February 08, 2025

Aquagirls sail past Toreadors to win swim dual finale

By Jocelyn Sheets
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Senior Rachel Boll reaches back as she swims the backstroke event at a home meet this season. On Tuesday, Boll finished second in the 100-yard backstroke for the NCMP Aquagirl varsity in a dual meet at Boone. NCMP won both the varsity and junior varsity duals. (Jocelyn Sheets)

BOONE — Alivia Hoffman captured her first diving victory on Tuesday. The NCMP senior diver posted a six-dive score of 190.45 points to win the event for the Aquagirls’ varsity against host Boone.

Senior Abbie Barr, who is in her first season as a diver, finished fourth with 160.30 points. The two divers’ performances helped NCMP notch a 113-73 dual win over the Toreadors. It was NCMP’s final dual meet and it went 6-3 for the season.

The Aquagirls prepare for two conference meets and the district meet, which is on Oct. 27. They compete in the North Central Iowa Conference meet at 9 a.m. on Saturday at Grinnell College. They will go to defend their Little Hawkeye Conference title on Oct. 16 at Indianola.

“We had a fantastic meet. I could tell even before the meet started that we were going to swim well as a team,” NCMP head coach Sarah Patterson said. “There were so many good performances.”

NCMP’s varsity won nine of the 11 swimming events in the pool along with the diving. The Aquagirls’ junior varsity beat Boone 106-69.

“Alivia looked so poised on the board. Both Alivia and Abbie had personal best scores,” Patterson said. “They were determined somewhere in the season to hit a combined 350 or better and they scored a 350.75. We’re so proud of them and the crowd and the girls were super supportive.”

In varsity action, the Aquagirls swept the three relay races. Patterson said all three of NCMP’s A relay teams dropped time and moved up in the power rankings. She said the girls finally put together four really good swims for each relay.

They started with the 200-yard medley with the team of Lakin Jenkins, Lindsey Blommers, Hannah Nedder and Alex Inskeep winning in 1 minute, 55.26. The same foursome claimed first in the 200 freestyle in 1:45.85.

Inskeep and Jenkins combined with Natalie Boll and Erika Van Sickle to win the 400 freestyle relay in 3:57.02 to end the meet.

“Erika Van Sickle broke 1:00 in her relay split on the winning 400 free relay and Lakin anchored the race with a 56.84,” Patterson said. “Our 400 free relays stayed fierce until the end which was great and gives us a lot of championship season confidence.”

Blommers remains undefeated in the 100 breaststroke with another dominating swim on Tuesday, winning in 1:09.71. NCMP’s Kenzie Van Maanen was second in 1:15.63 and Alexa Gaylor was fifth in 1:19.50.

Lauren Zaabel captured the first individual win of the night for the Aquagirls in the 200 freestyle in 2:15.58. Patterson said Zaabel came from behind to beat Ellie Madison of Boone, who had a big lead at the midway mark. Abbie Hill placed fifth, 2:22.57, and Grace Benson was sixth, 2:27.36.

Allison Paulius and Natalie Boll staged an exciting finish with Boone’s Regan Peter in the 200 individual medley race. Paulius won in 2:33.03 followed by Boll out-touching Peter for second, 2:33.44 to 2:33.74. NCMP’s Chloe Kibbee was sixth in 2:47.86.

“You can imagine by this time everyone was pretty fired up. There was a huge crowd to watch the meet, so that was exciting,” Patterson said. “The momentum of the meet was strong in our favor and then we went 1-2-3 in the 50 free and the Aquagirl vibe really took over.”

Nedder, Jenkins and Blommers went 1-2-3 in the 50 freestyle. Nedder won in 26.22 with Jenkins touching in 26.67 and Blommers finishing in 26.78 seconds.

Nedder came back after the diving break to record a win in the 100 butterfly in 1:01.76, which was a Boone pool record time. Natalie Boll was third in 1:11.86 and Hill took sixth in 1:17.80.

“We haven’t had a meet like this for a while, so I was pretty pumped up as a coach. This is a team we really wanted to beat as they have beaten us for the last few years.  I loved how our crowd got into the meet,” Patterson said.

In the 100 freestyle, Van Sickle, Gaylor and Makenna Brooks were second, third and fourth, respectively, in 1:00.40, 1:00.55 and 1:01.91. Inskeep pulled away from the field in the 500 freestyle winning by a 10-second margin with a 6:03.94. Zaabel was third in 6:13.73 and Paulius was fifth in 6:31.86.

Rachel Boll placed second in the 100 backstroke in 1:08.75 and Brooks was third in 1:13.86. Molly Coy took fifth in 1:16.56.

“Rachel Boll hit a season best in the backstroke race. She was so happy,” Patterson said. “Kenna Brooks had her season’s best time in the race.”

NCMP’s team of Rachel Boll, Van Maanen, Brooks and Gaylor was fourth in the 200 medley relay in 2:03.20 and the team of Coy, Paulius, Kibbee and Maggie Garrett took fifth in 2:12.63.

Finishing third in the 200 freestyle relay race was the foursome of VanMaanen, Zaabel, Natalie and Gaylor in 1:52.72. The team of Van Sickle, Hill, Garrett and Benson was fourth in 1:55.54.

Brooks, Paulius, Zaabel and Rachel Boll combined for third in the 400 freestyle relay in 4:16.53. Emma Thomas, Coy, Kibbee and Courtney Dawson had a finishing time of 4:32.69 for fifth in the relay race.

For the NCMP junior varsity, Mariah Petro led a 1-2-3 finish in the 200 individual medley, VanMaanen won the 100 freestyle, Thomas was the 500 freestyle winner and Garrett won the breaststroke.

“Emma Thomas, Dani Dalasta, and Mariah Petro all had personal best times in the 500 freestyle. Dani went under 7:00 for the first time which was a huge goal for her,” Patterson said. “Freshman Kathryn VanManen had second place  a personal best time in the 100 fly.”

Patterson said. Camilla Schlosser, Maggie Williams, and Ellie Caldwell had personal best times in the 100 backstroke.

The team of Hailey Trease, Delaney Nasalroad, Van Sickle and Thomas won the 200 medley relay. Trease combined with Emily Mills, Dani Dalasta and Kathryn VanManen to win the 200 freestyle relay.

“Great meet, great kids, great atmosphere, great fans. What more could coaches ask for?” Patterson said.

Here are the NCMP junior varsity results:

200-yd medley relay: 1. NCMP (Trease, Nasalroad, Van Sickle, Thomas), 2:20.52, 2. NCMP (Camilla Schlosser, Kallie VanKley, VanManen, Dawson), 2:23.33, 5. NCMP (Ellie Caldwell, Gracie Brown, Jordon Pritchard, Olivia Hartman), 2:52.94.

200-yd freestyle: 2. Mills, 2:37.54, 4. Kali Smith, 2:52.96, 5. Lilly Busch, 3:04.85.

200-yd IM: 1. Petro, 2:58.20, 2. Nasalroad, 3:06.43, 3. Pritchard, 3:27.34.

50-yd freestyle: 2. Trease, 30.32, 3. VanManen, 31.19, 5. Dalasta, 34.11.

100-yd butterfly: 2. VanManen, 1:23.22, 3. Jaden Hunter, 1:23.30.

100-yd freestyle: 1. VanMaanen, 1:02.10, 3. Garrett, 1:05.46, 6. Brown, 1:25.94.

500-yd freestyle: 1. Thomas, 6:41.71, 2. Dalasta, 6:48., 3. Petro, 6:52.64.

200-yd freestyle relay: 1. NCMP (Trease, Mills, Dalasta, VanManen), 2:08.29, 3. NCMP (Dawson, Nasalroad, Smith, Hunter), 2:16.04, 6. NCMP (Busch, Hartman, G. Brown, Katie Schlosser), 2:33.91.

100-yd backstroke: 2. C. Schlosser, 1:23.92, 3. Maggie Williams, 1:30.87, 4. Caldwell, 1:37.90.

100-yd breaststroke: 1. Garrett, 1:21.72, 2. Benson, 1:23.92, 4. VanKley, 1:28.16.

400-yd freestyle relay: 2. NCMP (Mills, C. Schlosser, Smith, Petro), 5:00.35, 3. NCMP (Hunter, Nasalroad, G. Brown, Dalasta), 5:21.14, 4. NCMP (Busch, K. Schlosser, Williams, Pritchard), 5:30.77.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535
or jsheets@newtondailynews.com