PATRIOT AUTO ATHLETE OF WEEK: Swimmers boast Bartlesville
A pair of Bartlesville High swimmers helped rev up the Lady Bruins to a water-ripping regional performance.
Veterans Lily Taltot and Emma Howze both put their best strokes forward for the weekend and the result proved prodigious for Bartlesville.
The Lady Bruins finished second - just 25 points behind regional champ and state title favorite Jenks High.
Bartlesville's performance proved to be a stunning statement about the Lady Bruins' potential on an individual and team bases at state, planned for two weekends in Edmond.
For their showing last week and for the season, Howze and Talbot - both juniors - share this week's Patriot Auto E-E Athlete of the Week honor.
The Class 6A state meet is planned for Feb.16-18. Distances are in yards.
Howze and Talbot both qualified in the maximum of four events.
Talbot is set to compete for Bartlesville in the 200 individual medley (seeded No. 3), 100 butterfly (seeded No. 5), 200 medley relay (seeded No. 3) and 200 freestyle relay (seeded No. 3)
Howze is set to compete for Bartlesville in the 100 freestyle (seeded No. 3), 200 freestyle (seeded No. 4), 200 freestyle relay (seeded No. 3) and 400 freestyle relay (seeded No. 2).
A year ago, Howze zipped to fourth place in the 200 freestyle at state, Talbot boasted seventh in the 200 I.M., Talbot claimed sixth in the 100 butterfly and Howze dialed up sixth in the 100 freestyle.
Talbot also swam on last year's 200 freestyle relay and 400 freestyle relay teams, which both finished third.
Both girls also excel on the Bartlesville Splash Club.
At the reccent Meet of Champions put on by the Splash Club, which drew teams from throughout a multi-state area, Howze competed in the girls 15-and-older division. Howze won the girls 100 back super final,
Chad Englehart serves as the head coach for both Bartlesville High and Splash Club swimmers.
This article originally appeared on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise: Athlete
