The Lady Zizzer Swim Team traveled to Pocahontas, Arkansas Thursday, January 19 for the Pocahontas Invitational. It featured 9 teams from Arkansas, Poplar Bluff, and West Plains. The Missouri schools came out on top with the Lady Zizzers taking the victory with 521 points to Poplar Bluff’s 434. The top Arkansas team was North Little Rock with 253 points.
West Plains took home wins in all three relays and two individual events. Both individual wins were by Junior Co-Captain Paige Sheridan. She won the 100 meter Freestyle (1:03.23) and the 100 meter Backstroke (1:13.31).
Along with Sheridan’s win in the 100 meter Freestyle, the Lady Zizzers swept the top 4 places. Addie Peugh (1:07.95), Abbie Peugh (1:09.74), and Penelope Autry (1:11.02) went 2-3-4. Sheridan also led the Zizzers to four of the top five places in the 100 meter Backstroke. She was followed by Ad. Peugh (1:18.60) in 2nd, Trinity Wake (1:27.93) in 4th, and Lily York (1:31.89) in 5th.
“Winning individual events is great, especially when we sweep,” said Head Coach Ryan Smith, “but winning all of the relay events just means a little bit more.”
The Lady Zizzers won the 200 meter Medley Relay (2:19.14) with Roz Fiorino (34.66), Sheridan (38.03), Audrey Land (35.90), and Ad. Peugh (30.55). Evie Niesen (29.93), Ab. Peugh (31.96), T. Wake (31.96), and Land (31.35) took the 200 meter Freestyle Relay crown in 2:04.76. The final event of the evening, the 400 meter Freestyle Relay (4:20.69), was won by more than 40 seconds with a team of Niesen (1:05.78), Fiorino (1:03.76), Ad. Peugh (1:07.76), and Sheridan (1:03.39).
Along with her finish in the 100 meter Backstroke where she went a best time dropping almost 4 seconds, Freshman Lily York had best times in every event she swam. She dropped 4 seconds in her 200 meter Freestyle, 1.5 seconds in her 50 meter Freestyle leg of the 200 meter Freestyle Relay, and almost 3 seconds in her 100 meter Freestyle leg of the 400 meter Freestyle Relay.
Joining York going 4-for-4 in best times were Freshmen Roz Fiorino and Aubrey Gross. Fiorino earned best times in the 50 meter Backstroke leg of the 200 meter Medley Relay, 200 meter Individual Medley, 100 meter Butterfly, and her 100 meter Freestyle leg of the 400 meter Freestyle Relay. Gross swam to best times in the 50 meter Breaststroke leg of the 200 Medley Relay, 400 meter Freestyle, 50 meter Freestyle leg of the 200 meter Freestyle Relay, and her 100 meter Freestyle leg of the 400 meter Freestyle Relay. In all, the Lady Zizzers amassed 23 individual best times on the evening.
“I am very proud of how these young ladies have competed this entire season,” stated Smith. “I am excited to see how they perform down the stretch, starting with the Ozark Conference Championships Monday in Springfield. They will be in a fight to earn the school’s first Ozark Conference Championship in swimming.”
The Ozark Conference Championships is next up for the Lady Zizzers in Springfield at the John H. Foster Natatorium Monday, January 23 with diving starting at 4:30 pm and swimming to immediately follow.
