Athletes of the Meet - Marshall/Mt. Vernon

Congratulations to Morgan Howat, Sam Duncan and Michael Reed on being named athletes of the meet for this week's contests against Marshall and Mt. Vernon.

Morgan earned her recognition on the strength of her 100 freestyle time, as well as her splits in the 200 and 400 freestyle relays. Morgan's 100 free time set a new personal best, while her split in the 200 freestyle was the fastest she's posted since last year's state meet. Morgan's hard work over break is showing as she continues to improve from week to week.

Sam is one of this week's athletes of the meet after defeating one of state's divers at his own pool. Sam continues his run this season of defeating some of the top talent in the state in convincing fashion. Not only is Sam a strong competitor, but he is one of our most important leaders.

Michael caught the coaches' attention with his performance in the 100 fly. His time was just off of his personal best and was easily the fastest time he's posted as a Warhawk. Michael also swam a solid leg in the 200 medley relay. Michael is one of the quieter members of the team, but his actions each day in practice speak loudly. He is committed to working hard and improving himself every day.

There were a number of other team members who also had strong performances, which were worthy of honorable mention:

1. Regan Hau and Hannah Carmen-- Regan and Hannah both had strong nights in the 200 IM. Their race was one of the most exciting races all night, coming down to the very end with only 0.1 seconds separating the two.
2. Lilly Allred -- Lilly continued to re-establish herself as an important part of our success. In her second meet of the season, Lilly posted one of the team's top fly splits in the 200 medley relay. 
3. Anabel Huffstutler --  Anabel impressed every time she entered the pool. She came from behind in the 200 medley relay to chase down her competition to lead her team to victory. She then posted a personal-best in the 500 free, and a season-best swim in the 200 free relay.
4. Justina Lu -- Justina set a new personal-best in the 200 IM tonight, by shaving nearly 3 seconds off her previous best time. She also had a best-ever split in the 400 freestyle relay.
5. Kennedy O'Neail -- Kennedy shined throughout the night in each of her events. Her 50 free time was her best ever by nearly a half-second. She followed that time up with an even faster split in the 200 free relay, while dropping more than 2 seconds off her best-ever 400 free relay split.
6. Anna Sullivan -- Anna had a strong night in some of her "off" events, including the 100 fly where she posted a time that was just off of her personal best. Anna works hard every day and is a vital part of our success.
7. Lauren Brown -- Lauren had a break-out meet tonight, with personal-best times in the 100 fly, 200 free relay and 400 free relay. In the 400 free relay, she shaved a full second off her previous best time as a Warhawk.
8. Alexandra Dicks and Maggie Shi -- Alexandra and Maggie earned their state cuts in the 100 fly tonight. Their race was one of the closest and most exciting of the night, with only 0.04 seconds separating the two.
9. Joey Eisen -- Joey demonstrated great heart and determination in his 200 IM tonight. His race was nip and tuck throughout. But in the end, Joey showed his grit by grinding out a close victory over his closest competition by 0.6 seconds.
10. Jackson Miller -- Jackson also showed off his metal by finishing strong in his 100 fly. He was neck-and-neck with a Marshall swimmer through the first three lengths. But in the final 25 Jackson pulled slightly ahead and held on for a victory of less than 0.5 seconds.
11. Ethan de Kramer -- Ethan had the strongest meet of his young career as a Warhawk tonight. His time in the 100 free was a personal-best, dropping nearly 4 full seconds from his previous best.
12. Ethan Asner -- Ethan bounced back from a difficult leg in the 200 medley to post his fastest-ever 100 free time. Ethan continues to also be an important part of his relays' success, posting some of the fastest splits in the 200 free relay.
13. Will Manousos -- Will works hard every day and sets an example with his work ethic and positive attitude. His commitment to excellence was clearly evident in his 100 back tonight, as he posted a time that was just off of his personal-best. 
14. Sean McCormick -- Sean was another in a long-line of swimmers who posted personal-best splits in his relays. In Sean's case, he dropped nearly a full second off of his 100 freestyle.