin Sarbaugh (G) 1:02.17

3. Sheri Bontrager (C) 1:02.86

4. Kelsy Blubaugh (P) 1:04.92

5. Michelle Fox (G) 1:06.37

6. Kristin Weldy (NR) 1:06.59

7. Katrina Weber (NR) 1:07.13 (ALT)

8. Jessica Warnken (NW) 1:07.72 (ALT)

9. Courtney Richline (C) 1:08.17

10. Renee Bell (G) 1:08.30

11. Amber Lyon (Wawa) 1:09.89

12. Meaghan Neill (War) 1:11.77

13. Becky Cook (War) 1:12.50

14. Erica Auker (Wawa) 1:14.31#

15. Sonja Kralovanski (P) 1:14.78 (ALT)

16. Ashley Sturtevant (P) 1:16.02 (ALT)

100 Freestyle

1. Rachel Gingrich (NR) 54.18

2. Rachel Rowe (C) 56.15

3. Laura Lundin (Wawa) 56.72

4. Laura Karns (Wawa) 56.72

5. Amanda Heminger (G) 58.22

6. Hiiilary Barlow (War) 59.24

7. Miriam Miller (G) 59.59 (ALT)

8. Laura Brim (C) 59.71 (ALT)

9. Emily Hoke (G) 1:00.16

10. Morgan Tahara (NR) 1:00.22

11. Shannon Dietz (P) 1:00.47

12. Angie Ruggerio (C) 1:00.59

13. Staci Pulliam (P) 1:01.10

14. Jenny Butt (Wawa) 1:01.16

15. Sarah Noggle (War) 1:02.13 (ALT)

16. Kathryn Masur (War) 1:03.49 (ALT)

500 Freestyle

1. Laura Coutinho (Wawa) 5:25.68

2. Julia Parsons (G) 5:27.82

3. Michelle Braden (C) 5:29.18

4. Kristin Weldy (NR) 5:43.47

5. Emily Bigler (G) 5:43.83

6. Megan Chamness (C) 5:44.19

7. Jaci Thallemer (War) 5:45.96 (ALT)

8. Liz Sturtevant (P) 5:48.84 (ALT)

9. Katy Mertes (P) 5:55.06

10. Jane Wamsley (Wawa) 6:00.20

11. Rachel Eaton (NW) 6:07.02

12. Gennie Brissette (Wawa) 6:07.75

13. Elizabeth Ramirez (C) 6:23.07

14. Shelly Powell (NR) 6:24.54

15. Jennifer Miller (NW) 6:27.35 (ALT)

16. Lauren Sikes (NR) 6:56.60 (ALT)

200 Freestyle Relay

1. Wawasee 1:43.23

2. Goshen 1:48.81

3. Northridge 1:49.40

4. Plymouth 1:50.55

5. Concord 1:51.59

6. Warsaw 1:54.09

7. NorthWood 2:02.97

100 Backstroke

1. Brandi Kropf (NR) 1:02.22

2. Julia Parsons (G) 1:03.36

3. Rhonda Thomas (C) 1:03.92

4. Jessica Doriot (NW) 1:04.20

5. Katie Beehler (War) 1:04.43

6. Kelsy Blubaugh (P) 1:05.81

7. Tami Miller (Wawa) 1:07.11 (ALT)

8. Emily Bigler (G) 1:08.76 (ALT)

9. Lisa Liegl (C) 1:08.77

10. Sandy Drake (Wawa) 1:12.02

11. Cari Watson (NR) 1:12.57

12. Megan Chamness (C) 1:13.15

13. Vangi Garcia (Wawa) 1:12.02

14. Sarah Cook (War) 1:14.36

15. Nicole Adcock (NW) 1:14.68 (ALT)

16. Sarah Wandland (War) 1:14.90 (ALT)

100 Breaststroke

1. Julia Warnken (NW) 1:09.63

2. Marcea Blough (NR) 1:12.91

3. Erin Lehman (G) 1:13.12

4. Jane Wamsley (Wawa) 1:15.58

5. Courtney Richline (C) 1:15.65

6. Jenna Rantz (Wawa) 1:15.87

7. Sarah Bontrager (C) 1:15.88 (ALT)

8. Jamie Ritchie (NR) 1:17.06 (ALT)

9. Stephanie Karpinski (C) 1:18.66

10. Steph Shivers (War) 1:19.01

11. Juliane Eichler (War) 1:19.62

12. Mona Hollenbaugh (P) 1:20.08

13. Meaghan McCammon (War) 1:21.44

14. Heather Kramer (G) 1:21.79

15. Megan Large (P) 1:22.00 (ALT)

16. Sarah Easterday (P) 1:22.80 (ALT)

400 Freestyle Relay

1. Northridge 3:47.92

2. Wawasee 3:48.06

3. Concord 3:52.12

4. Goshen 3:53.13

5. NorthWood 3:58.31

6. Plymouth 3:59.85

7. Warsaw 3:59.96