Athletes of the Meet - Chantilly

Congratulations to Ben Shroeder, Owen Murphy, Elsa Marsden and Alexandra Dicks on being named athletes of the meet for their performances against Chantilly.

Ben earned his recognition by setting personal best times in both the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly. Ben's splits were consistently in the 22 second range, which is a time he's never achieved before. He also dropped 2 seconds off his best butterfly time tonight. He works very hard in practice and the results certainly showed tonight!

Owen was chosen as athlete of the meet because of his strong performance in dive. Despite missing his final dive he still finished second in the event. More importantly, Owen continues to grow as an athlete and improve with leaps and bounds. He consistently challenges his teammates to be their very best, which only makes the entire team stronger.

Alexandra is an athlete of the meet because of her strong performances in the 50 and 100 freestyle. She earned a state cut in the 50 freestyle with a time of 0:24.55. She consistently gave her all in each race. Her hard work and full effort serve as an example to her teammates of what it takes to be a champion.

Elsa may only be a freshman but she has already made herself an important part of our success. In her first-ever high school meet she earned her region cut. She has a long career ahead of her and Madison is fortunate to count her as one of our own!

Several athletes earned honorable mention for their performances tonight.

1. Sam Duncan -- Sam continued his steady and strong performances on the board again tonight. It is clear that Sam is among the best athletes in the state. More important than that, though, is how strongly he supports and leads his teammates. He helps build up others around him and celebrates their success as much as his own.
2. John Klein -- John had the best meet of his career at Madison tonight. With the football season ending last week, John was able to turn his focus to swimming and it showed. He set a personal record in the 100 freestyle by several seconds. He then followed up that performance with a similarly strong split in the 400 freestyle relay, proving that his times are a new normal.
3. Benham Cobb -- Benham had a consistently strong meet. He was a key member on both his 200 medley and 400 freestyle relay teams. He also showed great promise by finishing second in the 100 backstroke and 100 butterfly. At the same time he was the breaststroke leg on the 200 medley relay. His versatility is a valuable asset. And his positive attitude and strong work ethic make him an example to his teammates.
4. Owen Dyson -- Owen opened his high school career with several noteworthy swims. His strong finish in the 200 freestyle allowed him to out touch Chantilly's swimmer by 0.14 of a second. And his 50 freestyle time of 0:22.84 is one of the fastest times for a freshman in years. He certainly has a bright future ahead of him at Madison!
5. Maddie Grosz -- Maddie returned from last year's season-ending injury by picking up where she left off. Maddie earned her region cut and dominated the women's diving event. Maddie is one of the best divers in the state and she provides Madison with reliable points and performances week in and week out.
6. Julianne Feuchter -- Julianne earned her first-ever region cut during the meet tonight. She continues to grow and improve as an athlete, giving Madison a very potent contingent of divers. Tonight's performance shows that Julianne will be a force as the team looks to repeat as district, region and state champions.
7. Erica Rice -- Erica earned distinction for how she handled a difficult challenge at the end of the meet. She had to find the energy to turn around and swim a 100 freestyle leg in the 400 free relay after swimming in the previous event. Despite the significant physical challenge this tight turn-around posed, Erica performed flawlessly. She posted a strong split that makes her one of our strongest overall swimmers.
8. Ela Miralao -- Ela also had a difficult turn-around during the meet. She swam in the 200 freestyle relay and then had to swim the 100 back in the very next event. Her turn-around was even more challenging than Erica's because she had only a minute or so to recover before jumping back into the pool! She showed true grit and dedication to her team by accepting the challenge with a positive attitude and willingness to do whatever it takes to make her team successful.