Ashland swimmers have banner day at Ohio Cardinal Conference Championships

WOOSTER — Heading into last year’s Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II Swimming and Diving Championships, Ashland had the fastest seed time in the 200-yard medley relay.

The Arrows ended up placing fourth behind Ohio Cardinal Conference rival Lexington, which finished runner-up to them the week before at districts, Indian Hill and Hawken.

They’ve wanted some revenge ever since, and they got their chance at the OCC Championships Saturday at Wooster High School.

And sweet, sweet revenge it was.

Ashland won the event in a meet-record time of 1:38.34, edging the reigning state champion Minutemen by three-hundredths of a second.

“It was always our goal (to beat Lexington) since the end of last year,” said Bailey Parsons, one of three returning members from last year’s relay team, along with Rylan McDaniel and Seth Will. “We wanted revenge. It felt good to get it today.”

That race set the tone for the rest of the meet for the Ashland boys, who finished third in the team standings with 368 points. Wooster won the team title with 500 points, while Lexington was second with 450.

The Arrows girls also opened the meet with a win in the 200 medley relay, which fueled them throughout the rest of the meet like their male counterparts. They finished second in the team standings with 383 points behind champion Wooster (527).

Ashland’s second-place finish was its highest ever at the OCC meet.

“With the girls, we wanted to be second,” said Ashland coach Krissy Geren, who was named Male Coach of the Year. “We were hoping to make history. That was history for us because we’d never finished second before. They definitely brought it today.”

McDaniel was just getting started with his relay team’s record-setting performance. The senior won the 200 individual medley in 2:00.81 a few minutes later, then broke his own meet record in the 100 breaststroke by finishing first in 57.04. McDaniel finished his day by swimming a leg on the third-place 400 free relay.

"I’ve put a lot of hard work in this season,” said McDaniel, who was named Male Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive season. “It was a lot different last year, but coming into this season I’ve done different training and the crowd really helps you go a lot faster.”

McDaniel was hoping to finish somewhere in the 56s in the breaststroke, which is his specialty event, but he was OK with how he swam given the limited rest he had heading into the meet. His goal by the end of the season is to clock a low-54, which would almost certainly win him a state title.

First, though, he has to beat his brother Hudson’s school record of 55.45. Hudson, who swims at Ohio State, was a two-time state champion in the event while at AHS.

But that’s not the only time he’s after. His dad, Jeff, who was an All-American swimmer at the University of Tennessee, holds the family record of 55.33.

“Lots of family competing,” Rylan said. “It’s fun to brag to one another and talk to each other. It sets bigger goals for me and kind of helps me swim faster throughout the rest of the season.”

Parsons also enjoyed a big day in the pool. The senior won the 200 freestyle in 1:45.25, then snagged gold in the 100 butterfly in a school-record time of 52.99. He finished his meet by teaming with McDaniel, Lukah Will, who was also on the 200 medley relay, and Noah Danison on the 400 free relay.

“For the rest that we’ve gotten, which wasn’t very much, and the week that we have coming up, I felt it was a really good meet for me,” Parsons said. “I broke the school record in the 100 fly, so I’m really happy with how I swam today.”

Parsons’ 200 free time was three seconds faster than it was at this point in the season last year.

“I’m really excited to see how it’s going to pan out at state, and I’m really looking forward to it,” he said. “I think it’s going to be a great meet.”

Seth Will finished first in the 50 free (22.53) to round out Ashland’s champions. He also finished third in the 100 backstroke and was a member of the second-place 200 free relay team, joining Grant Wallery, Aaron Lemon and Noah Danison.

Nykole Doerner led the way for the Ashland girls, finishing first in the 100 fly (1:03.16) and second in the 200 free. The junior was also a member of the 200 medley relay, along with Mackie Parsons, Sara Finks and Amber Harry, as well as the second-place 400 free relay, which included Parsons, Jenna Hartson and Finks.

Parsons finished second in the 100 back and third in the 200 IM, Harry second in the 100 free and third in the 200 free, and Finks second in the 200 IM and third in the 100 breaststroke. Hartson added a third-place finish in the 50 free.

“Our kids have been working really, really hard,” Geren said. “They were hoping to have a great meet today, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”

Reach Chris at csnow@times-gazette.com

On Twitter: CSnow_TG

This article originally appeared on Ashland Times Gazette: Ashland swimmers perform well at OCC Championships