Even though it didn’t show in the final standings, Brandon girls swimming coach Todd Duncan said the Blackhawks held their own at the Midland Dow Invitational Sept. 10.
The Blackhawks finished sixth out of six teams at the invite with 80 points. Dow finished first with 448 points, well ahead of second-place Mt. Pleasant (209) and third-place Midland (176).
Duncan said it was a matter of the other schools in the tournament having more established swim programs than Brandon, whose program is in its second year as a varsity sport.
‘We scored more points than last year (at the Dow Invite),? he said. ‘The girls swam well ? it’s just the teams there are really good. We’re not there yet, but we well be.?
Brandon’s best individual finish came in the 200 yard freestyle, where senior Kelly Kennedy finished fourth with a time of 2:24.06.
The Blackhawks placed two teams in the top ten at the 200 yard freestyle relay. The team of junior Christina Hart, sophomore Alex Lindsay, sophomore Shannon Penix, and senior Marisa Westphall placed sixth (2:00.77), while the team of senior Shirley Collado, sophomore Kaitlyn Grost, junior Sarah Culp and junior Jenny Frye placed tenth (2:10.66).
Brandon also had two top-ten finishers in the 200 yard medley relay. The team of senior Aubree King, senior Jessica Swineford, sophomore Stephanie Peck and Kennedy finished eighth (2:20.66), while the team of Grost, sophomore Tara Bartle, Sowa and Hart finished tenth (2:23.01).
In addition, the 400 yard freestyle relay team of Lindsay, Peck, and Kennedy placed seventh with a time of 4:34.92.
Peck also placed in the top ten in the 200 yard IM (tenth, 2:51.87), and the 500 yard freestyle (eighth, 6:33.29). Swineford placed tenth in the 500 yard freestyle (7:12.22), while junior Jamie Kirts placed eighth in diving (119.7) and Alicia Reiner tenth in diving (105.65).
On Sept. 6, the Blackhawks earned a 109-72 win against Lapeer (a combined team from Lapeer East and Lapeer West) in Flint Metro League action.
Earning first-place finishes for the Blackhawks were Kennedy in the 200 yard freestyle, Peck in the 200 yard IM and 500 yard freestyle, Kirts in diving, the 200 yard freestyle relay team of Kennedy, Grost, Lindsay and Penix, King in the 100 yard backstroke, and the 400 yard freestyle relay team of Kennedy, Peck, Lindsay and Sowa.