Sports : Vikings record 29 new best times at home swim meet vs. Grinnell

Last night the Vinton-Shellsburg swim team battled Grinnell in their second of three home swim meets. Despite registering perhaps their strongest performance of the season the young Vikings fell to Grinnell 66-28.

The evening began with the first of what would be many close races. The 160 Medley Relay team of sophomore Tyler Hekel, junior Ryan Levis, freshman Isaac Lindauer and the team’s lone senior Caleb Kruckenberg battled the Grinnell A team neck and neck the entire race. At no point did either team have more than a body length advantage and the lead changed hands three times before Grinnell eked out the win by 14 hundredths of a second.

Top performances of the night were victories in the 100 Backstroke by Lindauer and in the 100 Breaststroke by Levis who dropped 3.25 seconds in battling back from behind to edge his opponent by eight tenths of a second. Freshman Thomas Osborn won the JV 60 Freestyle.

While the score doesn’t reflect a close meet, the individual times tell another story. Overall the Vikings squad registered 29 new personal best times led by Ryan Levis and Tyler Hekel who each turned in new bests in all four of their events. Junior Ben Eden, sophomore Dylan “Derek Jeter” Geater and Thomas Osborn each achieved three new best times as every single Viking recorded at least one new top time. Geater had the biggest single improvement as he improved his 100 breast by an incredible 22 seconds.

The Vikings continue their season Thursday night at Williamsburg in a clash of the two top swimming powers in the WaMaC. Yes, they are the only two swimming powers in the WaMaC but it will still be a battle for the de facto Conference Championship.

Your next opportunity to catch the Vikings in action in Vinton will be next Tuesday the 19th when they take on Oskaloosa and Williamsburg for senior night at the Braille School pool at 4:45.