Chardon junior gets 12th in D-I 200 IM

Chardon junior Gracie Duchon paces The News-Herald coverage area charge at Division I girls state swimming in Canton, vaulting into a 12th place finish in the 200 individual medley.

Chardon junior Gracie Duchon had a commendable vault into the top half of placement Feb. 26 during the Division I girls state swimming meet in Canton.

Duchon was 12th in the 200-yard individual medley with a time of 2 minutes, 8.95 seconds. She had come into the event seeded 21st out of district competition.

In her second appearance in individual events at state, the highlight of Duchon’s IM was a 32.25 split on backstroke, good for a .59 drop from when she swam in state prelims in the event a year ago.

Duchon was also 17th in the 100 fly with a 57.80, a .37 drop from her swim in Canton in the event in 2020.

Mayfield senior Gianna Leffler closed her decorated high school career by taking 17th in the 100 back with a 57.33. Leffler was one of nine News-Herald coverage area senior swimmers competing at state this year who also swam at state as freshmen in 2018.

Mentor’s 200 free relay quartet of Juliana Slaninka, Erin Farmer, Annie Berrow and Mallory Dondorfer was 23rd with a 1:40.64. It was the first state appearance for seniors Farmer and Dondorfer. Slaninka and Berrow are freshmen.

Chardon’s 400 free relay of Duchon, seniors Morgan Debevec and Campbell Tierney and sophomore Stella Parrish was 22nd with a 3:37.92. Tierney recorded a 54.38 third leg, a .67 drop vs. district last week at SPIRE.

DAVID C. TURBEN — FOR THE NEWS-HERALD Chardon’s Gracie Duchon, shown competing in 100 butterfly during the Division I SPIRE District, was 12th in 200IM on Feb. 26at the D-I state meet in Canton.