The Batesville Pioneers hosted the George Latus Memorial this past weekend at the Batesville Community and Aquatics Center.
The Pioneers displayed a strong performance as the boys secured a first-place finish with 401 team points. The Pioneers were led by Ethan Byler (Jr.), who scored a team-high 36 points. Byler finished with two first-place finishes, a second, and a third-place finish.
The Lady Pioneers finished 4th with 193 team points, led by senior Kate Gunter, who scored 32 points with four top-five finishes in her events.
“I thought our kids performed very well,” said Assistant Coach Khang Nguyen. “We faced teams that we will see again at the state meet, and it gave us an idea where we stand amongst the 5A this late in the season.”
Notable events of the meet included the boys’ 200-yard medley relay as the Pioneers finished first, edging out Russellville with a time of 1:52.05. The relay team included Ethan Insell (So.), Daniel Latus (Sr.), Ethan Byler, and Dewey Rodgers (So.).
In the girls’ 200-yard freestyle, junior Penelope Nelms, took first place with a time of 2:27.35, dropping 3 seconds off of her season best. Jackson Insell (So) finished first in the boys’ 500-yard freestyle with a time of 5:55.47, dropping 35 seconds off his season best.
The Pioneers will have two more regular season meets before district and state.
“We’re hoping to finish the season strong and have everyone healthy as we are gearing towards the postseason,” said Nguyen. “There are still spots to fill as far as qualifying for the state meet. We will get those chances with the meets we have coming up.”
Images by Daniel Latus
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