By:  J. Daniel Pearson
Positively Osceola

Elise Jurgen and Avery Powell won four gold medals each, as St. Cloud tied Harmony (152 points each) for the Orange Belt Conference Girls Swimming team championship at Markinson Aquatic Center in Kissimmee on Thursday afternoon.

It is believed that this is the first Lady Bulldogs OBC Championship in the sport since 1996 (conference records are missing or incomplete from 1998-2005).  And it is also the first time in OBC swimming history that the team championship has ended in a tie.

Overall, St. Cloud won eight of the 11 swimming events.

“This was an amazing day, these kids swam their faces off today,” St. Cloud head coach Jolena Adams said.  “It was definitely a team effort today, everyone gave their best and that’s all a coach can ever ask for.’

Having a smaller squad, Adams had to count on the heroic efforts of just six swimmers.  Those six, that including Jurgen and Powell, accounted for 146 of St. Cloud’s 152 team points.

Powell set OBC meet records in winning 200-Free (2:06.51) and 500-Free (5:41.87); while swimming a leg on the winning 200 and 400-Free Relays.  Jurgen won the 200-IM (2:31.40) and the 100-Free (1:00.07) and was on the winning 200 and 400-Free relays.

With the tie, the Lady Longhorns recapture the OBC team title from Celebration and take their 10th championship in the last 12 years.  ‘I can’t say enough about the effort these kids put in today,” Longhorns’ girls coach TJ Walters said.  “We had some freshmen step up and contribute and combined with our upperclassmen, it was enough to get us back on top.”

Harmony won just two individual swimming events, as Nuria Torres took the 100-back and Mackenzie Butner captured the 100-breast.  The real turning point in the meet occurred the night before, when the 1-meter diving competition was held.  Harmony’s Haley Kurth won the event and Longhorn divers placed 3-5-6 behind her, as the Harmony picked up 22 points to St. Cloud’s 1 in the event.

“St. Cloud had a great meet and they deserve a ton of credit.  They win it outright had it not been for the diving event,” Walters added.

The boys’ championship was not nearly as dramatic.

Harmony won six total events to easily outdistance defending champion Celebration, 185-129.  It was the Longhorns third boys OBC title in the last four years.

Harmony was led by the efforts of senior Aaron Stephenson’s triple gold performance (200-IM, 100-Breast, 200-IM Relay); while Eli Christ won the 50-Free (22.70), finished second in the 100-Free and swam a leg on the winning 200-Free Relay.

Celebration’s Walter Zeman, who earned All-State honors in two events (50-free, 100-free) last year with a pair of top five finishes in the FHSAA 4A State Championships, had another stellar performance at the OBC meet.

Although he did not participate in one of his specialty events (50-Free), he set OBC Meet records in winning both the 100-Free (46.45) and 200-Free (1:45.54) and he also helped the Storm set an OBC mark in the 400-Free Relay with a winning time of 3:22.44.  He now holds all three OBC Meet Records in the three sprints.

Swimming and Diving Championships

Girls Team Scores:  1 (Tied) St. Cloud 152, Harmony 152; 3. Celebration 123; 4.  Tohopekaliga 59; 5. Gateway 19

Boys Team Scores: 1. Harmony 185; 2. Celebration 129; 3. St. Cloud 113; 4. Gateway 39; 5. Tohopekaliga 17.

Individual Girls Results

200 IM Relay:  1. St. Cloud (Autumn Marciniak, Raelyn Mathis, Santana Meassick, Brooke Bonesteel) 2:02.88); 2. Harmony; 3. Celebration

200-Free:  1. Avery Powell (SC) 2:06.51; 2. Erika Chirionos De La Cerda (T), 3. Ivy Davis (H)

200-IM:  1. Elise Jurgens (SC) 2:31.30; 2. Mariella Fiore (C ); 3. Hannah Lilley (H)

50-Free:  1. Brooke Bonesteel (SC) 27.27; 2.Noel Stephenson (H); 3. Ximena Jiminez (G)

1-Meter Dive:  1.  Haley Kurth (H) 272.90; 2. Rosabelle Quiwa (T); Karadin James (H)

100-Free:  1.  Elise Jurgens (SC) 1:00.07; 2. Brooke Bonesteel (SC); 3. Hannah Lilley (H)

500-Free:  1. Averly Powell (SC) 5:41.87; 2. Aeryn Thomas (C), MacKenzie Butner (H)

200-Free Relay:  1. St. Cloud (Raelyn Mathis, Elise Jurgens, Santiana Meassick, Averly Powell) 1:48.37; 2. Celebration; 3. Harmony

100-Back:  1. Nuria Torres (H) 1:10.40; 2. Raelyn Mathis (SC) Autumn Marciniak (SC)

100-Breast: 1.  Mackenzie Butner (H) 1:16.32; 2. Santana Meassick (SC); 3. Noel Stephenson (H)

400-Free Relay:  1. St. Cloud (Brooke Bonesteel, Elise Jurgens, Autumn Marciniak, Averly Powell) 4:06.02; 2. Harmony; 3. Celebration

Individual Boys Results

200 IM Relay:  1. Harmony (Juan Leguizamon, Brayden Mangan, Fernando Berroteran-Pardo, Blake Scarlet) 1:52.99; 2. St. Cloud, 3. Celebration

200-Free: 1. Walter Zeman (C), 1:45.54; 2. Jacob Thomas (H); 3. Ryan Odom (C)

200-IM:  1. Aaron Stephenson (H) 2:07.28; 2, Ethan Cruz (C), 3, Kai Kim (H)

50-Free: 1. Eli Christ (H) 22.70; 2. Sam Yaw (C), 3. Owen Hill (SC)

1-Meter Dive:  1. Oliver Dominey (SC) 219.90; 2. Malcom Charlton (H); 3. Oscar Diaz (SC)

100-Free:  1. Walter Zeman (C) 46.45’; 2. Eli Christ (H); 3. Dominick Velazquez (SC)

500-Free:  1. Jacob Thomas (H) 5:16.10; 2. Ryan Odom (C); Jack DuBose (H)

200-Free Relay: 1. Harmony (Aaron Stephenson, Michael Rivera, Hudson Clemmer, Eli Christ) 1:35.82; 2. St. Cloud; 3. Celebration

100-Back:  1. Mark Morsey (C) 56.39; 2, Michael Rivera (H), Andres De La Cerda (G)

100-Breast:  1. Aaron Stephenson (H) 1:05.18; Ethan Cruz (C), Hudson Clemmer (H)

400-Free Relay:  1.  Celebration (Mark Morsey, Walter Zeman, Sam Yaw, Ryan Odom) 3:22.44; 2. Harmony; 3. St. Cloud

Disabled

Girls 50-Free:  1. Adi Buckley (C) 1:09.56

Girls 100-Free:  1. Adi Buckley (C) 2:35.89