Ohio Women’s Division 2 High School State Championships

By Brian Savard

CANTON, Ohio, March 11. GATES Mill Hawken annihilated the field by more than 200 points in the Ohio Women's Division 2 Championships.

Gates Mill Hawken's 358 points more than doubled the total of the second-place competitor, Lima Shawnee, who scored 142 points. Hathaway Brown finished in third with 124 points.

Margo Geer from Fairbanks turned in a quick 23.25 standard with her 50 freestyle victory, erasing Fiona O'Donnell-McCarthy of Gates Mill Hawken's 2005 Division 2 mark of 23.56. Geer also took the 100 freestyle in record time, finishing a few body lengths ahead of the competition with a 50.30 time. Sarah Dorenkott of Gates Mill Hawken swam the former Division 2 record time of 51.16 in 2004.

Margaret Fish, an Indian Hill senior, set the first Division 2 record of the meet with a 2:02.98 effort in the 200 IM. Her time knocked off the former record of 2:04.15, which Ashlee Edgell of Cincinnati Maderia set in 2005. In addition, Fish took second in the 500 freestyle with a 5:01.74 time.

Brittany Strumbel of Gates Mill Hawken nearly missed cracking the coveted 1:50 barrier in the 200 freestyle, coasting in a 1:50.25 time. Strumbel then downed the 200 IM champion in the 500 freestyle by nine seconds, taking the event in 4:52.00. Strumbel is a Swimming World five-star recruit who will attend the Indiana University this fall.

The team champions went a perfect three-for-three in the relays. The 200 medley relay quartet of Katlin Dagg, Brittany Rospierski, Alana Arnold and Jennifer Aronoff cruised to a 1:48.43 drubbing of the field. The freestyle relays became more potent as the Swimming World five-star recruit suited up for both. Rospierski, Aronoff, Erica Gliga and Strumbel pounded the competition in 1:37.89 while the 400 freestyle relay foursome of Arnold, Laura Tramer, Courtney Tumbush and Strumbel pieced together a 3:34.84 showing.

Nikki Craft from Bay Village notched the diving event win with a 456.85 score. Nicole Brehm from Monroe placed second (417.90) while Elle Schmidt of St. Pete took third (409.00).

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