Talynn O’Donnell becomes first Bulldog to qualify for state swimming meet
By Fred Kroner
In her first year of high school swimming, Mahomet-Seymour freshman Talynn O’Donnell became the first Bulldog to qualify for the girls’ state swimming meet, which will be held on Friday (Nov. 11) and Saturday (Nov. 12).
In the Champaign Sectional on Saturday (Nov. 5), she broke her own school record in the 200-yard freestyle as well as the 500-yard freestyle, continuing her season in both events. O’Donnell was one of three two-event individual winners at the sectional meet.
M-S finished third in the 25-school sectional at Centennial High School. Sectional champion Champaign Central amassed 303 ½ points. Runner-up Centennial totaled 160 and M-S came in next with 146 points.
The Bulldogs’ team finish was the highest ever at sectional since the swimming program was implemented more than a decade ago.
Overall, Bulldog swimmers broke or tied six school records and nine swimmers registered a total of 14 season or personal-best times.
First-year M-S head coach Erich O’Donnell saw potential in his group early in the season.
“In the first couple of weeks, I felt we had the potential to place higher at sectionals than we had in the past,” he said.
He also believed some school records could be in jeopardy.
“I figured we’d take a few down, but the amount and manner caught me off-guard,” he added. “The girls far exceeded my expectations for the season.”
O’Donnell shattered her own marks in the 200 freestyle (1 minute, 56.20 seconds) and the 500 freestyle (5:16.40).
Other individual school records were set by Lainey Howard, who was ninth in the 100-yard breaststroke (record-setting time of 1:14.69) and Eden Oelze, who was third in the 100-yard butterfly and tied her own school record (1:03.17), first set in 2021. Howard bettered a school mark held by Hannah Donoho since 2015.
Two high-placing relays also recorded school-record times.
The 400-yard freestyle relay foursome of O’Donnell, Maddie Logsdon, Howard and Oelze placed second in a school-record time of 3:47.28, lowering the previous standard by more than 12 seconds.
The 200-yard freestyle unit of Oelze, Howard, Shelby Raver and O’Donnell came in third, establishing the record at 1:44.83.
The Bulldogs had placers in six other events by individuals, including a third-place showing from Oelze in the 200-yard individual medley (2:22.67).
In the same event, teammate Logsdon captured fifth place (2:31.57).
Howard ended fifth in the 200-yard freestyle (2:04.96). Logsdon wound up in ninth place in the 500-yard freestyle (6:14.72).
Placing 12th were Raver (100-yard freestyle in 1:04.96) and Kayleigh Holt (100-yard butterfly in 1:17.16).
All of the M-S athletes who secured top-12 finishes posted either season-best or personal-best times.
Erich O’Donnell said the preparation was excellent in the days leading up to the sectional, even though a practice two days before the meet was canceled when the Urbana pool (where M-S trains) was unavailable.
“The final couple weeks, we looked pretty good,” he said.
His squad was undaunted by the inability to work out on Thursday.
“We adjusted, rolled with it and came out OK,” Erich O’Donnell said.
One other Bulldog relay also excelled. The 200-yard medley relay grouping of Reese Harrell, Logsdon, Holt and Raver were clocked in 2:16.33 and finished in eighth place.
Also clocking personal-best times for M-S were Holt (17th in the 100-yard backstroke in 1:17.76); Trinity Allen (25th in the 100-yard breaststroke in 1:35.46), Melody Hobbs (34th in the 50-yard freestyle in 35.00); and Harrell in two events.
She was 19th in the 100-yard freestyle (1:12.36) and 23rd in the 100-yard backstroke (1:27.52).
M-S head coach Erich O’Donnell was voted by his peers as the Sectional Coach of the Year.
The IHSA state swimming and diving meet will be held at FMC Natatorium at Ty Warner Park, in Westmont.
Based on sectional performances, O’Donnell will be seeded 20th in the 200-yard freestyle and 24th in the 500-yard freestyle.
She has been a year-round swimmer since the age of 8 and last year qualified for the YMCA Nationals.
Talynn O’Donnell set school records in five individual events as a freshmen and was a member of two record-setting relays.
“She has had a good season and achieved lifetime bests in a number of events,” Erich O’Donnell said.
As the coach prepared his sectional lineup, the toughest part was how to utilize his swimmers.
“First and foremost, we look at where is the best opportunity to qualify for state and then, where can we score the most points (for the team),” Erich O’Donnell said. “You look at previous sectional results, who graduated and think where to put your best swimmers.”
In the case of his daughter, he didn’t automatically enter her in what may well be her strongest individual events, the 50- and 100-yard freestyle.
“Part of her wanted to swim the 50 and 100, but she has three more years left,” Erich O’Donnell said. “The 200 and 500 are not her best events, but I felt she would be OK.”
As for goals at state, the coach has one expectation.
“I want her to experience the atmosphere and enjoy it,” Erich O’Donnell said,” and swim at or better times than at sectional. The goal this year was to make it.”
All of the M-S swimmers set their taper for the sectional meet, but the coach added, “hopefully she can carry it on a few more days.”
Talynn O’Donnell was far from the only success story among the Bulldogs this fall.
Harrell and Raver are among the team’s most improved based on where they were when the season began.
“They had never, ever swum before,” Erich O’Donnell said. “To see both of them improve and what they did, was great.”
Harrell, a freshman, joined swimming to try something new. Raver, a junior, added the new sport to follow up on what a sibling had done.
Logsdon, a sophomore, also made noteworthy strides.
“During the season, she couldn’t find her groove,” Erich O’Donnell said, “but I knew she had a chance to do well and at sectionals, she blew me away.”
For Logsdon, swimming is part of long list of activities that make up her daily routine and include Marching Band, travel softball, chorus and maintaining a high grade-point average.
“I felt she was tired most of the year, but she exploded at sectionals,” Erich O’Donnell said.
With underclassmen comprising the majority of the M-S squad, the future looks even brighter.
“Swimming is definitely on the upswing,” Erich O’Donnell said. “We’ll pick up a diver and a couple of other freshmen (next season) and maybe some kids you didn’t have on the radar in the past.”
Mahomet-Seymour Girls’ Cross-Country
For the second consecutive year, Mahomet-Seymour junior Ava Boyd placed among the upper one-third of runners in the IHSA Class 2A girls’ cross-country state meet.
On Saturday (Nov. 5), Boyd covered the 3-mile course at Peoria’s Detweiller Park in 19 minutes, 40.68 seconds. She was 71st in a field of 234 competitors.
As a sophomore, Boyd was 55th at state.
She started strong in her second state meet, running the opening mile in 6:09. She was 55th at that juncture. Her other mile splits were 6:42.10 and 6:49.58.
