Girls swimming: L-P/Ottawa uses strong efforts to finish second in own Pentathlon

LA SALLE — The La Salle-Peru/Ottawa girls swim squad put together a number of solid individual efforts in finishing runner-up at the L-P pool during Saturday’s four-team L-P Pentathlon.

The Cavaliers scored 11,171 total points in the event to place just behind champion Morris (11,316) and ahead of Olympia (10,957) and Pontiac (8,997).

“We finished just 145 points out of first place, so it was very close,” L-P/O coach Rob McNally said. “This is a much different format than a regular meet where you get points for finishing first, second or third. In this event, you receive points solely based on times, so the lower the times regardless of your overall finish in the event, the more points you get.

“We also have relays in regular events which tends to give everyone a more team feel, but this event format is nice because it’s the top four swimmers from each team. I’m hoping to expand this event in the years to come, because I think it is a nice rewarding event for those swimmers who are having a good individual season to kind of show their stuff.”

La Salle-Peru sophomore Mikenna DeSpain led the host squad with 2,883 points, a high of 656 in the 200-yard freestyle, which placed her in fifth place of the 16 individual swimmers.

“I’m working on getting all of my times down, and I’m very close to hitting my goal in the 50 freestyle of around 27 seconds. ... I’ve done it in a relay before, but not in an individual race yet,” DeSpain said. “That event is quick, but it has a lot to do with having determination. It’s one you just have to go for it. Hopefully, I can find that determination in one of these meets and reach my goal.

“I love relays, they are definitely more fun, but today was different in the fact that while we were racing individually, while we are also trying to get the best time for the team as well.

“Finishing fifth was awesome, but the fact that we finished second as a team was more exciting to me.”

Ottawa junior Kailey Goetsch scored a 645 in the 200 freestyle and 635 in the 50 freestyle as part of her 2,846 points that placed her in eighth place.

“This is an event where you get to do events you are good at, but also some that maybe you’re not,” Goetsch said. “The ones you’re not good at you just have to do the best you can. I did pretty well other than in the butterfly and backstroke, but those are the ones I’m not very good at because I normally don’t do them. My freestyle was pretty good, so I’m happy with that.

“I knew a lot of the other girls that were in my heats, and one of my friends was in every heat I had, so that I think helped push me a little. I’m getting close to my goal time for the freestyle. I think I need to drop like a second and a half and that just comes down to my turns and starts.

“It was a fun day overall.”

Lily Mustered finished in ninth place with 2,736 (670 in the 100 backstroke), while Evvie Jeppson placed 10th with 2,706 points (666 in the 100 backstroke) to round out the scoring for L-P/O.

“I’m liking the times I’m seeing from all these girls, and I really thought they all came here today ready to give their best efforts,” McNally said. “They were all telling me they were nervous before we started, and that tells me this means something to them.”

La Salle-Peru/Ottawa will be back in home waters at 5 p.m. Wednesday when it hosts a dual meet against Bloomington Central Catholic.