Athletes of the Meet - Westfield

There are a number of recognitions and congratulations this week. First, congratulations go out to our seniors for all their hard work and dedication to Madison Swim and Dive. Each of our seniors has left their mark on the program and we are very thankful for the time we've spent together. We wish the very best to Lilly Allred, Hannah Carmen, Benham Cobb, Colin Crowley, Aaron Diehl, Owen Dyson, Collin Guo, Regan Hau, Megan Huffstutler, Will Manousos, Elsa Marsden, Ella Paci, Alex Roman, Adam Roth, Rachel Schlueter, Maggie Shi, Emma Wainwright and Ian Wisnewski.

Congratulations also go out to Benham Cobb and Hannah Carmen on being named athletes of the week for their performances against Westfield.

Benham's week included winning the 50 free and finishing second in the 100 breast. He was also involved in one of the most exciting races of the night, as he held off a strong challenge by Westfield in the 400 free relay to help lead his team to victory. Benham provides invaluable leadership by supporting his teammates and encouraging them to be the best they can be.

Hannah is another exceptional leader of our team. She is a tireless worker who helps organize and lead her teammates every day. During tonight's meet, Hannah won the 500 free and posted one of her best-ever times in the 100 breast. She was also a key contributor to both the winning 200 free and 400 free relay teams.

There were several other athletes who had noteworthy performances this evening:

• Lydia Mikhin - Lydia continued her strong freshman year with her best-ever 100 fly, dropping nearly 2 seconds from her previous best. Lydia also had strong splits in each of her relays. She worked hard during winter break and it is paying dividends as the season comes to an end.
• Anabel Huffstutler - Anabel's 200 IM was just a hair off of her personal best while her 500 free was strong throughout. She also had an impressive anchor leg in the 400 free relay to close out the meet.
• Bibi Ventura - Bibi followed up last week's strong performance with another great night tonight. She had a blazing fly split in the medley, followed by the second-fastest 100 fly of her life. Bibi's split in the 200 free relay was also right on her best. 
• Megan Mikell - Megan made her presence known with an exciting tie for second place in the 50 free. Her time in the 100 free was just off her personal-best as well. Megan is quickly emerging as one of the fastest young members of our team.
• Elsa Marsden - Elsa put together her best performance of the season on the boards tonight, narrowly missing a region-qualifying score fewer than 2 points. Elsa missed significant time this season due to injury but is quickly making up for lost time!
• Rachel Schlueter - Rachel posted a best-ever time in the 50 free tonight. She is an established leader on the team who is respected by athletes and coaches. Her positive attitude and hard work make her an invaluable member of the team.
• Regan Hau - Regan flashed her versatility tonight by winning the 100 breast and finishing second in the 100 fly. She was a also a key contributor on the region-qualifying 200 medley relay team.
• Owen Dyson - Owen's performance in the 200 IM was the most exciting race of the night. He battled head-to-head with one of the state's best in the event and emerged victorious by less than 0.5 seconds! 
• Ethan de Kramer - Ethan had two of the best swims of his career tonight, posting best-ever 50 free splits in both of his relays. In both cases, his split times were nearly a full second faster than his best-ever individual times
• Adam Roth - Adam Roth had an opportunity to compete in the 100 breast and took full advantage, posting his best-ever high school time. His time tonight was a mere 0.05 seconds off his best-ever time.
• Enoch Zimmerman - Enoch Zimmerman first starting swimming the 500 free earlier this season and he continues to get better every race. He dropped nearly 5 full seconds tonight on his way to a strong third-place finish in the event. His 200 free time was also strong, finishing just off his best-ever time. 
• Aidan Jones - Aidan had another strong night in the 200 free and 500 free. He attacked both races from the outset and won both going away. He continues to develop into one of the team's best distance swimmers.