NCMP can’t find win column at Marshalltown

MARSHALLTOWN — Finn Martin won twice, Ethan Comer swam to a victory in the 100-yard breaststroke and the Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella boys’ swim team registered a pair of runner-up finishes, but the Cardinals lost all three duals at Marshalltown High School on Monday.

NCMP competed in a triple dual hosted by the Bobcats and the closest the No. 30 Cardinals got was a 48-46 loss to No. 33 Vinton-Shellsburg.

Nineteenth-ranked Marshalltown defeated NCMP 63-31 and No. 27 Grinnell downed the Cardinals 60-34.

The host Bobcats won the night after swimming past Grinnell 59-35 and dunking Vinton-Shellsburg 65-29.

Martin’s wins came in the 100 butterfly and 200 freestyle.

He won the 200 freestyle in a career-best 1 minute, 47.23 seconds. MacK Copeland was fifth overall but his time of 2:05.13 placed second against Vinton-Shellsburg and third in the dual with Grinnell.

Martin won the 100 butterfly in a career-best 51.53 seconds and Comer swam to a win in the 100 breaststroke as his time was clocked in a career-best 1:07.03.

Martin’s time in the 100 butterfly was a little more than 1 second off a school record that has stood since 2015 and currently ranks fifth in the state.

His time in the 200 freestyle is exactly 1 second behind a school record that has been in place since 1992 and sits eighth in the state.

Comer also was the overall runner-up in the 200 individual medley, but his career-best time of 2:15.86 was fast enough to claim first against Grinnell and Vinton-Shellsburg.

In the 500 freestyle, Copeland was third overall with a season-best time of 5:59.72. He was the winner against Vinton-Shellsburg and the runner-up in the duals against Marshalltown and Grinnell.

The other top individual finishes came from Caleb Punt and Mason Gaulke.

Punt placed sixth in the 50 freestyle and seventh in the 100 freestyle. His career-best time of 24.83 in the 50 placed him second against Vinton-Shellsburg and third versus Marshalltown and Grinnell. He was third against the three schools in the 100 freestyle after posting a time of 58.31.

Gaulke swam to fifth overall in the 100 backstroke with a career-best time of 1:07.80. That was fast enough to place second against Grinnell and Vinton-Shellsburg and third versus the Bobcats.

The top relay finish came in the 200 freestyle relay. The Cardinals were second overall with Martin, Comer, Cody Klein and Copeland. Their time of 1:37.98 scored a first-place finish against both Vinton-Shellsburg and Marshalltown.

The 400 freestyle relay was third overall and first against Vinton-Shellsburg. The team of Copeland, Gaulke, Punt and Martin finished the race in 3:38.45.

The 200 medley relay team of Punt, Comer, Gaulke and Derek Wermager was fifth overall in 1:58.92. That was fast enough for second against Vinton-Shellsburg and Grinnell and third versus Marshalltown.