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Sebring Makes Heartland Splash

Courtesy photo

Sebring's Samantha Speigel competes in the 500-freestyle race on Sunday during the Heartland Invitational. The Blue Streaks took first place among girls teams with 592.5 points.

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Amy Hart

Published: October 9, 2007

LAKE PLACID – The Sebring girls swim team finished first on this weekend at the Heartland Invitational, a meet hosted by Lake Placid and featuring local teams from across the region.

"The meet went great," said Green Dragon coach Cindy Rivers. "There was good competition and it was a close enough meet to keep it interesting."

Sebring's girls took first with 592.5 points over Lake Placid in second with 566. Avon Park was fourth with 244 points and Hardee was a close fifth with 239.5.

Lake Placid took second place among the boys with 424 points, followed by Sebring (415), Hardee (305) and Avon Park (172). Wildcat head coach Dick Daggett said the meet was good experience for all teams, especially with districts right around the corner.

"It'll get their heads in the right place to move toward the postseason," he said.

After a storm Friday night delayed the diving competition, it was moved to before the swim meet Saturday morning.

Avon Park's Heather Barnes scored 319.85 points for first and Sebring's Beverly Owen scored 218.30 points for second, with Miguel Ortiz winning the boys' diving competition with a score of 340.50 points.

Sebring's Shaanan Spiegel scored 332.00 points for second and Hardee's Sheldon Hartman scored 270.15 for third.

To start off the swimming portion of the meet, Sebring's Megan Wolfe, Paige Giller, Leeza Freeland, and Katie Bullard took first in the 200-yard medley relay with a time of 2:05.07. Lake Placid's Shelby Lambert, Chelsea Seignious, Chelsea McGuire and Danielle Rivers were second with a 2:11.34, while Katie Bryan, Katie Havery, Michelle Bash, and Kristi Livingston of Sebring took third with a 2:17.09.

Sebring's Shaanan Spiegel, Bryan Kirsch, Jason Parsons, Thomas Quigg were first on the boys' side with a 1:54.13. Lake Placid's Shane Stayer, Zach Lavoy, Andrew Morrison, and Michael Wilkes took second with 1:57.05 and Matthew Vickers, Brian Miller, Josh Heflin, and Rodney Havery of Sebring took third with a 2:00.72.

In the girls 200-yard freestyle, Green Dragon Tammi Beach swam a 2:18.53 for first, while second place went to Sebring's Samantha Spiegel, who finished with a time of 2:33.01, followed closely by Lake Placid's Alexa Murray with a 2:33.15 for third.

Chris Reid of Hardee took third for the boys with a 2:21.15, while Sebring's Cameron Willey swam a 2:25.94 for fifth.

In the 200-yard individual medley, Wolfe was first for the girls with a 2:23.69, while McGuire (2:42.31) and Marbelly Creel (2:51.75), both of Lake Placid, took second and third, respectively.

Hardee's Josh Rickett took third for the boys with a 2:29.92., while Lake Placid's Kevin Smith took fourth with a 2:35.00.

Lake Placid's Rivers was first in the 50-yard freestyle with a 27.83, while Bullard swam a 28.62 for second followed very closely by Hardee's Kaitlin Justice with a 28.68 for third.

Lake Placid also won the boys' 50-yard freestyle race when Michael Wilkes finished with a spectacular time of 23.19 for first, followed by Hardee's Tyler Robinson with a 23.88 and Ortiz of Avon Park with 25.03.

In the 100-yard butterfly, teammates McGuire (1:09.40) and Creel (1:14.58) of Lake Placid were first and second, while Sebring's Bash (1:21.92) and Maggie Celantano (1:23.55) were fourth and fifth for the girls.

Parsons was first for the boys with a 1:05.55, while Smit took second with a 1:07.47.

Freeland (SHS) swam a 1:00.19 for first on the 100-yard freestyle, while Justice (HHS) had a 1:03.13 for second, Rivers (LPHS) had a 1:03.80 for third, and Havery (SHS) had a 1:04.51 for fourth.

For the boys, Lake Placid's Wilkes swam a 51.92 for first and Hardee's Robinson swam a 53.40 for third.

In the 500-yard freestyle, Lambert (LPHS) took first with a 6:42.53. Sebring's Spiegel took second with a 6:44.74, and Avon Park's Murphy took third with a 6:50.38.

Rickett (HHS) was third in the boys' competition with a 5:53.61 and Vickers (SHS) was fourth with a 5:54.20.

Sebring's Freeland, Bullard, Havery, and Wolfe won the 200-yard free relay with a 1:49.88. Lake Placid's McGuire, Beach, Creel, and Rivers took second with a 1:52.20. Avon Park's Megan Richardson, Bailey Barben, Heather Barnes, and Brittany Murphy took third with a 2:00.63.

Sebring's Parsons, Quigg, Vickers, and Kirsch took second with a 1:42.66. Miguel Ortiz, Nolan Jahna, Will Odham, and Drew Sedlock of Avon Park were third with a 1:48.83. Lake Placid's Robert Greene, Andrew Morrison, Shaun Videll, and Kevin Smit took fourth with a 1:49.26.

In the 100-yard backstroke, Beach (LPHS) swam a 1:14.33, Brittany Ricker (SHS) swam a 1:17.89, Lambert (LPHS) swam a 1:19.28, Katelyn Bryan (SHS) swam a 1:21.67, and Rachel Blackman (SHS) swam a 1:23.46 for first through fifth places.

For the boys, Sebring's Spiegel took first with a 1:03.13. Lake Placid's Stayer swam a 1:11.57 for second, and Sebring's Willey swam a 1:18.88 for third.

Sebring's Giller took second in the 100-yard breaststroke with a 1:19.22. Hardee's Brittany Wiggins took third with a 1:25.39. Teammates Sam Miller (1:26.13) and Amy Hart (1:26.18), both of Sebring, took fourth and fifth.

Kirsch (SHS) was first for the boys with a 1:08.43 followed by Lavoy (LPHS) with a 1:11.35, Miller (SHS) with a 1:16.11, and Michael Trujillo (LPHS) with a 1:17.24.

In the 400-yard free relay, Sebring's Freeland, Bullard, Havery, and Wolfe took first with a 4:05.86. Lake Placid's Creel, Beach, Katelyn Haile, and Lambery took second with a 4:26.68. Lauren Montz, Chelsea Seignious, Sydney Stewart, and Alexa Murray of Lake Placid took third with a 4:46.75.

For the boys, Sebring's Parsons, Quigg, Vickers, and Spiegel swam a 3:50.66 for second. Lake Placid's Greene, Lavoy, Stayer, and Wilkes swam a 3:57.25 for third. Hardee's Chris Reid, Dylan Justice, Josh Rickett, and Tyler Robinson swam a 3:57.70 for fourth.

Jessica Thayer, head coach at Avon Park, said she was proud of her team.

"All of the kids swam their hardest," she said.

"This kind of competition is where the kids see their hard work paying off," Sebring coach Pat Caton said.

The Green Dragons hosted the Heartland Invitational Swim Meet over the weekend with Avon Park, Frostproof, Hardee, North Port, Ridge Community, and Sebring competing.

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