Sports Editor
Hundreds of high school swimmers and divers from around Southwest Ohio converged on seven preliminary sites and two finals destinations to show off their skills at the Southwest Ohio Swimming and Diving Classic three weeks before the postseason begins.
Local athletes from Amelia, Glen Este, New Richmond and Milford competed at the Milford High School Natatorium preliminaries, while Bethel-Tate competed at the Mason High School preliminaries.
Prelims were held on Jan. 16 and the morning of Jan. 17 with the right to compete in the finals on the evening of Sunday, Jan. 17 at St. Xavier High School Keating Natatorium on the line.
Racing and competing against the best swimmers and divers the district has to offer, a number of Clermont County aquatics experts plied their trade admirably.
The best finals finish was turned in by Bethel-Tate’s Gracyn McQueary who finished fourth in the 200 breaststroke and tied for 12th in the 100 breaststroke.
She was a Division II state qualifier in the 100 breaststroke last year where she placed fourth as well.
McQueary won her 200 breaststroke preliminary and came in second at Mason in the 100 breaststroke. A fifth-place finish in the 50 freestyle preliminary missed qualifying for the finals.
Milford’s Tyler Babinec notched a similarly impressive weekend placing seventh in the 50 freestyle finals, 10th in the 100 breaststroke and 12th in the 200 breaststroke.
Babinec was the winner of both the 100 and 200 breaststroke at the prelims and the runner-up in the 50 freestyle at Milford.
At the University of Cincinnati for the diving finals Sunday morning, Glen Este’s Bethany Berger and Amelia’s Morgan Southall earned ribbons finishing in 11th and 16th place, respectively.
Glen Este’s Portia Blackert finished in 24th place in the 1650 freestyle and 44th in the 500 freestyle. Milford’s Alison McClure finished in 29th and 47th place in the same events.
Milford freshman Dylan Vearil came in 26th place in the 400 individual medley. Teammate Jan Rae Chavez finished in 40th place in the 500 freestyle. Matt Schnelle came in 35th in the 1650 freestyle and 49th in the 500 freestyle.
The sectional tournament will begin the week of Feb. 8 with diving across both Division I and II scheduled for the early half of the week and the swimming scheduled for the weekend.
Local athletes will compete at either St. Xavier’s Keating Natatorium or at Mason High School.