For the second consecutive year the third ranked Barton Community College swimming teams didn't disappoint the massive home supporters, as the Cougars swept the second annual Barton Winter Classic
Competing against the three-competitor field from Rose State College, Sterling College, and Tabor College, the Cougars claimed 22 of Saturday's 24 events. The Lady Cougars scored 689 points with second place Sterling College accumulating just 258 points, meanwhile the Cougar men outscored runner-up Tabor College 1158.5 to 144. The Cougars shattered many new records over the weekend claiming two new program bests, 16 pool records, while combining to set 30 new personal bests.
The Lady Cougars claimed the first of their ten total events in the opening event of the day as the sophomore tandem of McKayla Siemiller, Elizabeth Spitz, Abigail Frye, and Elizabeth Schrock pieced together the lone team title clocking a 4:19.03 in the 400 yard medley relay edging Barton's "B" entry.
Six events later, Spitz generated some noise inside the Barton Pool as the sophomore etched her name into the program record books clocking a 2:18.66 in the 200 yard backstroke. The sophomore later achieved her second individual crown on the day in the 50 yard breaststroke, topping the field of eight in 31.38 seconds.
Siemiller, Barton's lone NJCAA champion from a year ago impressed in her final home meet earning titles in the 50 yard freestyle (25.09) and 50 yard backstroke (28.51). Meanwhile freshman Fanny Courbot added to her impressive freshman campaign earning a pair of individual titles in the 200 yard breaststroke (2:33.81) and 500 yard freestyle (5:33.85).
Other individual event winners for the Lady Cougars were Sierra Williams in the 200 yard freestyle (2:07.89), Cassandre Zenon in the 50 yard butterfly (27.49), and Lizbeth Candanedo in the 200 yard butterfly (2:25.24).
On the men's side the Cougars claimed 10-of-11 events led by Ryan Downing's two title day. The freshman earned his first crown in the 50 yard butterfly edging out the seventeen-man field timing a 23.50 before leaping atop the school record book clocking a 26.54 in the 50 yard breaststroke.
The Cougar men won both relay titles on the afternoon, the 200 yard medley and 200 yard freestyle.
The 200 medley featured a battle of Barton teams with Aidan Gantenbein, Rory Smith, Kenny Ruiz, and Carlon McClerkin clocked a 3:37.92 to beat the time of 3:53.66 posted by teammates Logan Overlees, Cesar Robles, Kacper Mayerberg, and Nikolas Ioannides.
Isaac Panzer began the exciting 200 freestyle tandem event to conclude the day with Rory Smith, Christian Taylor, and David Garcia on the anchor touching the pad in 1:30.23 edging out the Barton "A" team of Simon Botton, Asa Unruh, Gabriel Ozanne, and Leonard-Andrei Olaru.
Other individual winners for the Cougar men were David Garcia, Kamren Hall, Nikolas Ioannides, Mateusz Lukaszczyk, Logan Overlees, Kenny Ruiz, and Christian Taylor
Barton Women Personal Best/Records
50 Back: Cassandre Zenon (29.74 – PB)
50 Breast: Elizabeth Spitz (31.38 – Pool Record)
50 Fly: Cassandre Zenon (27.49 – Tied Pool Record)
50 Free: McKayla Siemiller (25.09 – Pool Record)
100 IM: Kaci Bentley (1:11.34 – PB), Paola Noriega-Rivera (1:12.26 – PB)
200 Back: Elizabeth Spitz (2:18.66 – Pool Record/School Record), Sara Childs (2:21.12 – PB)
200 Breast: Fanny Courbot (2:33.81 – Pool Record)
200 Fly: Lizbeth Candanedo (2:25.24 – Pool Record)
500 Free: Fanny Courbot (5:33.85 – Pool Record), Kaci Bentley (5:57.91 – PB)
Barton Men Personal Best/Records:
50 Back: Mateusz Lukaszczyk (25.07 – Pool Record), Christopher Sprenger (26.02 – PB), Logan Overlees (27.05 – PB), Clayton Brown (27.83 – PB), Carlon McClerkin (29.57 – PB)
50 Breast: Ryan Downing (26.54 – Pool Record/School Record), Ergi Veli (29.28 – PB), Kenny Ruiz (30.05 – PB), Rielly Bannon (30.51 – PB)
50 Fly: Ryan Downing (23.50 – Tied Pool Record), Kenny Ruiz (24.71 – PB), Chris Sprenger (24.92 – PB), Isaac Panzer (24.92 – PB), Ergi Veli (25.12 – PB), Carlon McClerkin (25.20 – PB), Rielly Bannon (25.73 – PB), Nikolas Ioannides (26.38 – PB)
50 Free: David Garcia (21.46 – Pool Record)
100 IM: Kacper Mayerberg (56.73 – PB), Albert Kasprzyk (57.11 – PB), Gabriel Ozanne (1:01.23 – PB), Nikolas Ioannides (1:02.18 – PB), Braden Augustine (1:02.82 – PB), Cesar Robles (1:10.44 – PB)
200 Back: Kamren Hall (2:03.80 – Pool Record)
200 Free: Christian Taylor (1:50.62 – Pool Record), Silas Steinert (1:56.72 – PB), Clayton Brown (2:04.49 – PB)
500 Free: Nikolas Ioannides (4:51.29 – Pool Record)
200 Free Relay: Isaac Panzer, Rory Smith, Christian Taylor, and David Garcia (1:30.23 – Pool Record)
400 Medley Relay: Aidan Gantenbein, Rory Smith, Kenny Ruiz, and Carlon McClerkin (3:37.92 – Pool Record)