Trio impress at WRC swim meet

The WRC swimming and diving meet concluded Jan. 17 at SPIRE with the swimming portion. Chris Lillstrung has the story.

Locked in the moment, Mark Hribar didn’t have much chance to enjoy what was transpiring Jan. 17 during the Western Reserve Conference meet.

Don’t feel too badly for the Madison senior, though, because the resonance of his 4-for-4 day will carry for a while beyond a memorable afternoon at SPIRE.

Hribar was electric in a sprint double, sweeping 50yard freestyle and 100 free and turning in standout splits on the Blue Streaks’ winning 200 medley and 200 free relays.

Albeit challenging to pick one highlight among four, it may have been 100 free. Hribar hit the wall with a sterling time of 48.84 seconds, marking a steep 2.56 drop overall from last year at the Division I Cleveland State District, and it’s the fastest News-Herald coverage area time in the event this winter.

A 25.17 closing 50 was good for a 1.64 drop alone.

“It can only get better,” Hribar said. “We had a meet (Jan. 13), and this was our second meet today. If I PRed this much, I can go faster than that.

“I’m going to say (I found the time cut) in my breaths. I like to go crazy with my breathing after I get past the first 50. So I really made an effort to try really hard. And my district swim last year, my sectional time was actually faster (a 50.91 vs. a 51.40). I didn’t do as well at district as I did at sectional, so I just wanted to drop that.

“I wanted sub-50. I got a 48, and I can’t be happier than that.”

His 50 free work was exemplary as well, with a 22.18 individually, a .68 drop from district a year ago, and he anchored the winning 200 free relay with a 21.72. He could sense it was going to be a good day with a 24.32 butterfly split as the Blue Streaks took 200 medley relay in 1:49.36, Madison’s first league meet title in that event on the boys side in school history.

“That medley is everything,” Hribar said. “If you do good on the medley, you can ride the medley all the way through.”

Speaking of riding waves, Kenston’s Leilah Shafer enjoyed one with a brilliant sprint double in her own right.

The Bombers’ senior took 50 free with a 25.06, a .06 drop from when she was 10th at the D-II CSU District last winter.

But her 100 free was arguably the best swim of her high school career.

In a hot final with Mayfield stalwart Gianna Leffler, and knowing the Butler recruit was on her trail at the turn, Shafer gutted out a 28.17 coming home en route to a 54.25. It’s a .88 cut from D-II district a year ago overall and .91 on the back end and is the area’s second-fastest time in the event this winter behind Hawken hammer Ella Gilson.

“I think this is going to push me and motivate me more to get my best time ever again and again so I can make it to state this year,” Shafer said. “That is my main goal for my senior year.

“I think the competition, when someone is right on top of you and right behind me, it really motivates me more to just keep kicking and pushing even harder to try to get first.”

Chardon captured its fourth straight WRC girls team title, fending off Mayfield, 473-439, with 13 top threes.

Gracie Duchon, as usual, was in superior form for the Hilltoppers, hitting a 2:11.18 in 200 individual medley and a 58.44 in 100 fly. The 2:11.18 is 5.20 faster than her D-I sectional swim in 2020, the week before a banner performance to net 200 IM and 100 fly state atlarges at the D-I CSU District.

“The conference meet is so much different at the end of the year,” Chardon coach Matt Parrish said. “We haven’t had many big meets like this. I was happy to see a lot of the kids perform. Our girls did great. Our boys did great, eight boys and they’re second. So it was fun. It was good.

“I think there’s a lot coming down to our two senior girls, Morgan (Debevec) and Campbell (Tierney). They swam amazing today. ... Gracie is doing great. She had a little break there, but she’s come back and bounced back really well. So I’m super happy with her progression.”

Hilltoppers senior Lachlan Koenen was dialed in for a nice distance double, taking 200 and 500 free. His 200 free was a masterpiece, going for an area season-best 1:47.32. Of particular note was a 24.33 opener that was .70 faster than when he was sixth at the D-II CSU District in 2020.

“I’m really happy with where I’m at,” Koenen said. “Last year, I think I was .02 off the state cut in the 200, and I had never swam it. I’ve always been a 500 swimmer. So I’m pretty happy with that. I think that’s a state time right there.”

Riverside took home the boys team crown with 334 points, its first at WRC since 2015.

Coming soon

For more from this meet, check back in the coming days on News-Herald.com and in our print edition.