Fallsnewspress.com - Tigersharks make big splash at national meets

Members of the Cuyahoga Falls Natatorium/YMCA Tigersharks swim team returned from two national meets in Florida recently with medals, meet records, autographs of Olympic swimmers, and many vivid memories.

Six CFYN swimmers qualified for the YMCA National Short Course Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. To be eligible, swimmers must achieve qualifying times regardless of their ages.

Competing in individual events were Nick Owen, 20, and Andrew Appleby, 14, both of Silver Lake; Morgan Lydic, 15, of Cuyahoga Falls; and Lauren Heller, 12, of Stow. Lauren Tullis of Silver Lake and Becca Hoffman, Solon, both 15, joined Lydic and Heller for a freestyle relay.

Lydic, Appleby and Heller competed in the 50- and 100-yard freestyle preliminary events, and Owen swam the 50 free prelims, but no Tigershark qualified for the championship finals.

"Top competitors from throughout North America swim in this meet. It is a real accomplishment for these swimmers to qualify, and a testament to the time, commitment and hard work they each invested to get here," said Tigersharks coach Mike McDonald.

The meet is held at the International Swimming Hall of Fame's pool, according to Coach Peter Nauman.

"The US Olympians who have competed here reads like Who's Who of Swimming, and several of them come back each year to welcome these swimmers to the venue," Nauman said.

In Coral Springs, Fla., the Tigersharks also qualified 10 swimmers for the National Age Group Swimming Association Showcase Classic, where swimmers achieving AAAA and AAA times competed against swimmers of their own age.

At Showcase Classic, three swimmers won events and established national meet records.

Heller set records in the 12-year-old 200 individual medley (2:14.37) and the 50 backstroke (28.90).

Andrew Appleby set 14-year-old records in the 50 freestyle (22.10) and 50 butterfly (24.30); and Ross Palazzo of Hudson swam a 29.58, setting a 13-year-old 50 breaststroke record.

Palazzo also placed fifth in the 100 and 200 breaststroke events, and Appleby placed fourth in the 14-year-old 100 breast and took sixth in the 200 IM and 500 free events.

Krista Sitler, 13, of Hudson, placed fourth in the 50 and 100 backstroke events, and Alyssa Heller, 13, of Stow, took sixth in the 50 back.

Braden Nold, 10, of Cuyahoga Falls, placed sixth in the 50 backstroke, and Stow's Cody Vantrease, 14, placed sixth in the 50 and 100 fly events.

The Tigershark 13-year-old girls' 400 medley relay team of Sitler, Ainsley Wilbur of Stow, Jenna Kassinger of Silver Lake and Alyssa Heller took second place, while a second place finish in the 400 free relay was turned in by Kelly Vantrease of Stow, Wilbur, Kassinger and Heller.

"The Tigershark team placed 14th out of more than 40 teams represented," said Tigershark head coach Dale Craddock. "The meet let our swimmers see how they compared to other swimmers their own ages, and I believe they competed very well. We're hoping to return with a larger team again next year."

-- From staff reports

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