Mark Morsy and Walter Zeman delivered recordbreaking performances as the Celebration boys team recaptured the Orange Belt Conference team championship—outdistancing defending champions Harmony, 158-134.
On the girls’ side, Celebration edged the Longhorns, 144-141, to win their first-ever OBC swimming championship. That put at least a pause on Harmony’s dominance in girls swimming, as the Longhorns had won the last three team titles and nine of the last 10.
The girls championship came down to the final event of the meet, when the Storm’s 400-free relay team of Sarah Venegas, Zoey Modei, Anna DeVault and Aeryn Thomas won in an OBC meet record of 4:05.70, ahead of second place Harmony (4:19.45).
On the boys’ side, Celebration’s win broke a twoyear Longhorn winning streak, although it was the Storm’s fourth team championship in the last six years.
Morsy and Zeman were the star performers for the Storm. Each won two individual events in OBC meet-record times and both swam legs on the Storm’s winning 200-IM relay team and 400 free relay team, which also set OBC meet records with times of 1:45.30 and 3:25.85.
Morsy’s individual wins came in the 100-fly (53.53) and the 100-back (57.65); while Zeman took the 50-free (21.36) and 100-free (47.59) In the girls’ competition, it was the Celebration depth that made the difference. In addition to meet-clinching 400 free relay, Celebration won just two individual events: Sarah Venagas (200 IM), and Anna DeVault (500 free); but the Storm managed three top three relay finishes for 46 team points and also scored valuable points with 17 top five individual finishes.
The performances from the Storm swimmers were not the only outstanding performances on a day that saw 13 meet records fall.
Breaking OBC meet records in individual events were Harmony’s Eli Christ in both the 200 free (1:55.69) and 500 free (5:25.67) and Aaron Stephenson in the 200 IM (2:08.55) and 100 breaststroke (1:02.54). Both Christ and Stephenson swam on the Longhorns 200 free Relay team, that also set an OBC meet record of 1:35.68.
St. Cloud’s Theresa Fortuno set a new OBC meet mark in the 200 free (2:10.14) and joined Autumn Marciniak, Olivia Morris, and Raelyn Mathis in winning the 200 medley Relay in OBC record time of 2:07.15. She also won the 100-Free and swam a leg on St. Cloud’s second place 400-Free relay team to either score or have a hand in 50 of St. Cloud’s 108 team points.
Final Boys Standings: Celebration 158, Harmony 134, St. Cloud 110, Gateway 56, Tohopekaliga 51, Liberty 6.
Final Girls Standings: Celebration 144, Harmony 141, St. Cloud 108, Gateway 75, Tohopekaliga 45, Liberty 6.
G 200 Medley Relay: St. Cloud (Autumn Marciniak, Olivia Morris, Theresa Fortuno, Raelyn Mathis), 2:07.15*; B200 Medley Relay: Celebration (Ryan Odom, Ethan Cruz, Mark Morsy, Walt Zeman), 1:45.30*
G200 Free: Theresa Fortuno, St. Cloud, 2:10.63*; B200 Free: Eli Christ, Harmony, 1:55.69*
G200 IM: Sarah Venegas, Celebration, 2:33.39; B200 IM: Aaron Stephenson, Harmony, 2:08.55
G50 Free: Raelyn Mathis, St. Cloud, 26.05; B50 Free: Walt Zeman, Celebration, 21.36*
G100 Fly: Theresa Fortuno, St. Cloud, 1:06.29; B100 Fly: Mark Morsy, Celebration, 52.92
G100 Free: Selma Elfakir, Gateway, 59.57; B100 Free: Walt Zeman, Celebration, 47.59*
G500 Free: Anna DeVault, Celebration, 6:13.02; B500 Free: Eli Christ, Harmony, 5:26.67*
G200 Free Relay: Harmony (Nuria Torres, Hannah Lilley, Ryleigh Boro, Ashlyn Batton), 1:54.61; B200 Free Relay: Harmony (Eli Christ, Aaron Stephenson, Ephrain Torres, Andres De La Cerda) 1:35.68*
G100 Back: Raelyn Mathis, Harmony, 1:06.04; B100 Back: Mark Morsy, Celebration, 57.65*
G100 Breast: Olivia Morris, St. Cloud, 1:24.56; B100 Breast: Aaron Stephenson, Harmony, 1:02.54*
G400 Free Relay: Celebration (Sarah Venegas, Zoey Modei, Anna DeVault, Aeryn Thomas) 4:05.70*; B400-Free Relay: Celebration (Mark Morsy, Sam Yaw, Ryan Odom, Walter Zeman), 3:25.85*
Diving Girls: Haley Kurth, Harmony, 289.55; Diving Boys: Trenton Danker, Tohopekaliga, 210.70
*OBC meet record
