Kearns and Varga win races at Illini Prairie Conference meet

By Fred Kroner

Owen Kearns and Aron Varga were involved in first-place finishes in the maximum number of events they could compete in (four) for Mahomet-Seymour’s boys’ swimming team on Friday (Feb. 2) in the Illini Prairie Conference meet at Bloomington.

Kearns and Varga both won two individual events and helped propel two relays to victory.

In the team chase in the nine-school event, M-S (388 points) trailed only Bloomington Central Catholic (415 points). In third was Pontiac with 351 points.

Kearns won the 200-yard freestyle (1:50.14) and the 500-yard freestyle (4:58.34).

Varga was triumphant in the 200-yard individual medley (2:03.94) and the 100-yard breaststroke (1:02.96).

Collectively, they teamed up with Emmett Kearns and Matthew Kirby for wins in the 200-yard freestyle relay (1:34.24) and the 400-yard freestyle relay (3:32.01).

Both Emmett Kearns and Kirby secured runner-up finishes in two individual events.

Emmett Kearns was second in the 50-yard freestyle (22.80 seconds) as well as the 100-yard freestyle (50.87 seconds).

Kirby was the runner-up in both the 200-yard freestyle (2:03.68) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:03.41).

Also taking second was the 200-yard medley relay foursome of Evan Powell, Arya Malapaka, Jonathan Andrawes and Noah Dyson.

Malapaka wound up in fourth place in the 200-yard individual medley (2:23.94) and Andrawes was fourth in the 100-yard butterfly (1:11.20).

“I’m super happy with how our team did,” M-S coach Erich O’Donnell said. “We achieved multiple personal-best and season-best times.

“We are very well positioned to swim well at the end of the season. Many of the boys are very tired as we’ve been working hard. Now we get to start our rest cycle. It’s going to be a fun ride.”

Eleven Bulldogs achieved personal-best times.

In addition to Kirby (200 freestyle and 100 backstroke), teammates with PRs in two events were Powell, Lukas Holleman, Dyson and Titus Avery.

Powell’s top times were in the 50-yard freestyle (27.63) and the 100-yard backstroke (1:12.32).

Holleman also made his drops in the 50-yard freestyle (28.33) and the 100-yard freestyle (1:03.39).

Dyson achieved his best times in the 50-yard freestyle (28.66) and the 100-yard freestyle (1:03.71).

Likewise, Avery’s marks were (30.17 in the 50-yard freestyle and 1:08.33 in the 100-yard freestyle).

Andrawes logged one PR: (1:11.20 in the 100 butterfly).

M-S (12-7) returns to action on Saturday (Feb. 17) in the 29-school Centennial Sectional meet, which serves as the state-qualifying event.