Everybody in the Pool - Orrville Swimming

It was another successful weekend for the Orrville swim teams as they performed well in sectionals and are marching on to districts this weekend in Cleveland.

Let's start with the boys results from this past weekend in Akron and review who qualified for districts, and then move on to the girls.


Boys (Sectional Results of District Qualifiers)
200 Medley Relay - Victor Monheim, Vincent Monheim, Kyle Likens, Mason Monheim - 2nd
200 Intermediate Medley - Victor Monheim - 4th
50 Freestyle - Kyle Likens - 4th....Mason Monheim - 7th
100 Butterfly - Vincent Monheim - 6th
200 Freestyle Relay- Victor Monheim, Vincent Monheim, Kyle Likens, Mason Monheim - 3rd
100 Backstroke - Victor Monheim - 3rd
400 Freestyle Relay - Victor Monheim, Vincent Monheim, Kyle Likens, Mason Monheim - 7th

Complete sectional results here (search "Orrville") and full list of district qualifiers here.

Girls (Sectional Results of District Qualifiers)
200 Medley Relay - Raegan Renner, Lora Huffman, Madison Monheim, Meg Sullivan - 3rd
200 Freestyle - Madison Monheim - 1st....Lindsay Hunter - 7th
50 Freestyle - Meg Sullivan - 7th
100 Freestyle - Madison Monheim - 2nd
200 Freestyle Relay - Raegan Renner, Lindsay Hunter, Madison Monheim, Meg Sullivan - 4th
100 Breaststroke - Lora Huffman - 6th...Mackenzie Miller - 7th
400 Freestyle Relay - Lindsay Hunter, Meg Sullivan, Raegan Renner, Mackenzie Miller - 5th

Complete sectional results here (again, search "Orrville") and full list of district qualifiers here.

As teams, both the boys and girls finished in 4th place. The boys finished 4th out of 25 teams, and the girls finished 4th out of 25 teams.  Awesome job!!

The district meet will be held this coming Saturday (Feb 20th) at the Busbey Natatorium on the campus of Cleveland State University.  Meet kicks off at noon.


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Still seems strange to be talking about Orrville, podunk Orrville, having an impact in the local/state swimming scene. 

And humor me for a second...just look at some of the teams that are participating....Revere, CVCA, Walsh Jesuit, University School...any commonalities among those schools?  I see two.  Most of the "good" swimming schools are either private schools or schools in well-to-do areas....that's fact.

What's my point?  It's not that swimming is a "rich person's sport", or that only affluent districts can have successful teams, although there seems to be some correlation.  I tend to think it's more about accessible facilities (i.e. being close to a pool) than anything else. 

To me, it says something that a small public school in rural Wayne Co. is making waves (pun intended) in high school swimming.  It says that we have hard working kids (no surprise there) and even harder working parents and (volunteer) coaches who give up countless hours and weekends to help their kids succeed.

It says that feeder programs at the Orrville YMCA (Go Otters!!!) are doing good work, and it says that our kids are Red Riders first, and swimmers second.  I'm sure any of these kids could have chose to attend a "swimming" school in the Akron area, but that they chose to be Red Riders is another example of what makes Orrville special.

Sappy, right?  And maybe even a little over the top...I know.  But it's 100% true.  This is precisely what has made Orrville a town that has seen more high school athletic success than most will ever see.  It's passionate, hard-working parents instilling the very same values into their kids, both on and off the fields and courts of competition, and supporting their efforts to the ends of the earth.  That's Orrville in the most simplest terms.

Good luck at districts!!  Win or lose....Be Red Riders.