By FRED KRONER
Mahomet-Seymour’s girls’ swimming team continued its record-breaking season on Saturday (Nov. 4) qualifying for state in three events at the 23-school sectional at Centennial High School in Champaign.
For the second straight year, Talynn O’Donnell was a two-event sectional champion, securing a berth at state in both the 50-yard freestyle (school-record 24.24 seconds) and the 100-yard butterfly (school-record 58.52).
The Bulldogs’ other state qualifier is freshman Caroline Mills, who won the 500-yard freestyle by 6.96 seconds (5:28.91).
A sophomore, O’Donnell was victorious in the butterfly by 2.10 seconds. The race had 20 participants. In the 50 freestyle – which drew 35 entries – she won by .48.
This is the first year that M-S had two individuals advance to state. O’Donnell was the first-ever M-S state-qualifier in 2022 when she advanced in the 200- and 500-yard freestyle races.
The Bulldogs were the sectional runners-up. Meet champion Champaign Central totaled 321 points, followed by M-S (192 points) and Centennial (155).
The finish marked the second consecutive year that M-S ended among the top three teams at sectionals. The 2022 team placed third.
In addition to the two school records O’Donnell set while winning her events on Saturday (giving her six individual records in her prep career), the Bulldogs had school-record marks in four other events.
Freshman diver Bella Almaroad broke her own standard in the 11-dive event (306.90) and finished second.
In the 100-yard breaststroke, Lainey Howard shattered her own record (1:12.45) and ended in fifth place. She lowered her previous mark by 2.24 seconds.
O’Donnell was credited with a record in the 100-yard freestyle, based on her leadoff leg of the 400-freestyle relay. Her split was 53.51 seconds, an improvement from her 2022 time of 53.93.
The other record-setting performance came in the 200-yard freestyle relay. Teaming up for a 1:43.29 composite time were Howard, Mills, Claire Waggoner and O’Donnell. They placed second in the event.
Coming off a 21-day layoff, M-S produced season-best times with 16 of their 18 entries for the day, including all 15 in individual events.
In the 200-yard freestyle, which attracted 22 competitors, Bulldogs Howard and Mills captured second and third, respectively, with times of 2:01.29 and 2:02.63.
In the 200-yard individual medley, Maddie Logsdon ended in fourth place (2:28.36) and teammate Kayleigh Holt was 10th (2:44.31).
In the butterfly, Logsdon took fifth (1:05.17).
In the 100-yard freestyle, Waggoner finished 14th (1:02.25) and Christina Peng was 20th (1:08.23).
Waggoner posted a 28.24-second time in the 50-yard freestyle and placed 16th.
In the 100-yard backstroke, Holt was 13th (1:13.75) and Peng was 18th (1:16.56).
The Bulldogs put together a 400-yard freestyle relay entry that wound up in second place. Teaming up for a time of 3:48.85 were O’Donnell, Mills, Logsdon and Howard.
In the 200-yard medley relay, Bulldogs Peng, Logsdon, Holt and Waggoner were clocked in 2:10.97 and were fifth.
O’Donnell and Mills will swim in the state preliminaries on Friday (Nov. 10) at the FMC Natatorium, in Westmont. Finalists will compete on Saturday (Nov. 11).
During the past two seasons, under coach Erich O’Donnell, M-S has set school records in 10 of 12 events. Only the backstroke and the 200-yard medley relay records have not fallen in that span
Counting relays, Talynn O’Donnell has been a part of eight school records.
