The Batesville Pioneers recently competed in the 1A-4A State Swim Meet on Feb. 23 in Bentonville.
The Pioneers collected a runner-up finish in the boys’ division, edging out conference foe, Valley View, and Pocahontas. The Pioneers finished just behind the champion, Magnolia High.
For the Pioneers, the boys’ team collected 234 points, while the lone girl swimmer for the Pioneers collected 28 points. One Pioneer finished as State Champion in one event.
In the first event of the day for the boys, the team of Anthony Sonnier, Corbitt Conyers, Nathan Hernandez, and Corbin Davis battled to a second place finish in the 200 Yard Medley Relay. The relay team finished with a time of 1:50:84, just behind Pocahontas, who finished with a time of 1:49:60.
Next up for the Pioneers, was the Boys’ 200 Yard Freestyle. This event saw Keegan Sudol race to a fifth-place finish, which was good enough to earn Sudol a medal and points for the boys’ team. Sudol finished with a time of 2:03:07.
The lone girl swimmer for the Pioneers, Kate Moody, held her own during the competition. Moody showed competitiveness and earned medals in the two races in which she participated. First off for Moody, was the Girls’ 200 Individual Medley, where she finished with a time of 2:47:70, which was good for fifth place. In her other race, Moody competed in the Girls’ 100 Yard Backstroke where she finished with a time of 1:11:26, giving her another fifth place finished. Overall, she ended up collecting 28 points in the girls’ division.
The Pioneers had four swimmers in the 50 Yard Freestyle. Leading off for the Pioneers, was Austin Williamson. Williamson finished with a time of 27:25, which was his personal best. Following Williamson, was teammate Corbitt Conyers. In the final race of his high school career, Conyers finished with a time of 26:19, giving him 13th place. In the last heat of the 50 Freestyle, Corbin Davis and Anthony Sonnier both placed in the top five. Sonnier finished the race with a time of 23:87 which gave him a third-place finish. Davis was right behind him and finished with a time of 23.97 which gave him fourth place.
The Pioneers continued to earn points as they had two swimmers placed in the top six in the 100 Yard Fly. Teammates Jack Allen and Trey Moody both finished fifth and sixth, respectively. Allen had a time of 1:02:68, while Moody finished with 1:02:91.
Points continued to pile on for the Pioneers as Keegan Sudol edged out teammate Jack Allen for a sixth-place finish in the Boys’ 500 Yard Freestyle. Austin Williamson also competed in the race. Sudol finished with a time of 5:38:35 with Allen right behind him with a time of 5:38:36. Williamson finished the race with a time 6:32:88.
Batesville’s relay team again showed a strong performance as they finished second in the Boys’ 200 Freestyle Relay. The team of Sonnier, Sudol, Davis, and Hernandez earned a time of 1:35:58
In the Boys’ 100 yard Backstroke, one Pioneer finished as state champ: Nathan Hernandez finished with a time of 56:24, just shy of the state record. Trey Moody also raced and finished fourth with a time of 1:05:03.
In the final race of the day, the Batesville Pioneers finished with a time of 3:38:28. The 500 Yard Freestyle Relay was the race that would eventually determine the 1A-4A Champions. The team of Sonnier, Davis, Moody, and Hernandez battled and earned a 2nd place finished. That was good enough for the Pioneers to finish second overall in the 1A-4A State Meet.
Top 5
1st: Magnolia — 246 pts
2nd: Batesville — 234 pts
3rd: Valley View — 232 pts
4th: Pocahontas — 171 pts
5th: Arkadelphia — 150 pts
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