Martin, Comer leads NCMP to second at Waterloo

WATERLOO — Finn Martin won twice and set two meet records, Ethan Comer claimed another individual win and the Newton-Colfax-Mingo-Pella boys’ swim team placed second at the annual Waterloo West Wahawk Swimming Invitational on Saturday.

The 30th-ranked Cardinals were top three in eight events and scored 251 points in second. No. 20 Decorah won the meet with 365 points.

The rest of the field included No. 37 Spencer (239), No. 35 Vinton-Shellsburg (190), No. 41 Waterloo (172) and No. 46 Keokuk (39).

Martin won the 50 freestyle and set a new meet record with a time of 21.63 seconds.

His winning career-best time of 47.36 in the 100 freestyle also set a new meet record and school record and ranks sixth in the state.

Comer’s win came in the 100 breaststroke and he was second in the 200 individual medley. The winning breaststroke time was clocked in a career-best 1 minute, 5.5 seconds. He finished the 200 IM in a career-best 2:15.11.

The Cardinals were 3-4-5 in the 200 freestyle. Mason Gaulke was third in a career-best 2:05.56, MacK Copeland placed fourth in a career-best 2:05.72 and Derek Wermager took fifth in a career-best 2:06.22.

Copeland also was third in the 500 freestyle. His season-best time was clocked in 5:56.54.

Gaulke made his season debut in the 100 butterfly and posted a career-best time of 1:06.84 in fourth. Drew Fuller debuted in the 100 backstroke and finished fifth in 1:06.04.

In the 200 freestyle relay, the team of Martin, Comer, Gaulke and Copeland placed second in a season-best 1:35.49. That’s the 21st best time in the state.

The 400 freestyle relay team of Copeland, Gaulke, Caleb Punt and Martin finished second in a season-best 3:37.51.

NCMP was fifth in the 200 medley relay. The team of Fuller, Comer, Punt and Wermager finished in 1:56.59.