Hillsboro, McClain swimmers compete at districts; Unger earns state berth for 3rd straight season
Hillsboro and McClain were well represented at the Division II Central/East/Southeast District Championship Friday, Feb. 16 at the Ohio University Aquatic Center, with McClain senior Elana Unger qualifying for the Swimming & Diving State Tournament for a third consecutive season.
Unger will compete in the State Para Swimming Competition Friday, Feb. 23 at the C.T. Branin Natatorium in Canton. She qualified in two events: the 50-yard freestyle, with a seed time of 44:11, and the 100-yard backstroke, with a 2:00.58 seed time.
At districts, according to the results posted, Unger had a final time of 39.36 in the 50-yard freestyle and 1:57.95 in the 100-yard backstroke.
Although Unger is the only athlete advancing to state, Hillsboro and McClain had several swimmers competing at the district level this year.
In the boys 200-yard medley relay, the McClain team of Ethan Eakins, Jackson Crago, Gunner Bode and Zach Scales were 10th with a time of 1:49.24. The same group finished 11th in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:38.27).
Hillsboro also had a team competing in the 200-yard medley relay, with Carson Scott, Cameron Burkard, Robert Schneider and Ryan Howland coming in 20th with a time of 2:00.50.
Also earning a 20th-place finish was the Hillsboro 200-yard freestyle relay team of Burkard, Cooper Swope, Jacob Seaman and Schneider with a time of 1:45.53.
The MHS senior Crago finished 16th as an individual in the 100-yard breaststroke with a time of 1:08.91 and was 30th in the 100-yard freestyle with a time of 55:05.
Eakins, an MHS sophomore, was 24th in the 100-yard backstroke (1:06.23) and was also 31st in the boys 50-yard freestyle (25:07).
Burkard, a sophomore at HHS, was 26th with a time of 1:16.17 in the 100-yard breaststroke.
Bode, a senior for MHS, was 31st in the 100-yard butterfly (1:05.52).
The McClain girls team of Dixie Johnson, Jillian Arthurs, Laura Barber and Allie Flowers finished 20th with a time of 2:01.13 in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Barber, Sierra Barton, Johnson and Flowers were also 20th in the 400-yard freestyle relay (4:38.03).
As an individual, the senior Flowers was 26th in the girls 50-yard freestyle with a time of 28:10 and 27th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:02.26).
Hillsboro senior Allison Browning was 31st in the girls 50-yard freestyle with a time of 28:43 and also finished 31st in the 100-yard freestyle event at 1:03.86.
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