By Fred Kroner
Mahomet-Seymour’s girls’ swimming team broke four school records on Wednesday (Sept. 14) in the team’s second meet of the season.
Freshman Lainey Howard won the 500-yard freestyle in a three-school meet at Centennial, posting a time of 5 minutes, 57.15 seconds. The previous mark, set in 2021 by Eden Oelze, was 5:59.80.
The Bulldogs’ victorious 400-yard freestyle relay also swam into the record books with a combined time of 4:06.01.
Sharing in the success were Talynn O’Donnell, Howard, Shelby Raver and Oelze.
They broke a mark of 4:12.16, set in 2012, by Alivia Hay, Megan Mullaney, Katie Tollakson and Sara Schuh.
O’Donnell knocked nearly 10 seconds off the previous school mark in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 2:03.95. She finished second in the event.
The previous standard (2:13.30) was established in 2021 by Olivia McMurray.
Other M-S first-place finishers were Howard (200-yard individual medley in 2:30.29), O’Donnell (50-yard freestyle in 25.90) and Oelze (100-yard butterfly in 1:06.39).
Ending in the runner-up position was the 200-yard medley relay foursome of Oelze, Howard, Maddie Logsdon and Raver (2:11.74).
The other school record was collected by O’Donnell in the leadoff leg of the 400-yard freestyle relay. Her 100-meter time was 57.68 seconds, besting the previous mark of 57.99 by Allison Herman in 2014.
Centennial took team honors in the meet (110 points, followed by M-S (52 points) and St. Thomas More (21 points).
M-S returns to action on Saturday (Sept. 17) in the Centennial Charger Invitational.
