The Carthage Lady Tigers hosted the Carthage Invitational at the Fair Acres YMCA on January 11. This was the last home meet of the year in which Seniors Gracie Huelat, Kalynn Korn, Julianna Smith, and Carrie Wallace were recognized. The team took home the first-place trophy, placing well in all their events.
In the 200-yard Medley Relay, the team of Karsen Dininger, Wallace, Nadya Housh, and Cassidy Smith placed first to start the team off with 32 points.
In the 200-yard Freestyle, Hope Fultz placed second a new best time of 2:22.06, while Gracie Huelat placed third with a time of 2:29.92. Ainsley Frieling placed fourth with a new best time of 2:30.39, and Jacey Dixon placed seventh with a time of 2:46.84. These ladies added another 43 points to the team total.
In the 200-yard Individual Medley, Nadya Housh placed first with a new best time of 2:35.66. Wallace finished second with a time of 2:44.60. Dininger placed fourth with a time of 2:54.16, and Mackenzie Polley finished fifth with a time of 2:55.78. Their finishes earned another 50 points for the team.
“I tried my best and swam close to my normal time,” Dininger said after the event. “It was tough competition and it is hard when you are racing against your own girls.”
For the 50-yard Freestyle, Cassidy Smith placed first with a time of 27.50, while Emily Calhoon took sixth with a personal best of 30.63. Julianna Smith came in ninth with a time of 32.33, and Genesis Sibal placed 10th with a new best time of 32.94. This event added another 32 points to the team total.
Housh placed first in the 100-yard Butterfly with a time of 1:11.34, Eryn Wagoner was fourth with a time of 1:25.46. Korn came in sixth with a time of 1:34.47, and Olivia Wright placed eighth with a time of 1:39.47, adding another 40 points to the team total for their efforts.
In the 100-yard Freestyle event, Cassidy placed first with a new best time of 1:01.35. Fultz placed fifth with a time of 1:05.95, Frieling placed seventh with a time of 1:10.67, and Juliana placed eighth with 1:13.22. These ladies brought in another 38 points for the team.
In the 500-yard Freestyle, Huelat placed second with a 6:52.63, Olivia placed fourth with a time of 7:04.24, Elena Wright took sixth with a 7:48.65, and Hadley McBride came in seventh with a time of 7:54.97, bringing in another 40 points for the team.
For the 200-yard Freestyle Relay, the team of Fultz, Calhoon, Frieling, and Juliana brought in 24 more points with a third-place finish and a time of 2:02.28.
In the 100-yard Backstroke, Dininger had a second-place finish with a time of 1:16.27, Jacey Dixon and Sibal tied for sixth with times of 1:23.75, a personal best for Sibal, and Calhoon placed ninth with a time of 1:30.22, adding another 33 points to the score.
In the 100-yard Breaststroke, Wallace placed first with a best time of 1:18.35. Polley finished third with a time of 1:27.67, and Wagoner took fifth with a time of 1:30.64. Korn placed 12th with a new personal best of 1:54.81. These ladies brought home another 39 points for the team.
In the 400-yard Freestyle Relay, the team of Cassidy, Fultz, Housh, and Dininger came in second with a new best time of 4:17.65 to bring another 26 points to the team total.
The ladies finished the invitational with 395 points, putting them in first place ahead of Nevada (283), Hillcrest (203), Lamar (127), and Greenwood (29).
“The meet got off to a great start with our 200 Medley taking first, dropping three seconds off their season best. We also had several ladies put up some personal best swims,” Coach Braden McBride said. “This is our second win in a row. I was very proud of the team’s effort and focus. We are a very diverse team that can score points in all of the events.”
