FHS boys win Buckeye Division crown at NLL swim meet

BOWLING GREEN – Findlay High had a few individual champions on Saturday in the Northern Lakes League swim meet at Bowling Green State University.The Trojans even set a meet record or two.But it was the boys team championship Findlay brought home that FHS coach Jason Chomic found most rewarding, and emblematic of his pre-meet message to the team."We told them this week that no single person could win the championship, but together we had a great shot," Chomic said."We had a great day. We knew it was going to take everyone to win and beat Anthony Wayne. Every point mattered, (and) the entire boys' team stepped up. (They) really delivered and had great swims every time they jumped into the water."Jake Best was a two-event league champion, winning both the 200-yard freestyle and 100 butterfly. Findlay's only other first-place finish came in the 200 medley relay, but the points gained by placing second in five events, third in four others, and doubling up in events like the 100 fly and 100 breaststroke added to 298 total points. Anthony Wayne, the defending NLL champion, was a close second with 270. Sylvania Northview (222), Perrysburg (216) and Toledo Whitmer (139) rounded out the Buckeye Division boys standings.Led by a record-setting day by Tillie Abbott, Findlay's girls placed fourth in the NLL Buckeye Division. Anthony Wayne dominated the girls meet with 376 points, followed by Perrysburg (263), Northview (239.5), Findlay (230) and Whitmer (50.5).Napoleon (girls) and Fremont Ross (boys) were team champions in the NLL's Cardinal Division.Best set an NLL Buckeye Division record in winning the 100 fly in a time of 55.81. The FHS senior also won the 200 freestyle (1:51.27) and swam on two second-place relays with sophomore Kai Borsay and freshman Stephan Mahler, the 200 free (1:33.43) that included Jax Dean, and the 400 free (3:26.27) that included Nicholas Kasiborski.Kasiborski, a senior, also anchored the winning 200 medley relay (1:47.28) that included Maddox Debelak, Joe Dusseau and Duncan Black.Mahler was also second in the 100 free (51.43) and third (1:11.62) ahead of Dusseau (1:12.44) in the 100 breast.Debelak added a second in the 100 backstroke (57.43) and a third in the 200 IM (2:09.79). Borsay placed third in the 50 free (27.03) and Kasiborski was third (59.02) and Black fourth (1:100.13) in the 100 fly.Abbott, a state qualifier in the sprints, set Buckeye Division records in winning both the 50 (25.00) and 100 (54.13) freestyle events.The FHS sophomore also swam on two relays, teaming with Ava Blide, Emmalyn Cislo and Norah Dolan to place second in the 400 free (4:00.36) and third in the 200 free (1:48.69).In NLL diving competition held Thursday in Napoleon, Megan Guthrie won the girls title (321.65) and Dominic Smith was second (317.75) in the boys meet.