Bellmont teams earn road sweep at Blackford

Bellmont Boys and Girls Swimming traveled to Blackford on Thursday night and returned to Decatur with a pair of non-conference victories.

The girls team delivered the more comfortable of the two wins, downing the Bruins, 109-66. The boys team won, 99-79.

In the girls competition, the Braves started the night with a relay victory.

Shaylin McCray opened up an eight-second advantage for Bellmont in the 200 yard medley relay. Morgan Brames kept the Braves in front before handing off to Brooklyn Brownlow. Brownlow and Madison Witte pulled away with the lead, and the Braves won by 29.05 seconds.

Ella Hockemeyer took top spot in the first individual event of the evening. She finished the 200 yard freestyle with a 27.05-second lead ahead of Catalina Velasquez of Blackford. Langley Murray of Bellmont finished third.

First place in the 200 IM was claimed by McCray. Her time of 2:45.17 put her ahead of Kami Fields by 43.53 seconds.

Three Bruins competed in the diving competition, but it was Bella Ashley of Bellmont who won the event with a score of 151.30, 4.3 points more than the score posted by Karlie Pitts of Blackford who finished second.

Bellmont went 1-2-3 in the 100 yard butterfly. McCray timed a 1:16.42 to win the event. Brooklyn Brownlow took second place after she reached the wall 2.67 seconds behind McCray. Murray finished in third. After winning the diving competition, Ashley emerged victorious in the 100 freestyle. She recorded a 1:05.84. Ella Hockemeyer of Bellmont was behind her by only 0.75 seconds.

The Braves continued to roll by clinching first and second place in the 500 yard freestyle. First place went to Witte with a time of 6:30.01. Brames was second at 7:14.

First and second in the 200 freestyle relay both went to Bellmont teams.

A time of 2:04.44 allowed Brownlow, Bridget Juengel, Hockemeyer and McCray to finish in first. Emma Howell, Langley, Ashley and Witte swam the race in 2:08.17.

Howell was the winner of the 100 yard backstroke. She swam an impressive second lap to take the lead late in the race. Brownlow placed second in the event.

The 100 breaststroke,

Oliver Goble (pictured) of Bellmont wins the 200 yard IM at Blackford. Photo provided by Jen Goble which was the final individual Gerber- in the top three. The 200 yard freestyle relay event on the agenda, was Goble took a lead of nearly was hard fought. 1:48.15 was won by Brames. She carried five seconds after the opening the winning time put together a lead of nearly three lap of the 200 IM before by Roop, Taufeeq Ally, seconds into the second lap coasting to victory. Werling Whitacre and Werling. They before winning the race with was the runner-up. beat one of the three competing a 4.45-second buffer between Whitacre edged out Marvin Blackford teams by 0.54 her and Loralie Hile of Jauregui from the Bruins to

seconds.

Blackford who took second. win the diving competition.

The 400 yard freestyle relay Whitacre finished the event Owens was victorious in the was the final event of the with a score of 136.15. 100 backstroke. He opened night. Bellmont took top spot Werling narrowly missed the gap between him and the with a 4:31.88. Hockeyemer, out on a win in the 100 butterfly. rest of the field on the second Ashley, Brames and Witte Sam Barry of Blackford lap. completed the race 1:16.53 beat him to the wall by 0.38 Krull also used a strong before either of the Blackford seconds. second lap to give himself teams. An impressive swim in some breathing room in the

Bellmont also started the the 100 yard freestyle from 100 yard breaststroke, a race boys competition by winning Hudson Krull delivered a win he won by 3.41 seconds. the 200 yard medley IM. for the Braves. Krull was 2.41 The team of Whitacre, 2:02.26 was the time for seconds ahead at the turn,

Goble, Owens and Krull finished Oliver Goble, Hudson Krull, and he extended his lead the evening with a win Zayne Roop and Oliver with a strong second lap.

Werling. The Braves dominated in in the 400 yard freestyle

The first win in the boys the 500 free. relay. event for Blackford came in First place went to Goble Bellmont will go back into the 200 free, but Bellmont who recorded a time of Northeast 8 competition on still placed two swimmersLogan 6:44.26. Samson Owens of Tuesday night when they Whitacre and Colten Bellmont placed second. host Norwell at 5:30.